tom & jerry

Batter:

• 12 eggs, separated
• 1 lb. sugar
• 2 oz. aged rum
• 1/2 t. ground cloves
• 1/2 t. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 t. ground allspice

Beat the egg yolks until thin, and gradually whisk in the sugar. Add the rum and spices. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into the yolk mixture until well mixed.

For each drink, put 2 oz. of the batter into a mug. Add 1 oz. each of brandy and aged rum and fill the mug with equal parts hot milk and boiling water. Top with grated nutmeg.

Recipe from cocktailchronicles.com.
Just the trick for beating the cold! The first time I sampled a Tom & Jerry was at Drink, way back in November (11/23 to be exact). Fred and I had spent the chilly, breezy day in Kittery shopping, and on the way home we decided we needed some liquid fortification. Misty Kalkofen was stationed at the ice bar, and she mentioned to me that John Gertsen had made his first batch of Tom & Jerry batter of the season. He had tried to hold out until the first snow, but he couldn't wait to serve them up in his collection of vintage Tom & Jerry sets he'd brought to Drink. It sounded like heaven, so I took her up on the offer. John said he hoped to keep T&J batter on hand all winter long, snow or not. So the next one I had was also at Drink, two weeks later on the day of the first official snowfall of the winter.

My third Tom & Jerry contained a nice little surprise - instead of the customary rum and brandy, it was made with Fernet Branca. Scott Holliday had slipped this onto the counter in front of me at Rendezvous just before Christmas. This one instantly became my favorite variation, so of course on my visit to Drink the following week, John decided that he couldn't be outdone. Though I'd spent that evening drinking cocktails evocative of sunny climes (posts forthcoming, never fear), John made me a tiny T&J in the cutest lil mug to finish my evening. I can't remember if that's the mug pictured above, or if it was from one of my earlier visits. Fred's notes said that the mini-T&J contained 1 tbsp. of the batter, 1 oz. of Fernet, and the balance hot milk.

It's supposed to dip back down into the single digits here in Boston this weekend. I foresee at least one more Tom & Jerry in my immediate future...