SAN FRANCISCO (AP) 鈥� At Scoma鈥檚 Restaurant in , this 's batch of eggnog began 11 months ago.
The process typically starts in late January, just after the previous year's celebrations are over. Nearly a thousand egg yolks, gallons upon gallons of heavy cream and roughly $1,000 worth of vanilla beans are mixed with sugar and a mega-cocktail of sherry, brandy and aged rum. The concoction is then stored at 34 degrees Fahrenheit (1 degree Celsius) and and gets stirred weekly for months.
Is it worth the wait? Customer Phil Kenny seems to think so.
鈥泪迟鈥檚 a wonderful, specialty drink," Kenny said of Scoma's recipe, which has been honed in recent years to take advantage of the s aging process. "This takes eggnog to a different level.鈥�
Kenny and his wife, Laurie, aren't the only ones enjoying it this year.
鈥淎 drink that you would sort of associate with grandma and grandpa on the holidays has become like a cult favorite here," Gordon Drysdale, Scoma鈥檚 culinary director, said earlier this month. "We did not ever anticipate people actually being mad at us because we didn鈥檛 have it.鈥�
Eggnog's roots date back to medieval England and a drink called 鈥減osset,鈥� which included hot milk or cream, alcohol and spices. Recipes have evolved in the centuries since then, and non-dairy and alcohol-free options abound in recent years. But some 鈥� like the formula for the famous eggnog daiquiri at Lafitte鈥檚 Blacksmith Shop in 鈥� stay the same, and remain secret.
鈥淚 like to say it鈥檚 a little Christmas magic," said Jamie Gourges, marketing manager for the open-air bar in the city's iconic French Quarter. 鈥淲e do not disclose any of our recipes at any point but it is delicious.鈥�
Gourges will say, though, that theirs is made fresh each morning from right after Thanksgiving until , also known as Epiphany, on Jan. 6. It's a tradition going back some 20 years at an establishment that was built in the early 1700s. Naturally, it's haunted by French pirate and privateer Jean Lafitte, who based his smuggling operations near New Orleans.
Terry Wittmer, who lives in the Big Easy, is a regular customer and loves the holiday season at the bar.
鈥泪迟 . It鈥檚 a little cinnamon-y. It鈥檚 smooth and if you drink it too fast you might get a brain freeze,鈥� Wittmer said. 鈥淚 live a block away so I鈥檓 here every day but I鈥檓 happier during Christmas.鈥�
Even for tourists who came for the bar's signature "purple drank鈥� daiquiri, the holiday beverage beckons.
"It鈥檚 not going to have a problem going down, let鈥檚 put it that way,鈥� Cheryl Abrigo of Florida said as she sipped hers.
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Smith reported from New Orleans, and Dazio reported from Los Angeles.
Terry Chea, Stephen Smith And Stefanie Dazio, The Associated Press
