The Tom and Jerry is a beloved holiday cocktail in these parts. And I knew nothing about it until just a few years ago.
The drink is basically a kind of boozy eggnog, with extra spices, served hot. It’s really not the kind of drink you can have more than one of–at least I can’t, because a well-made T&J is really rich and decadent and sweet. Drinking one feels like dessert before the entree arrives. At least, that’s what it felt like to me, because I ordered one first when we went to dinner the other night. We were at a place called, believe it or not, The Place. It’s in the city of Buffalo, and the restaurant was a delight.
The Tom and Jerry is an old-school drink. Restaurants that serve it can’t just dish it up in any old mug! You apparently need a white mug with “Tom and Jerry” on it, and some places have their own special sets that they’ve used for years and years. They’ll actually mix up a large bowl of it and dish it up into matching mugs. Here’s a representative example of a Tom and Jerry punchbowl and mug set:
That’s from an eBay auction. No, I did not bid! I wouldn’t need something that large, and in any case, I’d be the only one drinking the T&Js if I were to make them at home. The Wife and The Kid are, ahem, unenthusiastic about the prospect of drinks where eggs are a major ingredient.
And besides, T&Js aren’t exactly a quick drink to make, either. You have to make the batter first, and then some of the batter is put in the mug with booze and hot water. Here’s a typical recipe. Note the ingredients and the steps involved: separate a dozen eggs! Whip the egg whites! Fold with spices and…yeah, I’m not doing all of that. Not for just myself, anyway. I’ve read that you can buy pre-mixed T&J batter in some places, but I’ve never looked for it.
No, for my own home hot rum drink enjoyment, I’ll stick with Hot Buttered Rum (which I will be mixing up probably this weekend). I sure do like a Tom and Jerry, though. And I miss the place I first tried one: a restaurant and bar in an old farmhouse in Concord, NY, called Mary’s Fireside Inn. This wonderful place did not survive the pandemic, sadly (and a debilitating fire probably was even more damaging in that regard). We loved going down there, especially at Christmastime…and not just for the Tom and Jerry’s.
Years and years ago (more than 30, now) when I lived in Ann Arbor, there was a place called “The Treasure Mart.” It’s probably gone now (I am not going to look; I do not need another thing to make me sad this evening). I used to go there a lot because it was three floors of used/vintage/antique stuff. Some of it useful, some of it cool, some of it weird.
They *always* had Tom and Jerry sets. Those things must have been enormously popular in the first half of the 20th century. I don’t know anyone who owns one (then again: I live in the South now, and I don’t know that that is a drink here; I suspect regular old eggnog, maybe with whisky or bourbon added would be more likely)
I’ve never had it. I’ve had eggnog (the non alcoholic kind) and I admit I’m a little meh on it; give me a nice mulled cider instead. But it seems that Tom and Jerry is different? More eggs, thicker? Like a hot milkshake with booze in it?