How Much Eggnog Is a Serving?

Nothing says Christmas like eggnog, and being available only during the holiday season is undoubtedly the second-best thing after putting up the tree. It is a delicious creamy drink that is a welcomed addition to any Christmas party and is, therefore, easy to go overboard with it. Party hosts always think it is better to have extra than to run out, but dealing with perishable leftovers that offer no storage option is inconvenient. Discarding perfectly good eggnog because there’s simply too much of it is a shame, so your calculation should be as accurate as possible. So, how much eggnog is a serving?

As a rule, a serving of eggnog is one cup. An average person usually has up to five cups of eggnog. This number can, of course, go higher, but it can also go lower. Therefore the average number of eggnog cups per person is four or five. 

Since eggnog is a very tasty drink and a slam dunk at every Christmas party, it is easy to get carried away and go over the top with it. Throwing it out would be a real shame and complete waste of perfectly good eggnog. To help you prevent that from happening, in the following paragraphs, I will explain how much eggnog is a serving and how much you need for a bunch. 

How Much Eggnog Is a Serving?

Before we start let’s take a look at the table below that shows the approximate quantities of eggnog you need for a certain number of people. 

As you can notice, only the first column calculates exactly five cups per person; the rest of them calculate less.

A serving of eggnog is a cup. Because eggnog, although tasty, is a heavy drink, one usually doesn’t go over four to five cups in one night. 

Eggnog contains eggs, milk, sugar, milk, and cream. The alcohol content in the eggnog is not usually high, but it is still noticeable. However, the risk of overeating on eggnog is greater than getting drunk. 

Another reason people cannot drink much eggnog is that the eggs are raw. Raw eggs are much harder to digest; therefore, they can easily cause stomach uneasiness, even if you have a resilient stomach. 

Sugar also plays a significant role, stacking your body with carbs that can quickly make you feel bloated. To top it all off, the milk and cream combination adds substantial fattiness to the drink. 

Therefore, you can consider eggnog more of a liquid meal than a drink. Nevertheless, it can get you pretty woozy, especially because everyone adds the alcohol they like in the quantity they see fit. 

How Many Eggnogs Per Person for a Party?

Suppose you consider that one cup of eggnog contains substantial quantities of saturated fats, carbs, and cholesterol, no matter your drinking capacity and fat tolerance. In that case, you won’t be able to go over five cups. 

Five cups of eggnog are the average quantity a person could drink. However, people with lesser tolerance drink a cup or two less; conversely, people with higher tolerance can drink more. Still, dividing the total number of cups by the number of people will probably get five cups per person. 

At a party, especially with more than five people, the chances of someone having more than five cups are low, but the chances of them having less than five cups are higher. 

Five cups of eggnog are approximately 600 gr. or 21 ounces of liquid. Eggnog is a punch, meaning that it is denser and thicker than regular liquid, and therefore, the odds of everyone at your party meeting the exact average number are pretty slim. 

I, therefore, recommend you make less than the exact number of people times the number of people, as chances are you will have substantial leftovers. 

You can always do a clean-cut calculation, the number of people times five, but that would be a somewhat naive estimate. So, go with a little lower quantity, but have the ingredients handy to make some more in case you run out. 

Don’t worry about buying too many eggs or too much milk, cream, sugar, or alcohol. You can always use them after the party for your next meal. 

How to Properly Drink Eggnog?

You can drink eggnog, both chilled and warm, but chilled is often the way people have it. Usually, eggnog is served in a thick cup with a handle and a stand, which is a decoration. You can sprinkle some cinnamon on top to give it some color or add pretzel sticks or chocolate. 

Some serve it with a slice of orange or an apple on the rim of the glass with a cocktail parasol. Ultimately, you should drink and serve it the way you enjoy it the most even in a coffee as a coffee creamer.

What to Serve With Eggnog?

You can serve plenty of things with eggnog, both in the sweet and savory categories. 

Roasted Nuts

Roasted nuts are known as excellent eggnog companions. The countering textures beautifully complement each other. The crunchy nuts combined with the creamy eggnog will create a real celebration in your mouth.

Sweets

Biscuits and chocolate are always excellent options, as well as biscotti and cake. The sweet taste of the snacks and the sweet creaminess of the eggnog and the little edge of the alcohol work as a great alliance. 

Fruits

You can add fresh fruits such as oranges, apples, bananas, and berries, as well as roasted pumpkin pieces. Although delicious, eggnog can be a little heavy, so combining it with fresh fruits can be just what you and your guests are looking for. 

Cheese and Meat

Eggnog also goes great with cheese plates and smoked meat. Although sweet, the alcoholic taste gives eggnog a slightly different dimension. It paired nicely with soft and expressively milky cheeses with a mild aroma and accentuated milky flavor. 

Smoked meats such as prosciutto, speck, pancetta, and spicy sausage also pair up nicely. There is something in the opposing tastes that makes this combination work excellent.