George Washington not only bequeathed us freedom and independence, but also a high-octane eggnog recipe, proving he was an all-around good guy. Try it this Christmas. You’ll be one happy patriot.

Christmas Miracles (of the Alcoholic Sort)

No specific wine is associated with Christmas, in the way that Champagne is a traditional New Year’s drink. But Christmas and wine are repeatedly coupled in European folklore myths. Probably the most widespread superstition has to do with water changing to wine. Russians believed, and some still believe, that Christ not only reveals buried treasures on the nights between Christmas and Epiphany, but also that he turns the water of springs into wine.

In a parallel ritual, on January 5th, the eve of Epiphany (sometimes called Little Christmas or Women’s Christmas in Europe) the Irish leave a bucket of water in the kitchen for conversion to wine. Even with attributes of divinity, the result must be some sort of generic wine, because I can find no indication of any one grape being more consecrated than others.

An old Scandinavians belief is that the dead visit the living on Christmas Eve. This Protestant conviction is similar an ancient Catholic one, where the dead visit on All Souls Eve, now our secular Halloween. Before going to bed, devout Scandinavians leave their houses ready for company, clean, the candlelit table replete with food, wine and Yule ale for the comfort of the visiting dead. Piety crosses with empiricism however when chairs are wiped down in the evening and then again in the morning to see if any earth from the grave has been left.

People in the north of England used to believe that bees congregated on Christmas Eve to hum Christmas hymns. I have to agree it is a delightful image, and I’d love to listen in. But since we don’t see enough bees in December to form a choir, I suspect this tradition relates more to the drinking of too much mead, an English wine fermented from honey.

Eggnog is probably the closest we come to a Christmas drink in this country. It is not usually made from scratch anymore. Homemade eggnog should be rich, fluffy, alcoholic and spicy, scented with fresh nutmeg. Packaged eggnog tends to be thick, gluey and sweet, without the subtle flavors its ingredients ought to offer. The origins go back to European milk and wine punches; Colonial Americans came up with the shrewd (and no doubt more economical) idea of substituting rum for wine. George Washington not only bequeathed us freedom and independence, but also an eggnog recipe incorporating rum, sherry and rye whisky—a high-octane combination. The father of our country was no wimp when it came to epicurean pleasures.

Other sorts of punches can be great fun to prepare and a welcoming drink for Christmas open houses. Beware however of weird combinations, and definitely steer clear of things like Jell-O, peppermint candy, ginger ale and canned fruits. I’d advise avoiding anything pre-made or packaged. Use fresh citrus (delicious with rum) or other fruits, real sugar, molasses or honey, and whole food flavorings like fresh minced ginger.

I was once visiting friends on a farm near Toulouse in southwestern France for the holidays. We attended Midnight Mass in the small village church, a religious custom now rapidly declining in France. After that we had a strictly traditional Christmas reveillon—one that definitely stuck to the rules. Late, secular and alcoholic.

The first course of oysters and caviar was accompanied by Champagne. We then had an extended foie gras course since it was foie gras season in the region and we had bought plump, fresh livers from Perigord at a market the previous day. The accompanying wine was a sweet and pungent Sauternes. This was followed by goose—a complicated one in which the neck was stuffed and roasted with the bird. We drank a simple red wine produced from their own vines. The circumstances were so perfect that I would not have traded that simple country wine for a great vintage Chateau Latour. Dessert was La Buche de Noel, the creamy cake that resembles a Yule log. I can’t remember what we drank with that, and I doubt very much that anyone else in the party could.

It was a lovely indulgent holiday, and why not? Christmas is a time to indulge your tastes and your budget. Drink old favorites or experiment with new wines, and create your own Christmas traditions. If you are drinking water however, make sure it is the kind that turns into wine.