George Washington’s egg nog recipe will destroy you – We Are The Mighty

The father of our country was famous for his moderation but when he did imbibe, he made sure his drink packed the punch of a Brown Bess. Not only did Washington keep a healthy supply of imported Madeira, he also distilled his own distinctive rye whi…

MIGHTY HISTORY

George Washington’s egg nog recipe will destroy you


Blake Stilwell

Posted On April 29, 2020 16:02:40

The father of our country was famous for his moderation but when he did imbibe, he made sure his drink packed the punch of a Brown Bess. Not only did Washington keep a healthy supply of imported Madeira, he also distilled his own distinctive rye whiskey and the Commander-In-Chief always made sure his troops were well-lubricated when on the march. The most powerful weapon in his cellar came only once a year, however, the General’s egg nog made its presence felt.

“I cannot tell a lie, I’m totally wrecked. Merry Christmas to all, including the Mahometans.”

In the years since historians have rifle through all of our first president’s personal papers and diaries, a number of interesting recipes have been found, including

Washington’s small beer recipe

. Though his personal egg nog recipe has never been found written in his own hand, it is at least a good representation of what such a recipe in the days of yore would have been like – at least for a wealthy man such as General Washington. It is, unlike most recipes found online nowadays, remarkably blunt. No intros, just straight to the business of catching a buzz.

Maybe colonials weren’t the biggest fans of family get-togethers.


“One quart cream, one quart milk, one dozen tablespoons sugar, one pint brandy, ½ pint rye whiskey, ½ pint Jamaica rum, ¼ pint sherry—mix liquor first, then separate yolks and whites of 12 eggs, add sugar to beaten yolks, mix well. Add milk and cream, slowly beating. Beat whites of eggs until stiff and fold slowly into mixture. Let set in cool place for several days. Taste frequently.”

“Taste frequently” being the operative command from the first Commander-In-Chief. Be careful, this drink packs a wallop.

William Henry Harrison was a wuss.

While even the Farmer’s Almanac lists the recipe as General Washington’s, there is no evidence he ever wrote it, made it, or drank it. The earliest mention found of the recipe was in a 1948 book called

Christmas With The Washingtons

by Olive Bailey. While this recipe can’t really be found in earlier papers or other works, the book is in the catalogue at the

Mount Vernon Archives

and there is definitive proof that George and Martha Washington entertained Christmas guests with some kind of egg nog.

So why not this one?

The egg nog is a strong but delicious concoction that takes some work, like separating eggs and beating the whites until fluffy, then folding the whites into the mixture, but it is well worth the effort. Take heed, though: General Washington would not care much for soldiers in his army in a constant state of inebriation.

That

is

well-documented.

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11 health benefits to drinking alcohol (in moderation)


Insider

Posted On April 29, 2020 15:57:16

Alcohol plays a prevalent role in many cultures, with many of us toasting to big life moments, enjoying happy hours with coworkers or friends, or simply indulging in a few drinks after a long, stressful day.

Of course, health experts have long cautioned against

binge drinking

, which roughly equates to consuming five or more drinks for men and four or more drinks for women in about two hours. If you’ve ever overindulged in your favorite drinks, you know that it typically doesn’t feel great the next day, and repeated alcohol abuse can impact your mental and physical health.

But research has also shown that drinking alcohol in moderation can actually be beneficial for your health in some surprising ways.

Here are some of the most interesting ways drinking in moderation can benefit you, so long as you consume it safely and responsibly.

(Elevate)

1. Moderate alcohol consumption can lead to a longer life.

It’s true that

drinking to excess

can lead to illness and disease, including several types of

cancer

, brain damage, and liver damage, and it can even shorten your life span. But drinking moderately might actually help you live longer, according to a

2014 study

conducted by three universities in Spain.

Researchers followed a small group of Spanish participants over the course of 12 years and found that those who who drank “low amounts of wine spread out over the week” but avoided binge drinking showed a 25% reduced risk of mortality.


Another study from 2017

followed approximately 333,000 adults who drink alcohol and found that those who kept their drinking habits in moderation saw a 21% lower risk of mortality than participants who never drank.

Similarly, a 2018 study,

published in the journal PLOS Medicine

, has found that people who drink in moderation may be less likely to die early than those who stay away from booze altogether.

(Photo by

Taylor Grote

)

2. It might also reduce your risk of heart failure.

Too much alcohol can cause serious problems for your

heart health

, but several studies have shown that enjoying a few drinks a week may

reduce heart failure risk

.


A 2006 study

found that light to moderate alcohol consumption “is associated with a lower risk of ischemic stroke,” as well as a reduction in vascular risk in middle-aged people in particular.


A 1999 study

found that “moderate drinkers are at lower risk for the most common form of heart disease, coronary artery disease than are either heavier drinkers or abstainers,” due to the “protective effects” of alcohol on the heart linked to blood chemistry and “the prevention of clot formation in arteries that deliver blood to the heart muscle,” leading to a lower risk of coronary disease.

Another study completed between 1980 and 1988 found that the

risk of coronary disease and stroke in women

was particularly low in those that reported moderate alcohol use among a sample of 87,526 female nurses between the ages of 34 and 59.

Though these findings are promising for those who already have a healthy relationship with alcohol, it’s also important to note that adopting overall healthy lifestyle habits is the surest way to protect your heart.

3. You might have a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.

A 2005 analysis published in the journal Diabetes Care noted a “highly significant” reduced risk of

type 2 diabetes

among moderate alcohol drinkers than heavy drinkers and abstainers, compiling data from 15 different studies, linking healthy lifestyle habits with those who report moderate alcohol use.

