Tom and Jerry (drink)

A Tom and Jerry is a traditional Christmas-time cocktail in the United States, sometimes attributed to British writer and boxing journalist Pierce Egan^[1] in the 1820s. It is a variant of eggnog with brandy and rum added and served hot, usually in a mug or a bowl.

Tom and Jerry

Cocktail
A Tom & Jerry cocktail
Type	Cocktail
Served	Hot in a mug or bowl
Standard drinkware	Mug
Commonly used ingredients	Eggs or egg whites, powdered sugar, brandy, rum
Preparation	Separate eggs. Beat egg whites until stiff. Mix egg yolks with powdered sugar. Put a spoonful of yolk mixture in cup, and mix with brandy and rum. Fold in some egg white, then add hot milk and top with more egg white. Stir gently to fold in the egg white. Top with Nutmeg.

Another method uses egg whites, beaten stiff, with the yolks and sugar folded back in, and optionally vanilla extract added. A few spoonfuls are added to a mug, then hot milk and rum are added, and it is topped with nutmeg. Pre-made Tom and Jerry batter, typically produced by manufacturers in Wisconsin, Minnesota, the Dakotas, and Montana, is sold in regional supermarkets during the Christmas season.^[2][3][4]

Name

The drink's name is a reference to Egan's book, Life in London, or The Day and Night Scenes of Jerry Hawthorn Esq. and his Elegant Friend Corinthian Tom (1821), and the subsequent stage play Tom and Jerry, or Life in London (also 1821). To publicize the book and the play, Egan introduced a variation of eggnog by adding 1⁄2 US fluid ounce (15 ml) of brandy,^{[dubious – discuss]} calling it a "Tom and Jerry". The additional fortification helped popularize the drink.^{[5][unreliable source]}

In popular culture

Tom and Jerry was a favorite of President Warren G. Harding, who served it at an annual Christmas party for his closest friends.^[6]

Two later cartoon duos, a short-lived Tom and Jerry from Van Beuren Studios in the 1930s, and MGM's better known cat and mouse rivalry from the 1940s through the 1960s, also bore the name, possibly as a play on words with the drink or the literary works that inspired it.^[7]

In the story "I Yust Go Nuts at Christmas" by Harry Stewart, a man drinks a dozen Tom and Jerrys and is hung over for the following day's Christmas dinner.

See also

• List of cocktails