Throughout North America, Australia and some European countries, eggnog is traditionally consumed over the Christmas season, from early November to late December.

A variety called Ponche Crema has been made and consumed in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Trinidad since the 1900s, also as part of the Christmas season.

[6] Alternatively, nog may stem from noggin, a Middle English term for a small, carved wooden mug used to serve alcohol.

[9] Babson College professor Frederick Douglass Opie contends that the term derives from two colonial slang words: grog (rum) that bartenders served in noggins (small wooden mugs).

"[11] The Online Etymology Dictionary states that eggnog was an American neologism of 1775, a compound of egg and nog, the latter term meaning "strong ale".

[12] The earliest documented example of eggnog dates to 1775, when Maryland clergyman and philologist Jonathan Boucher wrote a poem about the drink: "Fog-drams i' th' morn, or (better still) egg-nogg, / At night hot-suppings, and at mid-day, grogg, / My palate can regale".

[11] Boucher's verse was not, however, published until 30 years after his death, thus the word first appeared in print only in 1788, in the March 26 edition of the New-Jersey Journal in an article referring to a young man drinking a glass of eggnog.

[11] An 1869 dictionary entry for eggnog defines it as a mixture of wine, spirits, eggs and sugar; there is no mention of dairy products.

[13] "While culinary historians debate its exact lineage, most agree eggnog originated from the early medieval" British drink called posset,[14] which was made with hot milk[7] that was curdled with wine or ale and flavored with spices.

[16] During the Victorian era, Britons drank purl, "a heady mixture of gin, warm beer, sugar, bitter herbs, and spices".

[7] Records show that the first US president, George Washington, "served an eggnog-like drink to visitors" which included "rye whiskey, rum, and sherry.

"[19] The Tom and Jerry was invented by British journalist Pierce Egan in the 1820s, using brandy and rum added to eggnog and served hot, usually in a mug or a bowl.

"Eierpunsch" is a German version of eggnog made with white wine, eggs, sugar, cloves, tea, lemon or lime juice and cinnamon.

"[7] Traditional homemade eggnog is made of milk or cream, sugar, raw eggs, one or more alcoholic spirits, and spices, often vanilla or nutmeg and in some recipes, cloves.

American food show presenter Alton Brown points out that based on its ingredients, eggnog is "almost identical to ice cream.

In the US, FDA regulations only require that 1.0 percent of a product's final weight be made up of egg yolk solids for it to bear the eggnog name.

Ready-made eggnog versions are seasonally available with different spirits, or without alcohol, to be drunk as bought or used as "mixes" with all the ingredients except the liquor, to be added as desired.

Some North American manufacturers offer soy-, almond-, oat-, rice- or coconut milk-based alternatives for vegans and those with dairy allergies, lactose intolerance or other dietary restrictions.

Based on amazake (a traditional Japanese fermented rice beverage) and containing no eggs, Grain Nog was available in plain, strawberry, and carob flavors.

Also in 1981, Redwood Valley Soyfoods Unlimited (California) introduced "Soynog", the earliest soy-based non-dairy and vegan eggnog based on soy milk and tofu (added for thickness).

[32] Both homemade and commercial eggnogs are made in alcohol-free versions and recipes in which alcoholic beverages, generally brown, aged spirits such as bourbon, brandy or rum are added during preparation or directly to the cup after the nog is poured.

The distinctive spices that give eggnog its characteristic taste, including cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla, are used to create eggnog-flavored foods and beverages.

Eggnog-flavored foods include eggnog ice cream, pie, cupcakes, rum cake, cookies, biscotti, pancake syrup, bread pudding, French toast and waffles.

[43] Jazz composer Charles Mingus had an eggnog recipe that contained enough alcohol, including 151 proof rum, to "put down an elephant".

"[47] The most notable case of alcohol problems associated with the drink was the Eggnog Riot at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, on 23–25 December 1826.

[53] TIME magazine's Tristan Stephenson states that eggnog's "alcohol and sugar provide energy, eggs supply protein, and the fat from the milk or cream gives the [wintertime] drinker the necessary "layers" to deal with the frost.

"[54] TIME magazine also states that with its cream, eggs and sugar ingredients, "eggnog can pack in upwards of 400 [kilocalories; 1700 kJ] per cup.

"[18] National Geographic writer Rebecca Rupp states that with eggnog's saturated fat, cholesterol, liquor and high calorie count, "...[t]here's no way this stuff is good for us.

The pre-packaged stuff is mostly made from high-fructose corn syrup, dairy fat, and a bunch of unlovable additives" and it recommends a "two-drink maximum" for health reasons.

"[58] Canadian chef Heidi Fink, from Victoria, praises homemade nog but criticizes the "slimy" "glop you can buy in supermarkets".