This year’s series of “foods of the month” ends with a familiar toast to prosperity and good health. December is National Eggnog Month.

Eggnog is a drink that stirs up memories for most of us. It is embedded in Americans’ Christmas and holiday traditions whether you like it or hate it.

The origin of eggnog is debatable. One theory is that it is a descendent of posset, a 14th century drink made with hot milk that was popular in medieval Europe. Beverages similar to eggnog were popular with the British aristocracy but since the ingredients were expensive, it was less available to the lower classes.

Another theory combines the beaten eggs and nog, a shortened version of “noggin,” which was a Middle English word describing a small wooden mug used to serve alcohol. Perhaps the most popular theory places the origination of eggnog as we know it today in the American colonies There, eggs and grog, a drink made with beaten eggs and rum, were combined and c...