The South Created Egg Nog
🥚 The Noggins Behind Eggnog · Joe Allen on the men behind the machines · Is Kilmar Garcia finally going home? · Much more!
Good afternoon, everyone. Today, Chase Steely gives us a great eggnog recipe and reflects on its origins... We present the next event in our lecture series with Joe Allen... And some light news to tide you over until the New Year.
Calendar Update The Pamphleteer will be taking the rest of the week off. We hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas. We'll check in at the top of next week.
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The Christmas staple is a uniquely American libation that grounds the holiday season in tradition
From Chase Steely
Winter often brought reprieve in the wars of the past, but not in the Eggnog War. Unlike the fashionable moral ambiguities peddled by our gender-ambiguous storytellers, this war permits no compromise. Here we find no fashionable shades of gray—we’re not flipping houses. The Eggnog Question divides as clearly as foundations—rock against sand. Eggnog-haters are going back!
The history proves as substantial as the drink itself. In eggnog, we find something quintessentially American, a Christmas tradition that speaks most clearly in a Southern accent. What started in Albion’s taverns grew into something else. Something ours.
Posset is an old drink from an old world. Hot ale or wine and eggs and spices thrown together in medieval halls when common folk could only talk about its smell. By the 13th century, milk and sugar joined the mix, cementing its status as a drink for the lords and ladies.
The drink crossed the Atlantic with British settlers in the 1700s, and the new world changed it. Caribbean rum, cheap and easy to find, replaced the brandy and sherry of the old country. With an abundance of milk and eggs, it became a drink enjoyed by Yankees, Yeomen, Cavaliers, Crackers, and Fur Trappers. The name “eggnog” emerged during this period, though its origin remains disputed. Some claim it came from sailors combining “egg” with their “grog.” Another group says it refers to the word “noggin” borrowed from Scottish drinkers who knew their small cups well. Others point to Norfolk’s strong ale called “nog.”
The word “eggnog” first appeared in American records toward the end of the 18th century, finding its most thorough early description in William Attmore’s 1787 “Journal of a Tour to North Carolina.” He noted, with particular interest, that the taking of “drams” before breakfast was not merely accepted but customary in North Carolina. His Christmas Day account preserves the precise preparation: five eggs separated, yolks mixed with brown sugar, whites beaten until astonishingly firm, these elements combined, and rum carefully stirred into the mixture.
Prior to Attmore’s notes, Jonathan Boucher, a Maryland clergyman and friend to George Washington, referenced “eggnog” in a poem composed around 1775, yet published later. By 1788, the term began appearing in documents throughout the colonies, establishing its place in early American vernacular.
The Men Behind the Machine We hear endless warnings about the existential dangers of transhumanism and artificial intelligence, but almost none about the individuals and interests behind their advance. What do they believe? What does their vision for the future of humanity look like? How does this affect how they organize and lead their companies?
On Thursday, January 15th, Joe Allen will join us to discuss just that. Allen is a writer and Bannon's War Room correspondent. His 2023 book, Dark Aeon, chronicles the rise of artificial intelligence and transhumanism, arguing that unchecked technological advancement poses a threat to humanity.
This is the second in a series of monthly lectures we'll be hosting. These events are for the benefit of The Pamphleteer. Every dollar earned goes toward supporting our operations and planning future events.
Paying Bard-level subscribers receive free access to this and future events. (Buy Tickets)
HEADLINES
- 🗺️ With a final order of deportation now in place, the case moves back to federal court, where judges will decide whether ICE can take Kilmar Abrego Garcia into custody and execute the removal or whether legal stays and appeals continue to block deportation. (Tennessee Star)
- 💥 A Chinese national driving a tour bus on Interstate 40 in Tennessee rear-ended a tractor-trailer on Dec. 9, triggering a multi-vehicle crash that killed a 31-year-old Tennessee truck driver and injured others. Federal authorities say he entered the U.S. illegally in 2023 but was still issued a New York commercial driver’s license. (NY Post)
DEVELOPMENT
- 12South building housing Imogene + Willie sells for $3.2M (Post)
- Donelson’s $38M transit upgrade gains momentum (Post)
THINGS TO DO
View our calendar for the week here.
📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.
🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.
👨🏻🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide.
TONIGHT
🎄 The Ornaments @ Eastside Bowl, 7:30p, $25, Info
+ Performing Charlie Brown Christmas
🪕 Bluegrass Monday w/ Kyle Tuttle Band @ Dee's Lounge, 6p, $10, Info
🪕 Val Storey, Carl Jackson, Larry Cordle & New Monday @ Station Inn, 8p, $20, Info
💀 Grateful Monday @ Acme Feed & Seed, 7p, Free, Info
🕺 Motown Monday @ The 5 Spot, 9p, $5, Info
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