<P> In private homes or parties, non-alcoholic eggnog may be served to guests, but with one or more bottles of spirits (rum, whiskey, etc .) made available . This way designated drivers and people who do not drink alcohol can enjoy the drink alcohol - free, but other guests can add the type and amount of alcohol to suit their tastes . When eggnog is served in a punchbowl, in some cases a "virgin" recipe (alcohol free) and an alcohol - spiked recipe will be served in two separate bowls, labelled so that guests can choose which one . </P> <P> The distinctive spices that give eggnog its characteristic taste, including cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla, are used to create eggnog - flavoured foods and beverages . Eggnog - flavoured foods include eggnog ice cream, pie, cupcakes, rum cake, cookies, biscotti, pancake syrup, bread pudding, French toast and waffles . Eggnog - flavoured beverages include eggnog lattes (developed by Starbucks in the mid-1980s), eggnog - flavoured coffee and tea, some craft beers (e.g., eggnog stout) and eggnog milkshakes . </P> <P> Most homemade eggnog recipes have historically included raw eggs . While the alcohol added to many homemade eggnogs is a bactericide, eggnog freshly made from raw eggs that are infected with salmonella and not heated can cause food poisoning . A very small percentage of raw eggs are infected with salmonella . In 1982 most of the residents and staff of a nursing home in the U.S. became ill with salmonellosis, and four died . The cause was almost certainly an eggnog made on the spur of the moment, with some cases caused in a secondary outbreak caused by food being handled later by people with contaminated hands . A later publication of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated that the alcohol in eggnog is not sufficient to sterilize contaminated eggs . Using commercial pasteurized eggs or heating the milk - egg mixture sufficiently can make the drink safe; one recipe calls for heating the mixture gently, without boiling, until it thickens enough to "coat the back of a spoon ." </P> <P> However, aged alcoholic eggnog becomes sterilized even if made with contaminated eggs . Aging alcoholic eggnog--sometimes for as long as a year--has been said to improve its flavor significantly, and also destroys pathogens . The Rockefeller University Laboratory of Bacterial Pathogenesis and Immunology carried out an experiment in 2010 where salmonella was added to a strong eggnog which was refrigerated and stored; the beverage still had dangerous levels of salmonella a week later, but it was all gone within three weeks . A concentration of at least 20% of alcohol (about the same amounts of alcoholic spirits and milk or cream), and refrigeration are recommended for safety . </P>

Where did the tradition of eggnog come from