Tom and Jerry
intro
A frothy, warmly spiced hot cocktail made with light egg batter, rum, brandy, and steamed milk, a beloved cozy winter Christmas classic.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep and separate eggs
Carefully separate 4 cold large eggs, placing yolks in one large mixing bowl and whites in a completely clean, dry, grease-free second bowl. Ensure no yolk traces fall into the white bowl, as this will prevent proper whipping. Let both sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to achieve maximum volume when whipped.
Whip egg whites to peaks
Using an electric hand mixer set to medium-high speed, beat the room-temperature egg whites for 2–3 minutes until they form stiff, glossy peaks that hold their sharp shape when the mixer is lifted. Stop beating before the whites become dry, crumbly, or separated.
Mix spiced yolk base
Add 60g granulated sugar, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground allspice, 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg, and 1 tsp pure vanilla extract to the bowl of egg yolks. Beat on medium speed for 1.5 minutes until the mixture is pale, thick, and a light lemon-yellow color, with all spices evenly incorporated.
Fold into light batter
Gently fold 1/3 of the whipped egg whites into the spiced yolk mixture using a silicone spatula to lighten the dense yolk base, then carefully fold in the remaining whites in two equal batches. Use slow, cutting motions to avoid deflating the froth, until the batter is evenly mixed with no white streaks remaining.
Heat milk to temperature
Pour 480ml whole milk into a small heavy-bottomed saucepan, and heat over medium-low heat for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the milk reaches 70°C (160°F). Do not bring the milk to a rolling boil, as scalded milk will curdle when mixed with the egg batter and create a lumpy texture.
Assemble and serve drinks
Pre-warm 4 ceramic mugs by rinsing with hot water, then divide the spiced egg batter evenly between them (roughly 60ml batter per mug). Top each mug with 30ml dark spiced rum and 15ml Cognac, then pour 120ml hot milk over the top, stirring gently to combine into a frothy drink. Finish each serving with a light dusting of freshly grated nutmeg, and serve immediately while hot.
Tips
2.Pre-warming your serving mugs with hot tap water for 30 seconds before adding batter keeps drinks hot longer and prevents cold ceramic from dropping the beverage temperature too quickly.
3.For a non-alcoholic family-friendly version, swap the rum and Cognac for 180ml spiced apple cider mixed in with the hot milk, and add an extra pinch of cinnamon for extra warmth.
OMG this Tom and Jerry recipe is an absolute game changer for our annual Christmas Eve open house! I’ve tried making the batter from old family recipes before and it always turned out lumpy, but this 20 minute version is so straightforward and the spice blend is perfectly balanced – not too much nutmeg, just enough clove. My neighbors kept asking for refills all night!
Super easy to whip up for our post-skiing friend group last weekend! Only note is I added a tiny extra pinch of allspice because I love that warm, zingy flavor. SO good when you come in from the cold, everyone was holding their mugs with both hands to warm up.
I’ve been making Tom and Jerries for our family New Year’s party for over 50 years, and I have to say this spiced version is right up there with my go-to recipe! It’s so simple even my teen grandson helped me mix the batter without making a mess. Will absolutely be adding this to my regular rotation.
Made this for our holiday movie night with the kids – don’t worry, I made a non-alcoholic version for the little ones with extra vanilla and a dash of cinnamon on top! The kids loved it, and my wife and I spiked ours with spiced rum for the adult version. 10/10, will make all winter long.
Tasty overall, but I wish the recipe noted how important it is to beat the egg whites to stiff peaks first! I skipped that step because I was in a hurry and the batter was really runny, so my drinks were pretty watery. Flavor was great though, I’ll definitely give it another shot when I have more time.
Absolute home run for our ugly sweater party last weekend! I set up a little Tom and Jerry bar with different rum options, whipped cream, cinnamon sticks, and candy cane stirrers, and it was the most popular drink all night. People were posting photos of their mugs on our group chat for days after!
Really solid recipe! I was worried it would be too sweet since old Tom and Jerry recipes are often cloying, but the spice mix cuts the sweetness perfectly. Only reason it’s not 5 stars is I wish there was a tip for making a big batch for a crowd instead of single servings – I had to do math mid-party and it was chaotic lol
I had never even heard of a Tom and Jerry cocktail before my roommate made this last week, and now I’m obsessed! It’s like a warm, spiked eggnog but fluffier and way more flavorful. I even bought my own set of vintage mugs just to serve it in when my parents come to visit for Christmas.
This is way easier than I thought it would be! I’ve always ordered Tom and Jerries at our local holiday pop-up bar and assumed they were super complicated to make at home, but 20 minutes total? Game changer. Saved so much money making these at home instead of paying $15 a pop at the bar.
Made this for my husband’s birthday bonfire last weekend and it was a huge hit! We kept a big slow cooker of the hot milk base on the picnic table so people could top their own batter with rum (or no rum for the sober folks) and add their own toppings. Even my brother-in-law who hates sweet cocktails went back for a second mug!