Southern Comfort Eggnog - An Easy and Comforting Recipe (2024)

This Southern Comfort eggnog recipe is the official spiked drink of sweater weather. It’s sweet, creamy, and decadent, with the perfect kick of SoCo.

There are few things I love as much as curling up with a festive drink in the winter. And when that drink is also alcoholic? Well, it really doesn’t get much better than that! That’s why I’m such a big fan of this Southern Comfort eggnog recipe. It has all the coziness of my favorite holiday beverage, but with an alcoholic kick.

I’m a big fan of eggnog. It’s rich, creamy, sweet, and comforting. And while you can always buy it at the store, it’s a heck of a lot better when you make it yourself. Plus, homemade eggnog spiked with SoCo is a surefire way to make sure that all your friends want to hang out at your place during the holiday season.

What You’ll Need

Here’s everything you need to make Southern Comfort eggnog. Be sure to check out the recipe card at the bottom of the page for the exact ingredients.

• Egg yolks
• Sugar
• Heavy whipping cream
• Milk – I recommend using whole milk, as this recipe is all about decadence.
• Ground nutmeg
• Ground cinnamon
• Whole cloves
• Kosher salt
• Vanilla extract – Be sure to use 100% pure vanilla extract, rather than an extract with artificial flavors.
• Southern Comfort

What Does Southern Comfort Taste Like?

Southern Comfort is a whiskey-based liqueur that has fruits and spices. Because of those flavors, it’s very popular for fall and winter-based co*cktails. It’s a comforting alcohol, and the standard version is a little bit less alcoholic than straight whiskey (though you can buy bottles of SoCo that are more alcoholic, too).

How to Make Southern Comfort Eggnog

Here’s how to make this cozy and comforting winter co*cktail.

• Beat the eggs and sugar. Add the egg yolks and sugar to a bowl, and whisk until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.

• Heat the liquids. Add the milk, whipping cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat until it reaches a light simmer. Then reduce the heat to medium-low.

• Temper the eggs. While whisking, slowly pour a ladle or measuring cup filled with the liquid into the eggs and sugar. Continue whisking until the mixture is smooth.

• Finish cooking the eggnog. Add the egg and sugar mixture to the saucepan and cook until the liquid reaches 160F. Make sure to whisk constantly as the mixture heats, and don’t let it reach a boil. Pour the mixture into a bowl through a fine mesh strainer.

• Add the alcohol. Pour the Southern Comfort and vanilla into the eggnog, and stir to combine.

• Chill. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the bowl, pressing it down so that it’s touching the eggnog. Put the bowl in the fridge, and let it chill until cold, about 2 hours, then serve with your favorite toppings. If the mixture is too thick at this point, whisk in a little additional milk.

Tips for Success

Here are some tricks and tips for making perfect Southern Comfort eggnog.

• Have fun with toppings. When it’s time to serve this decadent co*cktail, I like to break out the fun toppings. Whipped cream is a classic topping, but I also love a sprinkle of ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, or cocoa powder.
• Be diligent when whisking. It’s important that you whisk the eggnog constantly when making it. Because the base of eggnog is eggs, your drink will quickly turn to scrambled eggs if left unattended. And nobody wants to drink a glass of Southern Comfort scrambled eggs!
• Use fresh nutmeg. You can use pre-ground nutmeg for this recipe, but for the best results, buy whole nutmegs, and grate them fresh for the eggnog.

Variations

Here are a few fun variations if you want to mix up the Southern Comfort eggnog recipe.

• Heat it up. While most people drink eggnog and eggnog co*cktails cold, it’s also delicious heated. Heat this co*cktail on the stove over low heat for 3-5 minutes, until it’s warm all the way through, or on medium heat in the microwave for 1 minute. You don’t want to heat it for too long, or the alcohol in the SoCo will cook off.
• Make it dairy-free or vegan. This recipe is easy to make dairy-free. All you have to do is replace the milk and heavy cream with non-dairy substitutes. If you want to make the recipe fully vegan, simply omit the egg yolks from the recipe. If you do this, you might want to add a little bit of xantham gum to thicken up the eggless eggnog.
• Add more spices. This eggnog co*cktail recipe uses warm winter spices, but you can make it a little bit spicier. Feel free to add allspice, star anise, or even a touch of black pepper if you want to give the co*cktail a little bit of an extra kick. You can also use these ingredients to flavor the rim of the glass.

How to Store Southern Comfort Eggnog

The alcohol in this recipe gives Southern Comfort eggnog a pretty long shelf life. If you store it in an airtight container in the fridge, it will last for at least 2 weeks. That can get you through a few fun holiday nights!

More co*cktails to Make

If you want some more co*cktails to try out, check out the recipes for some of my favorites.

• Healthy grapefruit margaritas
• Fresh peach mojitos
• Lemon maple bourbon co*cktail
• Mexican mule
• Watermelon margaritas