SpiritFacts

Eggnog with alcohol

Which spirit to add, how much, how strong the glass really is, and what a cup of eggnog carries in calories and sugar before the alcohol goes in. Store-bought, light, dairy-free and homemade, from 136 carton labels and USDA FoodData Central.

The short answer

Brandy, rum or bourbon. In a side-by-side taste test The Spruce Eats put brandy first and rum a close second. At 80 proof each adds 98 calories and no sugar per 1½ oz; the eggnog brings the rest. A cup of a typical carton has 357 calories and 40 g of sugar. Spiked the way USDA measures it, 6 oz of eggnog to 1½ oz of spirit, it is 8.0% alcohol, one standard drink and 366 calories.

Does eggnog have alcohol?

Carton, dairy case
No alcohol

The FDA's standard makes eggnog a pasteurized dairy food: at least 6% milkfat, 8.25% other milk solids and 1% egg yolk solids, sweetened. Spirits are not among its ingredients (21 CFR 131.170).

Bottle, liquor aisle
Around 15%

Ready-to-pour eggnog liqueurs. Evan Williams Egg Nog, made with bourbon and cream, is 15% ABV: a 4 oz pour is 1 standard drink.

Homemade or spiked
6.3% to 8.0%

Whatever you add. The recipes below run from 6.3% for the punch bowl to 8.0% for a carton cup with a full shot, and 17.1% for the eggnog martini.

Every drink at a glance

Per glass as written below. A standard drink is 14 g of alcohol. Tap a drink for its recipe.

DrinkCalSugarDrinks
  1. Classic homemade eggnogper glass, serves 8 280 16g 0.5
  2. Spiked store-bought eggnog 366 30g 1
  3. Rum and brandy eggnog bowlper glass, serves 12 304 26g 0.67
  4. Eggnog martini 238 13g 1.14
  5. Dairy-free spiked nog 212 18g 1

The recipes, with the math

Spirits are 80 proof, the legal minimum for US vodka, whiskey and rum; a 90 proof bottle adds about 12 calories per 1½ oz. "Store-bought eggnog" is the median of 100 US carton labels. ABV is the mix before ice melts into it.

Classic homemade eggnog

Punch cups, serves 8

A cooked custard base of yolks, sugar, milk and cream, with bourbon stirred in once it is cold. Richer than anything in a carton.

Ingredients
  • 6 Large egg yolks
  • ½ cup Granulated sugar
  • 2 cups Whole milk
  • 1 cup Heavy cream
  • ¾ cup Bourbon

Whisk the yolks and sugar until pale. Heat the milk and cream until steaming, then whisk them slowly into the yolks. Return everything to the pan and stir over low heat until a thermometer reads 160°F and the custard coats a spoon. Strain, add ½ tsp grated nutmeg, cool, then chill. Stir in the bourbon (or aged rum or brandy) once it is cold and serve in 4 oz cups. Nutmeg is not counted.

Per glass, 4.4 oz
Cal
280
Carbs
17g
Sugar
16g
ABV
6.8%
Drinks
0.5
  • Lighter: Whole milk instead of the cream, and ⅓ cup sugar. 178 cal, 13g sugar
  • Zero-proof: Leave out the bourbon; makes 7 cups instead of 8. 264 cal, 19g sugar

Heating the egg base to 160°F is the FDA’s guidance for eggs. The spirit goes in after the custard cools, so none of it cooks off.

Spiked store-bought eggnog

Mug or rocks glass

A carton of eggnog plus one shot. USDA uses this exact ratio for its alcoholic eggnog entry: about 6 oz of eggnog to 1½ oz of 80 proof spirit.

Ingredients
  • 6 oz Store-bought eggnog
  • 1½ oz Brandy

Stir the brandy (or aged rum or bourbon) into cold eggnog, pour over ice if you like, and grate nutmeg on top.

Per drink
Cal
366
Carbs
31g
Sugar
30g
ABV
8.0%
Drinks
1
  • Lighter: Half eggnog, half unsweetened almond milk. 247 cal, 16g sugar
  • Zero-proof: The 6 oz of eggnog on its own. 268 cal, 30g sugar

Rum and brandy eggnog bowl

Punch bowl, serves 12

A half gallon of store-bought eggnog with aged rum and brandy, the two traditional spirits. The easy way to serve a crowd.

