the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Historic New Bridge Landing in River Edge NJ, on Christmas Eve the Bergen County Historical Society presented Friday’s Fare at Historic New Bridge Landing Advocaat van de Duivel . When looking for an old eggnog recipe for sipping into a seasonal mood, came across this intriguing Dutch custard-like eggnog; that translates as “Advocate of the Devil”. With a claim of being much smoother than my grandfather’s whisky eggnog, once you taste this nectar resistance is futile. Advocaat, of Dutch origin, was introduced during the 17th century, and boasted as good for the throat. Advocaat, Dutch for lawyer [or is the lawyer the devil?], alleges this drink is soothing for someone who must speak in public.
[In the early 15th century Pope Leo X introduced the term Advocate of the Devil; the title of the person appointed by the Roman Catholic Church to challenge a proposed beatification or canonization, or the verification of a miracle, & later Sixtus V formally established the office, 1587.] Similar to a posset, this granddaddy of the eggnog originally did not have egg, but simply liquor, cream and spice, & was used medicinally, dispensed using a posset pot; a small deep bowl with a flared rim with two or four handles. Some pots had lids & a drinking spout much like a teapot. This particular recipe specifies using Schelvispekel, a spiced Dutch alcohol. Eggs were then added to the original version, & it evolved into a social item in the colonies. A first written mention of eggnog was on a list of breakfast items at City Tavern, Philadelphia, 1796. Recipe from; https://thespruceeats.com/traditional-dutch-advocaat… Topped with whipped cream & some nutmeg may make this the drink/dessert of the holiday season. Merry Christmas and Proost! from BergenCountyHistory.org