“As it stands, we are expecting to see a 37% influx in type 2 diabetes cases around the world by 2030, and though studies have shown no abatement in the risk of type 2 diabetes in those who already drink heavily in their day-to-day lives, there is a notable 30% reduced risk in those that drink in moderation,” cardiologist Robert Segal told Insider.

(Photo by

Louis Hansel

)

4. Moderate drinking might help with male fertility.

A 2018 study conducted by an

Italian fertility clinic

and published in the journal Andrology showed that male fertility was highest among participants who consumed four to seven drinks per week compared to those that drank between one and three alcoholic beverages or more than eight.

The sample size was 323 men, so it was a relatively small pool, but it seems to be another reason to stick to a drink per day or so if you’re hoping for optimal fertility.

(Photo by

rashid khreiss

)

5. Drinking in moderation can help prevent the common cold.

Though too much

alcohol

can worsen cold symptoms by dehydrating you and potentially interacting with cold medicines, it seems that moderate drinking can help prevent you from catching a cold in the first place.

In a 1993 study by the department of psychology at Carnegie Mellon University, researchers

found

that moderate alcohol consumption led to a decrease in common cold cases among people who don’t smoke. In 2002, according to the

New York Times

, Spanish researchers found that by drinking eight to 14 glasses of wine per week (particularly red wine), those who imbibed saw a 60% reduction in the risk of developing a cold, with the scientists crediting the antioxidants found in wine.

“Wine is rich in antioxidants, and these chemicals help prepare your body to combat any free radicals in your system by allowing your body to absorb

resveratrol

, a key compound that helps keep your immune system in top form,” Segal told Insider. “Regardless of healthy or unhealthy drinking habits, smokers should expect to confront the common cold more easily and with more frequency than those who abstain from nicotine consumption.”

(Photo by

Gerrie van der Walt

)

6. You might decrease your chances of dementia.

In a series of studies published by the journal Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment in 2011 that began in 1977 and included more than 365,000 participants, researchers found that moderate drinkers (those who drank one or two drinks per day) were 23% less likely to develop cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia,

Science Daily reported

.

“Small amounts of alcohol might, in effect, make brain cells more fit. Alcohol in moderate amounts stresses cells and thus toughens them up to cope with major stresses down the road that could cause dementia,” said Edward J. Neafsey, co-author of the study, told Science Daily. “We don’t recommend that nondrinkers start drinking, but moderate drinking — if it is truly moderate — can be beneficial.”

(Photo by

Brittany Stokes

)

7. There might also be a reduced risk of gallstones.

Capping your drinks to two per day might reduce your

risk of gallstones

by one-third, according to researchers at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England. The 2009 study found that participants who reported consuming two drinks per day had a one-third reduction in their risk of developing gallstones.

“Researchers emphasized that their findings show the benefits of moderate alcohol intake but stress that excessive alcohol intake can cause health problems,”

according to a press release

.

The finding was further supported by

a 2017 study

conducted by researchers at the School of Public Health at Qingdao University in Qingdao, China, who found “alcohol consumption is associated with significantly decreased risk of gallstone disease.”

As for how this happens, Segal told Insider that “consuming moderate amounts of alcohol does help in the production of bile, which keeps gallstones from fully forming.”

(Photo by

Scott Warman

)

8. Postmenopausal women might experience bone health benefits from moderate alcohol use.

People lose bone mass or density

naturally as they age

, which can lead to

osteoporosis

, a disorder in which the bones become fragile or weakened. This is particularly common in postmenopausal women, who are more susceptible to bone disorders due to their naturally smaller bones and hormone changes after menopause.

But a 2012 study published in the Journal of The North American Menopause Society showed that

moderate alcohol intake

can actually slow down bone loss in women after menopause, potentially leading to a lower risk of developing bone disorders like osteoporosis.

(Photo by

Mattias Diesel

)

9. You might also be less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis.

A 2010 study published in the journal Rheumatology showed that people who don’t drink are almost four times more likely to have

rheumatoid arthritis

than those who have at least one drink three times per week.

Researchers said that’s likely due to alcohol’s anti-inflammatory properties, which can help prevent joints from aching and swelling if

drinking is in moderation

.

Researchers also found that people with arthritis who drink alcohol in moderation have less severe symptoms, though they noted that heavy drinking can be damaging to those who already suffer from arthritis, as it can exacerbate symptoms and interact with medications.

(Photo by

Louis Hansel

)

10. By drinking moderately, you can reap the nutritional benefits offered by wine and beer.

Believe it or not, beer actually has a few nutritional benefits that you can take advantage of if you drink in moderation. By enjoying

beer moderately

, you’ll enjoy the

vitamins, minerals, and proteins

it contains.

Meanwhile, wine has iron in it, as well as the aforementioned antioxidant properties.

Of course, a pint of beer shouldn’t take the place of your daily multivitamin, but the occasional drink can be part of an overall balanced diet and lifestyle without impacting your health in a negative way.

(Photo by

Pille-Riin Priske

)

11. You might feel improvements in your mental health, too.

While there are many physical benefits to drinking in moderation, there are also

psychological benefits of moderate alcohol consumption

.


One study

found that those who consume low to moderate amounts of alcohol reported an increase in happiness and “pleasant and carefree feelings.” Researchers also found a decrease in “tension, depression and self-consciousness,” saying that “heavy drinkers and abstainers have higher rates of clinical depression than do regular moderate drinkers.”

Though your mental and physical health with respect to alcohol is best discussed with your doctor, the connection between heavy

alcohol use and depression

is well known, and should not be taken lightly.

If you’re able to maintain a healthy relationship with alcohol and not rely on it as a way to cope with stress, anxiety, or depression, you might find a healthy balance between moderate drinking and your mental health. Check in with your doctor to ensure that alcohol is playing a safe and responsible role in your lifestyle.


This article originally appeared on

Insider

. Follow @thisisinsider on Twitter.

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