Ingredients

Stir the rum and brandy into the cold eggnog in a punch bowl, grate nutmeg over the top and keep it cold. Numbers are per serving, one twelfth of the bowl, about 6 oz.

Per glass, 6.3 oz
Cal
304
Carbs
28g
Sugar
26g
ABV
6.3%
Drinks
0.67
  • Lighter: Light eggnog. It cuts the fat by two thirds but not the sugar. 239 cal, 26g sugar
  • Zero-proof: Just the eggnog; makes 10 servings of the same size. 286 cal, 32g sugar

Eggnog martini

Coupe or martini glass

Vodka and a little Irish cream shaken hard with eggnog. Small and cold, with more than a standard drink in it.

Ingredients

Shake hard with ice, strain into a chilled glass and grate nutmeg on top. A cinnamon-sugar rim is optional and not counted.

Per drink
Cal
238
Carbs
14g
Sugar
13g
ABV
17.1%
Drinks
1.14
  • Lighter: Skip the Irish cream and use 2 oz light eggnog. 163 cal, 9.9g sugar

More than a standard drink in a 4 oz glass: the vodka is most of the volume. It is the one to sip slowly.

Dairy-free spiked nog

Mug or rocks glass

A carton of plant-based nog with a shot of aged rum. No dairy, no eggs, and 40% less sugar than a typical dairy eggnog.

Ingredients

Stir the rum into cold nog and grate nutmeg on top. The math uses Silk Nog, a soy nog; the oat, almond and coconut nogs compared below work the same way.

Per drink
Cal
212
Carbs
19g
Sugar
18g
ABV
8.0%
Drinks
1
  • Zero-proof: The 6 oz of nog on its own. 114 cal, 18g sugar

How strong is spiked eggnog?

Most of the eggnogs here land between beer and wine; the martini and the bottled liqueur are stronger than wine. A US standard drink is about 14 g of pure alcohol, the amount in 1½ oz of 80 proof spirit, 5 oz of 12% wine or 12 oz of 5% beer (NIAAA). Cream and sugar do not make it any weaker.

Eggnog is often served from a bowl, which makes it easy to lose count, so pacing matters more than the recipe. Eat before the first glass, since food slows how fast alcohol is absorbed; stay near one drink an hour, about what the body can process; and keep water going between rounds (Cleveland Clinic). Every recipe here has a lighter or zero-proof version for the second cup.

What alcohol goes in eggnog

Eggnog is most often spiked with brandy, rum or whiskey. When The Spruce Eats made all three side by side, brandy came out on top and rum was right behind it. Plain spirits have no carbohydrate (USDA), so at the same proof the choice changes the flavor, not the calories. Darker spirits tend to carry more congeners, which may worsen a hangover (NIAAA); our Hangover Index scores each type from 1 to 10.

SpiritHangover Index
  • Brandy (cognac) Spiked store-bought eggnog, Rum and brandy eggnog bowl Cognac is brandy distilled from wine. First in The Spruce Eats taste test.
    8/10
  • Aged rum Rum and brandy eggnog bowl, Dairy-free spiked nog Distilled from sugarcane. A close second in the same test.
    6/10
  • Bourbon Classic homemade eggnog Whiskey from at least 51% corn, aged in new charred oak.
    7/10
  • Vodka Eggnog martini For the eggnog martini. The lowest Hangover Index of the four.
    2/10

Which bottle: what it does to your cup

Proof is the one thing the bottle changes. Each row is the same glass, 6 oz of typical store-bought eggnog with 1½ oz of that bottle: Wild Turkey 101 at 50.5% makes it 10.1% and 1.26 standard drinks; Captain Morgan Original Spiced at 35% makes it 7.0%.

BottleABVCup ABVDrinks

Shot calories count the alcohol in 1½ oz. Captain Morgan and Kraken add sugar and flavoring as well; their pages have what is known. Drinks are US standard drinks per glass.

