Rompope (from Mexico)
It isn't Christmas in Mexico unless you've had a glass of eggnog.
"We do it on Christmas night," says Maria T. Marroquin, owner of Herby's El Mexicano in Swatara Twp. "Everybody has to have some rom pope." Loaded with egg yolks (15, in fact), this indulgence is not for one who is worried about cholesterol. Unlike the typical American eggnog, this drink uses rum and has a strong cinnamon taste. It's served warm.
Ponche Crema (from Venezuela)
Around Christmas, Venezuelans drink ponche crema. A sweet drink, it is thicker than American eggnog. It is served over ice.
"We don't have winter down there, so we want something cold," says Daniel Farias, owner of Arepa City, a Venezuelan restaurant in Harrisburg. Ponche crema has all the usual eggnog ingredients - eggs, milk, cloves and sugar. One thing it does have that the American version typically goes without is rum - and a lot of it.
Advocaat (from Poland)
Advocaat originated in the Netherlands, countries have taken the drink and made it their own. In Poland, advocaat is made in a town called Bielsko-Biala, which also distills its own signature vodka for the drink. Served in a shot glass, the potent stuff is best sipped, although a few party animals do take it all in one gulp, says Bill Boshinski, board secretary for the Polish American Association of Harrisburg. Unlike American eggnog, advocaat has no dairy in it.
"It's basically just eggs and liquor," Boshinski says.
Eierlikor (from Germany)
This stuff makes American eggnog look like milk. Made with grain alcohol, it is more yellow in appearance and thicker than the traditional eggnog, says Rose Hause, a seasonal worker at Josie's German Cakes and Market in Hampden Twp.
"It looks pretty, and it just has a nice texture," Hause says. "You just have to taste it." When it comes to alcohol, nothing less than 100 percent will do. The drink is part of traditional German Christmas gatherings.
Amazake (from Japan)
Amazake is a traditional sweet, low-alcohol Japanese drink made from fermented rice. Amazake dates from the Kofun period, and it is mentioned in the Nihon Shoki. It is part of the family of traditional Japanese foods made using the koji mold Aspergillus oryzae, which also includes miso, soy sauce, and sake. There are several recipes for amazake that have been used for hundreds of years. By a popular recipe, kōji is added to cooled whole grain rice causing enzymes to break down the carbohydrates into simpler unrefined sugars. As the mixture incubates, sweetness develops naturally.
By another popular recipe, sake kasu is simply mixed with water, but usually sugar is added. Amazake is believed to be very nutritious. It contains vitamin B1, B2, B6, folic acid, dietary fiber, oligosaccharide, cysteine, arginine and glutamine.