From Bull Cook and Authentic Historical Recipes and Practices by George Leonard Herter and Berthe E. Herter (1960/1970)

If you are into cookbooks and history and love trivia and ever come across Bull Cook, snap it up like it was a 100 dollar bill you spied on the floor. Trust me.

EGGNOG COLBERT

“Nero in 60 A.D. was the first to serve snow mixed with crushed fruit. He had specially trained runners bring the snow from the Alps in insulated boxes. Marco Polo learned how to make ices and was the first to add cream to crushed ice. Charles the First of England at one time hired a Paris chef at an enormous salary, who had developed an ice cream. He made the chef promise to make this type of ice cream just for his court.

Ice cream as we know it today, was invented in France during the reign of Louis the Fourteenth. His minister in 1664 was Jean Baptiste Colbert. Colbert publicized ice cream until it became widely used. He invented an eggnog that has never been even closely equaled and makes a Tom and Jerry taste poor and flat in comparison. Here is the recipe brought up to date. It was and is the treasured possession of many a French immigrant. The recipe makes four small drinks.

Take one and one-half cups of milk and two egg yolks. Mix well together with a beater.

Add one cup of vanilla ice cream and mix with a beater until nice and creamy. Add one-fourth level teaspoon of cinnamon and one-fourth level teaspoon of nutmeg. Add four ounces of rum, either brown or white, white preferred as the white rum is much better quality than the dark. Mix together well so it is nice and smooth. Serve in small wine glasses.”