The Best Party I Barely Remember

If you happened to read my bio you may recall I spent a year as a White House Staff Economist. One of the perks of the job was an invitation to the White House Christmas Party. It happens there are actually several parties, only a few of which feature the actual president. Those were reserved for people a level above my job, but my co-workers and I still got to party inside the White House for several hours one cold late-December evening.

Thinking this was pretty freaking cool, I invited a guy I was trying to impress as my plus one. He worked for Democratic Senator Harkin from Iowa and had been in DC for a few years, though never to a White House party. Thus, he was suitably impressed with the invitation (and me).

They decorate the public areas of the White House every year, and if you happen to go on the tour during the holiday season, you’ll find most rooms have the holiday touch. During public tours, you’ll be ushered through at a pretty quick pace, pausing for the guide to impart some historical tidbit about the chairs or something on the wall. At the official Christmas party, they let us loose with no restrictions. This alone was wonderful and certainly made my guest feel special.

But the best part: the whole shindig is catered by the White House Mess. No, it’s not the state of the country, but what they call the kitchen, which is run military-style, though no GI got food like this. And the crowning glory of the whole thing:

White. House. Eggnog.

You need to wait on a line at the serving table, and then they dole it out in tiny little cups, for which there is a very, very good reason. Unfortunately, no one told me. I happen to love eggnog. A. Lot. I enjoyed the first serving so much I went back for more. After the second I couldn’t feel my face. After the third…well I honestly don’t recall the rest of the party. I do remember sitting in a restaurant around the corner from the White House with a group of my co-workers some hours later. This is the point they mentioned that the White House Eggnog packs a real wallop. Well, duh.

I never did have another date with that guy, though.

If you want to try your hand at reproducing the experience (of the eggnog), I think this recipe probably comes pretty close, though I can’t say for sure if this is the one we had. Notice the ratio of alcohol to non-alcohol ingredients, and be careful!

WHITE HOUSE EGGNOG

(This recipe appeared in the White House Holiday Recipes in 1996. It was devised by White House Executive Chef Walter Scheiber.)

5 yolks
5 whites
1 1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup bourbon
3/4 cup cognac
3/4 cup dark rum
1 quart heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
nutmeg
vanilla extract
milk to taste

Combine yolks and sugar in bowl and beat to ribbon stage. Add bourbon, rum and cognac to yolk mix — set aside. Whip egg whites and salt to stiff peaks. Whip cream to medium peaks. Fold whipped whites and cream together. Combine white/cream mix to yolk/liquor mix. Mix well. Add nutmeg and vanilla to taste. Adjust thickness with milk to desired consistency. Store very cold; blend well before serving.