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Perhaps no beverage evokes the holidays more succinctly than a creamy cup of eggnog. This is a drink with a lot of history behind it – research indicates early forms of eggnogs were enjoyed by monks in the 13th century. Served warm, the nogs were a mixture of eggs, milk and fruit or ale. Eggnogs came to the U.S. via Europe, and became a popular beverage in the U.S. in the 19th century due to the proliferation of farms that produced dairy and eggs. An early “egg nogg” recipe appears in an American cookbook dating from 1851, featuring eggs, cream, sugar, rum or brandy and spices, which is essentially the recipe still enjoyed today.

Eggnog has long been considered a holiday specialty, and Christmas visitors and guests were commonly greeted with a rich cup. One may find variations on this theme in many parts of the world, including Puerto Rico (coquito), Mexico (rompope), Peru (biblia con pisco) and England (egg flip). Eggnog is enjoyed both plain and with the addition of rum, bourbon, brandy or sherry.

In short, eggnog evokes holiday cheer and convivial celebration – so why not consider adding this decadent beverage to the menu! GreenLeaf stocks all the ingredients necessary for the perfect nog. Find dairy-fresh milks and creams, both organic and conventional, fresh pasteurized eggs and egg whites, vanilla, spices, even coconut milk for a particularly rich brew. Whipped cream or egg whites folded into the mix make the nog light as a cloud, or consider eggnog-inspired icings for spiced muffins and cakes. Lastly, egg nog ice cream pairs splendidly with any number of baked holiday cakes or cookies!

Granitas and sorbets both perfectly encapsulate summer. Ice cream has its own hallowed place, of course, but the refreshing juxtaposition of fruit, sugar and ice is hard to trump in the summer months. Ice alone has a long and storied history, well before modern refrigeration (3,000 years-plus), of providing cool relief.

Granita is believed to have originated in Sicily during Roman times, when blocks of ice were transported from Mount Aetna. Granita is more granular than sorbet, and can be made very simply by freezing a mixture of pureed fruit, sugar and water in a shallow pan. As the mixture freezes, it is removed every so often and mixed with a large fork to granulate the ice crystals. This is done just enough to create a uniformly granular ice – neither too firm or too slushy. In Italy, coffee and almond are popular granita flavors and the combination of the two is often enjoyed in the morning as an alternative to regular coffee.

Sorbet is a finer-textured concoction, with equivalents in virtually every cuisine, from sorbetto in Italy to sherbet in the U.S. The name is actually a derivative of an Arab term for ‘drink’ or ‘beverage’ – the origins of sorbet, however, are fuzzy. Many trace the lineage from the Chinese, to the Persians and Arabs, and then to Europe. In any case, it gets its fine texture from constant churning while freezing (unlike granita). Some recipes call for adding egg whites at the end of churning for an even silkier finish.

Start thinking about your own ideas for refreshing summer sorbets and granitas. Perhaps a peach and basil sorbet? Or a mint and lime granita? Plan to be refreshed!