General Harrison's Nogg

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (13 ratings)

Serve in an Old-fashioned glass

Ingredients:
1 12 oz Calvados / apple brandy / straight applejack
2 oz Dry cider
12 oz Monin Pure Cane Syrup (65.0°brix, equivalent to 2:1 rich syrup)
2 dash Pimento bitters
1 fresh Egg (white & yolk)
× 1 1 serving
Read about cocktail measures and measuring

Garnish: Dust with freshly grated nutmeg

How to make:

BEWARE, shaking with fizzy ingredients such as cider tends to be explosive. Hence, use a still/less fizzy cider and hold both ends of your shaker firmly. (If you have to hand, use a specially designed 'fizz' shaker such as Perlini, which is designed to be carbonated). SHAKE all ingredients with ice and strain into glass (without ice). Be sure to shake well to completely emulsify the egg.

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

  • Egg (white & yolk) - Eggs
Cocktail of the day:

25th December 2025 is A Very Merry Christmas

Review:

A whole raw egg contributes body to this filling, flavoursome, wintry, delicate cocktail. The retained CO2 fizz of the cider adds essential body and balancing acidity but demands the use of a specialised shaker.

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History:

We were sent this recipe by Dale DeGroff in December 2012 who said: "A personal favourite, adapted from a recipe from Jerry Thomas' 1862 How to Mix Drinks: a totally different take on eggnog – made as a single-serve drink it includes a raw egg, so you need to shake the hell out of it."

This cocktail is named after General William Henry Harrison, the American president to hold office for the shortest period. He was elected 4th March 1841 and died a month to the day later of pneumonia. Harrison was known for his drinking and cider was one of his preferred tipples. It is said that this eggnog was his favourite drink.

Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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John Champion’s Avatar John Champion
24th January 2023 at 17:29
An unusual, but very enjoyable, drink. The ingredients (except the egg) don't really scream nog, but that's exactly what it tastes like. Definitely give it a try, and if you're lactose intolerant, this is the way to go.