Eggnog calories and sugar per cup

Per 8 oz cup, before any alcohol, from each carton's Nutrition Facts label as filed with USDA. A typical dairy eggnog has 357 calories, 40 g of sugar and 18 g of fat; across 100 labels it runs from 296 to 473 calories. Light eggnog cuts the fat by two thirds and leaves the sugar where it was. The plant-based nogs come in at 103 to 190 calories. Add 98 for each 1½ oz of 80 proof spirit.

EggnogCalSugarFat
  1. Typical eggnog (median of 100 labels) Dairy 357 40g 18g
  2. Typical light eggnog (median of 29 labels) Light dairy 261 40g 5.9g
  3. Hood Golden Eggnog Dairy 364 41g 18g
  4. Hood Light Eggnog Light dairy 276 41g 7.9g
  5. Borden Egg Nog Dairy 404 45g 18g
  6. Turkey Hill Eggnog Dairy 381 45g 18g
  7. Darigold Egg Nog Dairy 365 34g 18g
  8. Organic Valley Eggnog Dairy 359 34g 20g
  9. Straus Family Creamery Eggnog Dairy 284 26g 16g
  10. Silk Nog Soy 152 24g 3g
  11. Chobani Oat Nog Oat 190 18g 8.9g
  12. Good & Gather Oatmilk Holiday Nog Oat 139 22g 4.9g
  13. Almond Breeze Almondmilk Nog Almond 145 22g 3g
  14. 365 Almond Nog Almond 113 18g 3g
  15. Califia Farms Holiday Nog Almond 103 19g 3.1g
  16. So Delicious Coconutmilk Nog Coconut 154 30g 4g
  17. Classic homemade, before the bourbon Homemade 501 35g 35g

Labels as filed with USDA FoodData Central's Branded Foods data (2019 to 2026 uploads; recipes change, so check the carton). Calories are worked out from each label's carbs, fat and protein. USDA's older lab-analyzed eggnog (SR Legacy 171258) has about half the sugar of today's labels, so the labels are used here.

Store-bought vs homemade

Homemade eggnog is not the lighter one. The recipe here has less sugar per cup than a typical carton but far more fat, from the cream and six yolks, so it ends up with more calories. What you get for the effort is control over the sugar, the spirit and how strong it is.

Per 8 oz cup, before alcoholCartonHomemade
  • Calories357501
  • Sugar40g35g
  • Fat18g35g
  • PasteurizedYes, by lawIf heated to 160°F
  • KeepsPer the carton date2 to 4 days, chilled

Carton: the median of 100 labels; pasteurization is required by 21 CFR 131.170. Homemade: the recipe above without the bourbon; the lighter version with milk instead of cream is 328 calories a cup with the bourbon in. Keeping time from Cleveland Clinic.

Raw eggs: does the alcohol make it safe?

No. Raw eggs can carry Salmonella, and the FDA's advice for homemade eggnog is to use pasteurized shell eggs, liquid or frozen pasteurized egg products, or powdered egg whites (FDA), or to cook dishes with eggs to 160°F (FDA). The homemade recipe above does the second: the custard reaches 160°F before the spirit goes in. Children, older adults, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are at the greatest risk of severe illness.

Alcohol is not a substitute. In the experiment NC State's Ben Chapman described, ethanol reduced Salmonella by 90 to 99% over 24 hours but showed no reduction in the first hour, and the fat in cream can protect the bacteria (NC State). Aged eggnog recipes that sit for weeks are much stronger, around 14% by his estimate for one of them, and he notes nobody knows what mix of alcohol and time is enough. Cleveland Clinic puts it plainly: do not count on the alcohol. Store-bought eggnog is already pasteurized.

Batch calculator for a crowd

Both are made ahead: the bowl takes five minutes, the custard needs a few hours to chill. Pick one, enter your guest count and how many cups each, and get the shopping amounts.

    Amounts round up to the nearest quarter cup (eggs to the next whole egg). 750 mL is about 3⅙ cups.

