Warm-up With A Tom And Jerry

My husband enjoys beer. I take credit for his taste for a good beer.  He knows his wines. But he enjoys cocktails most of all.  Now I am not talking about modern sissy drinks.  He's old school and classy when it comes to shaking up a cocktail.  Seriously he will research old forgotten about cocktails.  One of these less common cocktails is a Tom And Jerry, a warm, frothy, velvety, delicious, dessert cocktail. 

What makes this drink so marvelous? Well, it's a perfect drink for a Christmas shindig. It's also a brilliant drink during the Mardi Gras season.  Great for cold weather, it's warm, sweet and spicy.  Traditionally this cocktail has it own glassware and thanks to my mother in law I've got a sensational vintage Tom And Jerry set of glasses and bowl.  Most of these glassware sets have Victorian theme depicted on them, that is oh so festive.  A good Tom And Jerry is certainly a nostalgic indulgence.

Tom and Jerry's have become one of our Christmas time favorites.  It was a humid, sticky hot mess here in Florida this December so it wasn't until the 12th day of Christmas that the weather was finally cool enough make up a batch.  This really is a great drink for a cold winter evening.  My husband and I always have a fun time making these together as there are several tasks to be done. There are several different approaches to assembling a Tom And Jerry, so here's our take.

What You'll Need

Brandy

4 eggs 

1 stick butter softened not melted

1 cup confectioners sugar

4 cups milk

1 cinnamon stick

6-8 whole cloves 

2 anise stars 

1/4 teaspoon of these spices

ground cloves 

allspice

nutmeg

Mixology 

Separate the eggs setting aside the yokes in a medium size mixing bowl, the whites go into a large glass bowl.  Beat whites until stiff peaks form. 

Cream together confectioners sugar and butter.  Add beaten eggs yolks.  Stir in ground cloves, allspice, and nutmeg and a tablespoon of brandy.   Gently fold into the egg whites to form a fluffy batter.

On the stove warm the 1 cup brandy (or... more for an extra spike) with the cinnamon stick, whole cloves, and anise for 5 minutes.  Remove the spices when warm.

In a separate pan gently warm milk, do not let it boil. I like lots of froth so I whisk the milk as it heats. 

Serving

Layer into a warm punch bowl the spiced brandy, next slowly (to temper) stir in about 3/4th of the batter, then slowly add the warm milk, and lastly the remaining batter.  Garnish with a bit of nutmeg.  Serve in a coffee mug, teacup, or punch glasses.  Or if you really want to be the host with the most you can easily find a vintage set of Tom And Jerry glassware on eBay.

If serving at a party you may wish to keep the milk warm in a carafe, adding a bit to each cup as the cocktail is served.   Those who find the cocktail to rich may wish to use half hot water and half warm milk, but please that's like adding water to a milkshake.

But I must confess I think a Tom And Jerry would be totally amazing with SoCo...yum! 

So what's your favorite cocktail?

Enjoy!