Thanks to JP over at Round Is Funny for bringing this memory up for me. When I was a mere slip of a shaven headed seventeen year old girl, I took my boyfriend with me to visit my dad at Christmas. Dad was having his annual Christmas BBQ, which you can do in Northern California without freezing your giblets off. The house was filled with my step-sisters, neighbors, and dogs. Everyone had that rosy glow that comes with holiday and a few liberal glasses of yuletide spirits, well, except for the dogs who were probably only waiting until enough people were tipsy enough to start actually setting their drinks down within reach of their eager little doggie tongues to get to a state of canine pixelation. If I remember rightly, this was the first time my boyfriend had met my dad, so I'm sure he was nervous as all hell. My dad is a very jovial soul, though, and did his best to put the young man at his ease. After hugs and handshakes and the ceremonial, "Nice to meet you, and I do hope you realize that if you do anything to hurt my daughter I'm going to invite you on a one way trip to my favorite hunting spot. Anyway, sure is nice to meet you young man, can I offer you something to drink?" The boy managed to stammer out, "uh..." before shooting me a panicked look. Kindly I took over before my dad was overwhelmed by the boy's eloquence. "What have you got?" I asked.
"Well, we've got brandy, whiskey, rum, vodka, and egg nog."
Hmm, I thought, this could be a test. Better play it safe. "We'll have the egg nog."
Cups were filled, handed over, and tasted.
"Uh, Dad?"
"Yeah?"
"What's in this egg nog?"
"Brandy, whiskey, rum, and vodka!"
It was a very merry Christmas indeed. Dad Nog is now a staple 'round these parts every holiday season. Tasty, viscous, flammable. It's like toasting the baby Jesus with nutmeg flavored napalm.