DrinkWire is Liquor.com's showcase for the best articles, recipe and reviews from the web's top writers and bloggers. In this post, the folks behind Booze Nerds offer tips on a holiday classic.

It’s the time of year again for eggnog. As we’ve posted before, you definitely want to age your nog. In addition to just the eggs and booze, you want to age the dairy as well. That said, the recipe we use is a bit of a pain in the butt. You have to separate eggs, whip the whites and yolks separately as well as some cream, and then carefully fold everything together. But is all of that necessary?

We were curious as to how much of all that work was really required. So we whipped up two batches of nog using our regular recipe, aged them, and did a side by side taste test. One we prepared according to instructions with the separating and whipping and so forth. The other one we prepared by dumping all of the ingredients into a bowl and then whisking them with the hand mixer for a few minutes. Then we popped them into the fridge for 3 weeks. So, how did they turn out?

The one requiring all the folding and whipping definitely has more volume.

Lazy preparation:

Really nice, creamy, vanilla/rum/nutmeg flavor. Mouthfeel is round and creamy but not terribly heavy. Booze presents as a little more forward than the traditional preparation but not overwhelmingly so.

PITA preparation:

Definitely thicker, richer mouthfeel, decadent and almost whipped-creamy. A little much for Shaun, but Christa found it just right. Flavor is the the same as the lazy preparation but slightly mellower. Takes the edge off the booze just the right amount.

Blend of the two:

A good combination for those who don’t want it to be super rich. Same great flavor, but Shaun found it slightly more approachable and drinkable.

There you have it. All that work definitely makes a difference, especially if you want a really rich, thick and decadent eggnog. If you want something not quite so much work but with really nice flavor go for the lazy nog; it’s still a damn sight nicer than anything you can buy in return for just a few minutes of prep. Or you can be like Shaun and make the whole thing more work by doing both and then making a custom blend of the two to get just the right flavor and mouthfeel.

By the way, if you haven’t started aging your nog this year, there’s just enough time for Christmas and plenty of time of New Years, so here’s your reminder to get that holiday cheer prepared and in the fridge!