Why exactly is eggnog seasonal? Let’s find out.
I’m just going to be upfront and honest with you – I am an eggnog zealot. Once the holidays come around, I’m slurping down this bizarre, creamy concoction for about a month straight, adding all sorts of things to it like a mad scientist. Cinnamon sticks? Let’s go. Bourbon, maybe some scotch? You bet. Does adding chocolate of some kind to the drink make sense? Peppermint?! I have no idea, but I’m probably going to give it a try now.
But as Homer Simpson once said, “We only get 30 sweet, noggy days. Then the government takes it away again.”
So why is it that we can only drink our beloved eggnog during the holiday season?
Why Is Eggnog Only Sold Around Christmas?
The simple answer is economics. Turns out, nobody’s really clamoring for a delicious, sugary egg yolk drink in the middle of the summer, so it doesn’t come as too big of a surprise that dairy manufacturers aren’t rushing to produce the stuff all year long. Most manufacturers begin production of eggnog around mid-October, as people begin to feel the insatiable craving once again. Sales begin to ramp up around Thanksgiving before reaching the apex in the week leading up to Christmas, when 20 percent of the annual sales are made.
After Christmas, that’s when the sales just fall off a cliff, with manufacturers desperate to get rid of excess product by January. It turns out, we’ve just been conditioned to believe eggnog is a holiday drink and a holiday drink only – but it doesn’t have to be this way. Studies have shown that the colder the temperature is, the more people drink eggnog (especially the psychos who drink it hot), so why can’t we at least get it through February?
Why Do We Even Drink Eggnog?
Eggnog actually has a pretty deep history, dating back hundreds of years to the British aristocracy, who served it warm during the winter months, often with brandy or sherry. It eventually caught on with the American colonists, usually accompanied with rum on this side of the ocean. It quickly became a staple of winter parties, where it’s maintained that stranglehold on us ever since.
There are actually a few manufacturers that have dared to produce eggnog outside the holiday season, primarily around Easter. But I think if we’re ever truly going to be able to turn the tide on eggnog’s fortunes, we need a high-powered, deep-pocketed lobbying campaign to convince the country that this is just as much a COLD drink as it is a warm one. Though I hardly ever see people drinking eggnog warm, it needs to relayed clear as day that, hey, you drink cold stuff in the summer, right? Why not try cooling off with a refreshing little nog from now on? You can still enjoy it during Christmastime, and you can even drink it warm whenever the hell you want.
Just give us the option to choose! I need more than my 30 sweet, noggy days.
