’Tis the season for eggnog cocktails

As far as seasonal cocktails go, eggnog is as old and celebrated as they come.

Most folks like to add brandy, rum or whiskey to their eggnog, or even drink it straight up. So we asked a couple of Columbia places to share their takes on this holiday classic.

The Good Life Cafe

Sharon Wright, the owner of Good Life Cafe on Main Street – which specializes in organic, raw and vegan dishes – is no stranger to coming up with alternative recipes for common foods and drinks: She’s been doing it for the past 25 years. So creating a recipe for vegan eggnog from scratch was a pinch of this and a pinch of that.

“I just sat down and wrote it out,” she said. “We’re all about freshness here, so I used almond milk, a lot of different spices, fresh ginger, maple syrup. I’ve never been one that’s followed recipes. I always joke that when you follow recipes, you never get the product you want.

“We made an eggnog last year, but it’s better this year. It’s all about what our tastes are, what our palates (recognize). And I’ve always tried to mimic stuff as close as possible. It’s got to remind them of the typical (flavors).”

“We’ll bottle some for the people who don’t have alcoholic beverages,” she said. “Then we’ll offer it like a hot rum toddy. We’ll do Maker’s Mark with the cold version and Jameson with the hot one with a vegan marshmallow, topped with nutmeg.”

1614 Main St. (803) 726-2310, http://goodlifecafe.net/

Kaminsky’s

“I’ve never liked eggnog before, but I actually like this,” said Rachel Lee, executive pastry chef at Kaminsky’s in the Vista. “It’s just nutmeg, eggs, cream, milk, vanilla and sugar. I make it from scratch.”

Lee said there were several common recipes out there that she experimented with before settling on this one.

“They have ones where you whip the cream and fold it into the egg mixture, you can cook the eggs on the stove … they just have different methods for doing it,” she said. “This way was a lot easier and just seemed like a better recipe than all the other ones. Even if it sat for a couple days, it might develop more flavor and be even better.”

The bar is planning to spike the drink with Captain Morgan spiced rum and add a cinnamon stick for flavor and presentation.

“They all call for different liquors,” Lee said of the recipes she tried. “Some use brandy, some cognac, rum, one had vodka. It’s a spiced cocktail, so any dark (liquor) or anything spiced would bring out the flavors.”

So what dessert would Lee recommend to go with it?

“An apple pie, a spiced cake or a cobbler would be really good,” she said.

930 Gervais St. (803) 550-9979, www.kaminskys.com