It has been a tradition by most Americans to have eggnogs during the holidays. Eggnog or egg milk punch is a refrigerated, sweetened drink which has dairy products as its base and is traditionally made with milk and/or cream, sugar, whipped eggs and spirits like rum or bourbon.
People at French75 Bar like to make Tom and Jerry drinks for those who are just walking around on Christmas Eve. Tom and Jerry, Yes! That's right, like the animated series we see on TV, but this one is far from the cat and mouse chasing each other endlessly. Anyway, moving on, employees there usually work a double shift that night, so the bar is open during the day, which is not the case on normal days.
People usually go in a really good looking bar out of curiosity, and this bar offers just that. The back bar is 130 years old and the restaurant (Arnaud's) is close to a hundred years old. Walking around the Quarter on Christmas Eve also gives you that feeling that you're taking a walk back to where everything started. The guests at this bar usually do that and drinks an old holiday cocktail to get a feel of what it felt like in the past.
The Tom and Jerry is one of the most famous drinks. It's a hot cocktail from the 1800s which is very fitting for a cold winter night. It is originally from England, and it starts off with a Tom and Jerry batter. It's a little bit time consuming to make this drink because you have to separate the eggs, beat the whites, add sugar, beat the yolks and then add more sugar and spices. The process is as precise as things were in the past.
Most people enjoy something when it was prepared well, especially in our fast-paced world right now. People appreciate it more knowing someone put in their efforts to prepare something for them. And in the bar, it has been a tradition for almost 9 years now. A number of guests come in and tell their friends about it, making it something special they can do for Christmas Eve. Some people from New Orleans has made it their own tradition to visit the bar every Christmas Eve and enjoy a Tom and Jerry.
The Tom and Jerry is the steamy cousin of eggnog. Every time we think about eggnog, only one thing comes to mind- HOLIDAYS! Because come-on, who wants to have an egg beverage all the time? When the drink is cool enough, and we have the feeling to celebrate like most people from the North, it's always nice to have a Tom and Jerry.
If you ever go to stores that sell antiques, you will probably notice that everyone used to have a Tom and Jerry bowl. A Tom and Jerry bowl is a big ceramic bowl which is often decorated with snowflakes on them. Looking at the bowl alone, you will know that Tom and Jerry really signifies winter. Today, people prefer to have eggnog more than Tom and Jerry, but it's still very interesting to see how popular it was once. It's also so interesting to know that there are a lot of bowl and mugs in antique shops today because nobody makes Tom and Jerry anymore.