co*cktail of the Week: Warming Up to Tom and Jerry | The Georgetowner (2024)
co*cktail of the Month
By Miss Dixie • February 8, 2012 0 9304
Washingtonians rang in 2012 during one the warmest New Year’s Eves in memory, but the days that followed turned bitterly cold giving locals their first real taste of winter this season. Last week’s spell of gusty winds and snow flurries set the stage for me to whip up a winter co*cktail to soothe my January chills.
Fortunately, I was armed with a collection of recipes that I sampled last month during the Musuem of the American co*cktail’s annual holiday party The event featured seasonal offerings from some of Washington’s most innovative co*cktail lounges, including Bourbon Steak, the Columbia Room, PS-7 and Room 11. Jon Harris of the Gibson presented a classic tipple, the Tom and Jerry using Jerry Thomas’s original recipe from the 1850s.
The Tom and Jerry is a hot variation of the holiday staple eggnog, spiked with cognac and rum. But while most people forget about eggnog after December, the Tom and Jerry makes a delightful warmer throughout the cold and snowy months.
The biggest difference between the two is that the Tom and Jerry is served warm; secondly, the Tom and Jerry has a whipped, silky texture that doesn’t weigh you down like thick eggnog.
According to Harris, the Tom and Jerry first appeared in the 1820s. It was created by London sportswriter Pierce Eagan. Its name is not derived from the famous cartoon cat and mouse duo but from a book Eagan wrote called “Life of London: or Days and Nights of Jerry Hawthorne and His Elegant Friend Corinthina Tom.” The book described the exploits of two gentlemen as they ran rampant through London having a good time, drinking and carousing. Eagan fashioned the drink as a publicity stunt to promote his work. He would hand out co*cktails in shops in hopes of increasing sales.
The popularity of the Tom and Jerry exploded in the 1860s after it was featured in “How to Mix Drinks,” “Professor” Jerry Thomas’s pioneering collection of co*cktail recipes. It remained fashionable through the 1940s, and ’50s, when people held Tom and Jerry parties and served their drinks in specially made sets of gold-trimmed ceramic mugs with “Tom and Jerry” emblazoned on the front. These collectibles can still be found on eBay and antique stores. The drink nearly disappeared in 1960s during the era of convenience foods, when pre-made mixes replaced fruit juice and fresh ingredients in co*cktails.
Making a Tom and Jerry from scratch is a time-consuming process. It involves a dozen of eggs, separated, with the whites whipped into stiff peaks and yolks beaten with sugar and spices. These two components are then folded together to form a batter, which can be made ahead and stored. Harris recommends keeping it overnight to allow the spices to meld.
When ready to serve, prepare a cup by pouring a shot each of cognac and rum, then adding a dollop or two of batter. Heat the co*cktail by adding warm milk and stirring.
A properly made Tom and Jerry makes a soothing treat that will kill the chill in your fingers and toes. It starts off with a potent kick from the rum and cognac but goes down smoothly with a soft, fluffy meringue-like finish. It’s just the ticket until the milder days of spring return.
The Tom and Jerry (based on Jerry Thomas’s recipe)
12 eggs 1 cup sugar 1 bottle Remy Martin cognac Pinch each of ground allspice, ground cinnamon, clove and nutmeg 1 bottle Appleton’s Reserve Extra 12-Year-Old Rum Milk
Separate the eggs. Beat the whites until they form a stiff froth. Beat the yolks and sugar and spices, separately until thin. Gradually add 4 ounces cognac. Fold the whites into the yolks.
When ready to serve, give it another stir and then put 1 tablespoon of this batter in a small mug or tumbler. Add 1-ounce cognac and rum, stirring constantly to avoid curdling. Fill to the top with hot milk (or a 50/50 mixture of water and milk) and stir until foamy. Garnish with nutmeg on top.
Ingredients to make the Tom and Jerry may be purchased at Dixie Liquor, 3429 M Street, N.W., in Georgetown. For more winter drink recipes, visit co*cktailMuseum.Wordpress.Com.
Add 1-ounce cognac and rum, stirring constantly to avoid curdling.Fill to the top with hot milk (or a 50/50 mixture of water and milk) and stir until foamy.Garnish with nutmeg on top. Ingredients to make the Tom and Jerry may be purchased at Dixie Liquor, 3429 M Street, N.W., in Georgetown.