    Getting everyone home safe

    Label the spiked bowl and keep a plain carton next to it for kids and drivers, and plan rides before the first cup. If a guest is confused, vomiting repeatedly, breathing slowly or irregularly, having a seizure or cannot be woken, call 911: those are signs of alcohol poisoning, and blood alcohol can keep rising after drinking stops (NIAAA).

    FAQ

    What alcohol goes in eggnog? ▾

    Brandy, rum or whiskey, usually bourbon. Those are the three eggnog is most often spiked with, and in a side-by-side taste test The Spruce Eats ranked brandy first with rum a close second. Many recipes mix two, like the rum and brandy bowl here. Vodka works too when you want the eggnog to lead. At 80 proof every one of them adds about 98 calories and no sugar per 1½ oz, so pick by taste.

    Does eggnog have alcohol in it? ▾

    Not the cartons in the dairy case. Under the FDA's standard, anything sold as eggnog is a pasteurized dairy food of milk or cream, egg yolk and sweetener, with at least 6% milkfat and 1% egg yolk solids; spirits are not among its ingredients. Bottled eggnog liqueurs in the liquor aisle do contain alcohol: Evan Williams Egg Nog is 15% ABV. Homemade eggnog has whatever you add.

    How much alcohol should I put in eggnog? ▾

    About 1 to 1½ oz of 80 proof spirit per 6 oz of eggnog. USDA's own alcoholic eggnog entry uses 1½ oz to roughly 6 oz, which comes to 8.0% alcohol and one standard drink per glass. For a bowl, 1½ cups of spirit to a half gallon of eggnog gives 0.67 of a standard drink in each of 12 servings.

    How many calories are in eggnog with alcohol? ▾

    About 366 calories for 6 oz of a typical store-bought eggnog with 1½ oz of brandy, rum or bourbon. The spirit is 98 of those; the eggnog is the other 268, along with 30 g of sugar and 13 g of fat. USDA's older alcoholic eggnog entry comes out lower, about 271 calories, because the eggnog it was built on had about half the sugar of today's labels.

    How many calories are in a cup of eggnog? ▾

    About 357 calories in an 8 oz cup of a typical store-bought eggnog, with 40 g of sugar and 18 g of fat (the median of 100 US labels). Labels run from 296 to 473 calories a cup. Homemade eggnog like the recipe here is richer: about 501 calories a cup before the bourbon, mostly from the cream and yolks.

    How much sugar is in eggnog? ▾

    About 40 g in a cup of a typical carton, or 20 g in the ½ cup serving printed on the label. Across 100 labels it runs from 26 to 56 g a cup. The spirit adds none. The plant-based nogs are lower, 18 to 30 g a cup.

    Is light eggnog healthier? ▾

    It has less fat, not less sugar. The median light eggnog label has 5.9 g of fat a cup against 18 g for regular, but the same 40 g of sugar, so it saves about 96 calories a cup. If sugar is what you are cutting, a plant-based nog or half eggnog, half unsweetened almond milk does more.

    What is the healthiest eggnog to buy? ▾

    By calories and sugar, the plant-based nogs: 103 to 190 calories a cup against 357 for a typical dairy eggnog. Among dairy eggnogs, Straus Family Creamery's label has the least sugar of the brands compared here. The full list is in the calories per cup table.

    Is homemade eggnog with raw eggs safe? ▾

    Not with ordinary raw eggs. The FDA says to use pasteurized shell eggs or pasteurized egg products for homemade eggnog, or to cook the egg base to 160°F, which is what the recipe here does. Store-bought eggnog is pasteurized by law. The risk matters most for children, older adults, pregnant women and anyone with a weakened immune system.

    Does alcohol kill the bacteria in eggnog? ▾

    Not reliably, so do not count on it. In an experiment NC State food safety researcher Ben Chapman described, ethanol cut Salmonella by 90 to 99% over 24 hours but showed no reduction in the first hour, and the fat in cream can shield bacteria. Cleveland Clinic gives the same advice: use pasteurized eggs rather than relying on the alcohol.

    How strong is Evan Williams eggnog? ▾

    15% alcohol (30 proof), per the brand's site, made with Kentucky bourbon and dairy cream. A 4 oz pour is 1 standard drink, about as much alcohol as a 5 oz glass of wine. The brand does not publish calories or sugar for it.

    What is the best rum for eggnog? ▾

    Any 80 proof aged or gold rum works; the rum in The Spruce Eats taste test was Mount Gay Eclipse, a gold rum. At 40% they all add the same 98 calories per 1½ oz; the difference is flavor and sugar. Spiced rums like Captain Morgan and Kraken carry added sugar and flavoring, and Kraken's US bottle is 94 proof, so it makes a stronger cup. See which bottle for how each one changes the glass.

    Can I make eggnog without dairy? ▾

    Yes. Soy, oat, almond and coconut nogs are sold by the carton, at 103 to 190 calories a cup before any alcohol. Spiked with 1½ oz of aged rum, 6 oz of Silk Nog comes to 212 calories and 18 g of sugar.

    How the numbers work: each ingredient's carbohydrate, sugar, fat and protein come from its USDA FoodData Central entry and portion weight (eggs from USDA's 17 g large yolk; store-bought eggnog from the median of 100 carton labels from 74 brands, and light eggnog from 29 labels); alcohol comes from ABV and volume. Calories use 7 per gram of alcohol, 4 per gram of carbohydrate or protein and 9 per gram of fat. Dissolved sugar is counted at the volume it adds to the liquid. Nutmeg, cinnamon and rims are not counted. Search volumes are Google Ads US figures for December 2025. Sources: 21 CFR 131.170, Eggnog (FDA standard of identity), FDA, Food Safety Tips for Healthy Holidays (January 2025), FDA, What You Need to Know About Egg Safety (March 2024), NC State University, Eggnog food safety (Ben Chapman, 2014), Cleveland Clinic, Is Eggnog Safe to Drink? (2019), The Spruce Eats, The Best Alcohol for Eggnog (updated March 2024), Evan Williams Egg Nog (15% Alc./Vol.), USDA FoodData Central 2710684, Eggnog, alcoholic, USDA FoodData Central 171258, Eggnog, NIAAA, What is a standard drink?, 27 CFR 5.142 (vodka), 27 CFR 5.143 (whisky), 27 CFR 5.147 (rum), Cleveland Clinic, Hangover (reviewed April 2026), NIAAA, Hangovers (2025), NIAAA, Understanding the dangers of alcohol overdose, USDA FoodData Central 172184, Egg, yolk, raw, fresh, USDA FoodData Central 169655, Sugars, granulated, USDA FoodData Central 171265, Milk, whole, USDA FoodData Central 170859, Cream, heavy whipping, USDA FoodData Central 2710700, Whiskey, USDA FoodData Central Branded Foods, 100 US eggnog labels (median), USDA FoodData Central 2710699, Brandy, USDA FoodData Central 174832, Almond milk, unsweetened, USDA FoodData Central 2710703, Rum, USDA FoodData Central Branded Foods, 29 US light eggnog labels (median), USDA FoodData Central 2710704, Vodka, USDA FoodData Central 175098, Liqueur, coffee with cream, 34 proof, USDA FoodData Central 2757816, Silk Nog Original, USDA FoodData Central 2501133, Hood Golden Eggnog, USDA FoodData Central 2501170, Hood Light Eggnog, USDA FoodData Central 2664174, Borden Egg Nog, USDA FoodData Central 2112382, Turkey Hill Eggnog, USDA FoodData Central 2618220, Darigold Egg Nog, USDA FoodData Central 2585405, Organic Valley Eggnog, USDA FoodData Central 2151329, Straus Family Creamery Eggnog, USDA FoodData Central 2670631, Chobani Oat Nog, USDA FoodData Central 2661657, Good & Gather Oatmilk Holiday Nog, USDA FoodData Central 2757796, Almond Breeze Almondmilk Nog, USDA FoodData Central 2464929, 365 Almond Nog, USDA FoodData Central 2755873, Califia Farms Holiday Nog, USDA FoodData Central 2746147, So Delicious Coconutmilk Nog. Informational only, not medical advice.