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GREENSBORO -- Eggnog, chef Brad Semon says, has much in common with its fellow holiday treat the fruitcake.

"They both have a strange consistency, they have sort of an unnatural color, they're probably not too much like anything else you would eat or drink the rest of the year," he said. "And with eggnog, like fruitcake, it's either a love-it or hate-it kind of thing. And most people hate it. But that's only because they haven't had the right one."

Though many parties tonight will feature punch bowls filled with the creamy drink, many celebrants will be hesitant to dip into it.

That's because the eggnog a number of people are familiar with is a thick, overly sweet, overly rich concoction that's loaded with corn syrup and artificial preservatives and comes in a carton -- basically flavored milk.

The eggnog chefs and beverage connoisseurs prize is made on a stove top, with a dash of nutmeg and cinnamon and a splash (or more) of rum or bourbon -- a treat that's difficult for even Scrooge to turn his nose up at.

"It'll definitely change some minds because it's not so heavy," said Robert Brener, an associate instructor in the College of Culinary Arts at Johnson and Wales University in Charlotte. "It's got a lighter feel on the palate, and some people might not even realize it's eggnog at first. I think there's a big misunderstanding about what goes into it, and so people, they're just turned off by not knowing."

In addition to cream and spices, the main ingredients in eggnog are sugar and, of course, eggs or some sort of egg substitute. Many chefs use raw eggs that have been pasteurized.

"A lot of people, I think, get a little bit queasy about drinking eggs," Bobby Gleason, master mixologist for Jim Beam, said in a telephone interview. "But people have been drinking eggs throughout history and still do today. And when I do cocktail presentations, one of the ingredients that I use is egg whites to add that frothy top on it. And people are like, 'Well I don't know if I can drink egg whites.' And I'm like, 'You ever drank a margarita from a place that uses a bottled sour mix or a bag in the box sour mix?' And they're like, 'Oh yeah, yeah, I've done that.' Well, then you're drinking egg whites."

According to www.egg-nog.info, eggnog has its roots in an English beverage of milk, eggs and ale, called posset. The name eggnog is believed to have been derived either from grog, a mix of rum and water, or from noggin, a small wooden cup.

Douglass Miller, a lecturing instructor and beverage historian at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., said that in Colonial times and through the early 19th century, it was drunk on a number of special occasions including the Fourth of July. George Washington was said to have been a connoisseur of the drink.

The beverage, however, got a bad rap in the latter half of the 20th century with the advent of premade versions sold in the dairy aisle of the grocery store.

"People bought it, and they were like 'ugh.' It was this really dense thing with too much sugar in it," Miller said in a telephone interview. "And it's unfortunate because it's not that hard to make, and if you make it right, it can be a wonderful, wonderful thing. And it's something you can even make with the children (sans the alcohol, of course)."

But Miller and other chefs also say better-quality eggnogs are starting become available in stores.

Homeland Creamery in Julian makes about 1,000 gallons of the drink each holiday season. Each 150-gallon batch uses 150 pounds of cane sugar (so that each gallon has a pound of sugar), as well as a half pound of nutmeg and 15 gallons of cream.

"It'll stick to your ribs pretty good," said David Bowman, co-owner of the creamery.

Gary Allred, a 59-year-old Guilford County Schools mechanic, serves as the dairy's informal tester and drops by twice a week to buy a half-gallon.

"The thick texture, the smell, it's just really good to me," he said. "I'm the only one in my house who enjoys it, but I get to enjoy it thoroughly that way."

Still others won't drink it regardless of how or where it's made.

"The idea of milk, eggs and alcohol combined, that's just a disgusting combination for me," said Sue Wyrick, owner of the Professional Bartending Institute in Greensboro. "We have a recipe here that we give out, but I don't like anything about it myself."

Semon, who runs Painted Plate catering in Greensboro, said he makes eggnog for about a third of his clients during the holiday season. He finds that many people who have never tasted a homemade version are pleasantly surprised when they try it.

"The flavors are more pronounced; it tastes more natural," he said. "The biggest problem with it is when I make two batches keeping track of which has rum and which doesn't. It's a lot better with the rum, though."

Contact Robert C. Lopez at 691-5091 or robert.lopez@news-record.com

BRAD SEMON'S EGGNOG

1 quart heavy cream

1 quart half-and-half or whole milk

2 cups sugar

1 cup egg yolks or processed egg product

½ cup of rum

½ cup of coffee for coloring

4 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

Heat the heavy cream and sugar to about 100 degrees and until the sugar is dissolved. Mix the rum, coffee and eggs together in a bowl, pour into the cream mixture and stir. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla extract. Bring it up to about 150 degrees and add the half-and-half or milk.

Serve with a cinnamon stick.

Coffee can be substituted for rum.

MAKE YOUR OWN EGGNOG

Traditional eggnog consists of just a few basic ingredients: eggs (pasteurized eggs are recommended), sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and some combination of whole milk, heavy cream and half-and-half. Rum or bourbon can be added, though for a nonalcoholic version lightly brewed coffee or flavored syrup will do. Maple syrup or molasses can also be added to it.

JIM BEAM EGGNOG

¾ cup Jim Beam

6 large egg yolks

¾ cup sugar

2½ cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Beat egg yolks and sugar in a saucepan. Slowly beat in 2 cups of milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until mixture coats the back of a metal spoon, Remove from heat and strain into serving bowl. Stir in remaining milk, Jim Beam, vanilla and nutmeg. Cover and chill at least 8 hours. Sprinkle with nutmeg before serving.

(Courtesy of Beam Global Spirits)

MAPLE EGG NOG

3 tablespoons pasteurized egg yolk

4 ounces milk

2 ounces cream

1 tablespoon maple syrup

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

3 tablespoons pasteurized egg whites, whipped

Place egg yolks, milk, cream, maple syrup, spices, and egg whites into a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake for approximately 10 seconds. Strain into a glass. Garnish with ground nutmeg on top.

Chef's tip: Add a variety of liquors to this recipe such as rum or bourbon. To save time, the egg nog can be made the day before. You can also increase the recipe and serve it in a punch bowl.

Serves: 1

(Courtesy of Douglass Miller, Culinary Institute of America)

EGG NOG

6 eggs

1¼ cups sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ cup brandy

½ cup dark rum (Captain Morgan's or Myers)

2 cups whipping cream

2 cups milk

All liquids should be very cold/refrigerated before mixing.

Beat the eggs with an electric mixer at medium speed for several minutes or until frothy. Gradually beat in the sugar, vanilla and nutmeg.

Turn the mixer off and stir in "cold" brandy, rum, whipping cream and milk.

Chill before serving. Sprinkle individual servings with more nutmeg.

This recipe makes about 2½ quarts. Whiskey or other alcohol of choice can be substituted for brandy and rum.

(Courtesy of Sue Wyrick, Professional Bartending Institute, Greensboro)