A Tom and Jerry is a traditional Christmas-time co*cktail in the United States, sometimes attributed to British writer and professional boxing journalist Pierce Egan in the 1820s. It is a variant of eggnog with brandy and rum added and served hot, usually in a mug or a bowl.
Wondrich cites an 1827 account of a rum, sugar and egg drink “under the name of 'Tom and Jerry' ” served in Boston. Inconveniently for Jerry Thomas, he was born three years later. A more likely origin story involves a book published in 1821 called Life in London, or The Day and Night Scenes of Jerry Hawthorn Esq.
While this drink is often compared to eggnog, it is a completely different drink. The main difference is that a Tom & Jerry is served warm, and the drink is built in the serving mug.
There are a couple of origin stories of the Tom and Jerry drink. A bartender who wrote the first published bar guide in 1862, Jerry Thomas, claimed that he dreamed up the drink in 1847 and named it after himself. Thomas included a Tom and Jerry recipe on Page 174 of his guide.
The Tom & Jerry at Miller's Pub is a classic co*cktail and perfection during the brisk Chicago holiday season. For the uninitiated, a Tom & Jerry is a warmed co*cktail. The bartender spikes what is essentially eggnog, that beloved Christmas staple, with both rum and brandy.
While both are hot, alcoholic beverages, their ingredients differ. Tom and Jerrys are also often made with rum, though they can also be made with whiskey or vodka. Both are also spiced. However, a batter instead of butter (see what we did there?) is used to make a Tom and Jerry rich and creamy.
Jerry is supposed to be male, but sometimes he's not, as in the scene in Baby Puss (1942) when Jerry takes a bath in a doll's house and is horrified when (Peeping) Tom watches him/her through the window. Jerry covers his/her nakedness with his/her hands and squeals. Tom dresses up as a woman in more than one cartoon.
Tom & Jerry were originally named "Jasper & Jinx" by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Only Tom was ever identified on-screen by his original name ("Jasper"). The name Jinx was used by H&B in their television cartoon about the mice Pixie and Dixie and their adversary the feline Mr. Jinx.
"While culinary historians debate its exact lineage, most agree eggnog originated from the early medieval" British drink called posset, which was made with hot milk that was curdled with wine or ale and flavored with spices. In the Middle Ages, posset was used as a cold and flu remedy.
Are they kitten us? Tom and Jerry, the cartoon cat and mouse enemies who've been feuding since the 1940s, have a secret. Apparently their full names are Thomas Jasper Cat, Sr., and Gerald Jinx Mouse, and as CNET sister site ComicBook.com points out, some fans weren't expecting that name game.
This steak is a cross section of a steer's leg and is often sold as a “Bone in Arm Roast”. Because the steak is a cross sectional leg cut it results in several noteworthy features. . . . . .
Once a wintertime staple served in taverns and saloons across America, the Tom & Jerry co*cktail/punch was relegated to obscurity until recent years when co*cktail resurgence and the drinks connections to Jerry Thomas assured its resurrection - particularly as a drink served over the Christmas period.
Tom and Jerry is an American cartoon series about a hapless cat's never-ending pursuit of a clever mouse. Tom is the scheming cat, and Jerry is the spunky mouse. The series was driven entirely by action and visual humour; the characters almost never spoke.
Jerry is a given name, usually used for males. It is of Old English origin, and sometimes can be spelled Gerry, Gerrie, Geri, Jery, Jere, Jerrie, or Jeri. It is a diminutive form (hypocorism) of George, Gerald, Gerard, Geraldine, Jared, Jeremy, Jeremiah, Jermaine, or Jerome.
Beyond that, there are a few instances of characters having whiskey and other intoxicating beverages, but the only concoction mentioned by name is the Gin Rickey. The simple mixture of gin, lime juice and club soda is fixed by Tom Buchanan at a lunch he hosts for Gatsby and Nick Carraway.
The Professor invented several co*cktails over the course of his career, including the Tom and Jerry, Lamb's Wool, and Champarelle. But the Blue Blazer stands out because of its extra flare . . . no pun intended.
Introduction: My name is Dan Stracke, I am a homely, gleaming, glamorous, inquisitive, homely, gorgeous, light person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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