Step 1

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until pale yellow and tripled in size. I do this by hand with a big balloon whisk, and it takes about 1 minute. Whip vigorously.

Step 2

Meanwhile, in a 1-quart saucepan, heat the milk, 1/2 cup of cream and 1/2 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg to boiling. Remove from the heat.

Step 3

Very slowly stream the milk mixture into the egg yolks while whisking continuously. Go slowly to avoid cooking the eggs.

Step 4

Next, pour the entire mixture back into the saucepan, and place over medium heat. Stirring occasionally, heat the mixture to 160-degrees F.

Step 5

Optional: If you want to be traditional and fold egg whites into your egg nog, go ahead and whip the two remaining egg whites to stiff peaks. When the egg nog reaches 160-degrees, remove it from the heat and gently fold in the beaten egg whites.

Step 6

Chill the mixture thoroughly if you want to serve it cold. Before serving, divide it between two mugs, add Bourbon to taste, and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg.