Tom & Jerry


[Editor’s note: We had a little ‘”wardrobe malfunction” with the measurements in our original recipe. So sorry! The recipe has been updated and corrected now. 12-Dec 11:30 pm]

Mixology Monday 10Welcome to Mixology Monday! In this web-wide synergy of mixology, the chosen topic that several weblogs across the Internet are converging on is “Drinks for a Festive Occasion”.

At this time of year, I always like to head toward the classic and traditional holiday drinks, and if their warmth can relieve some of the chill that we are often surrounded with, so much the better. One of my favorites to turn to, is the Tom & Jerry. No not THAT Tom & Jerry, I’m talking about the winter-time warmer, that once used to be very common in almost any bar you might have visited at this time of year, but lately has grown exceedingly rare.

Tom And JerryThe actual origins of this drink are rather debatable, some claim that Jerry Thomas himself is the creator of this drink; others say that is a misconception just because of the naming similarity. Instead of attempting to go into those sorts of details, I’d much rather discuss how it should be made.

To begin with, it is said that custom dictated that the Tom & Jerry should not make its appearance until after the first snow. Here in Seattle, we had our first snow of the season just recently, so that allows me to present it to you with a clear conscience. If you choose to make it before the first snowfall in your area that is your decision.

Tom & Jerry (batter mix)

  • 3 eggs (whites and yolks separated)
  • 1/2 ounce Rum
  • 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp. Cloves
  • 1/8 tsp. Allspice
  • 1/8 tsp. Creme of Tartar
  • 1/8 tsp. Vanilla
  • 1/2 cup Sugar

Makes about 2 1/2 cups of batter mix, which should make about 40 servings.

In one bowl, beat the egg whites to a stiff froth, and in another bowl beat the yolks until they are as thin as water. Mix yolks and whites together and add the rum and spices. Thicken with sugar until the mixture attains the consistence of a light batter.

Tom & Jerry (single serving)

In a coffee mug, combine one tablespoonful of the above mixture, and 2 ounces of brandy (and/or rum), and then fill the glass with hot milk (or boiling water, but hot milk is SO much better). Garnish by grating a little nutmeg on top.

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December 11th, 2006
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Comment Number:
1
Written by:
Andy
Posted on:
December 11, 2006 at 9:15 am

Our ‘first snow’ down here in Texas may not come for another 5-6 years, hope this doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to try this ;-)

-Andy

Comment Number:
2
Written by:
Thomas
Posted on:
December 11, 2006 at 1:38 pm

Robert, what sort of rum do you favor for the Tom & Jerry? Seems like a Mount Gay type would be good.

Comment Number:
3
Written by:
Robert Hess
Posted on:
December 11, 2006 at 2:32 pm

Andy, I suggest that you cheat, and go out and buy a snow globe. :->

Thomas, What rum, or brandy, you choose will simply present a different character on this drink. You could honestly even use Captain Morgan Spiced Rum and get a nice drink out of this… but yes, a Mount Gay would work nicely.

Comment Number:
4
Written by:
JRPfeff
Posted on:
December 11, 2006 at 4:21 pm

Robert - I never thought of using hot milk (the quart T&J batter tubs at the grocer don’t mention it). Thanks for that tip.

Jim

Comment Number:
5
Written by:
Robert Hess
Posted on:
December 11, 2006 at 9:37 pm

Few (if any) of the commercial pre-mix batters will list hot milk as an option. Not sure why, it is one of the ways that Tom & Jerry’s were often made, and far, far, better than just hot water.

Comment Number:
6
Written by:
Rich In NNJ
Posted on:
December 12, 2006 at 4:22 pm

A POUND of sugar? How many mugs of Tom & Jerry does this mix make?

Thanks, Rich

Comment Number:
7
Written by:
Robert Hess
Posted on:
December 12, 2006 at 11:11 pm

Oooops… that was a transcription error, it’s not the sugar that’s wrong, but the eggs. That should be 12 eggs, not 3 :->

I started off scaling this recipe down and didn’t quite finish… I’ll submit an update.

Comment Number:
8
Written by:
Rich In NNJ
Posted on:
December 13, 2006 at 2:45 am

Thanks Robert!

Do you know off-hand about how many servings the updated recipe would be?

(Um, 12 eggs & 1 pound sugar, now 3 eggs and 1/2 pound sugar? Should it be 1/4 pound of sugar?)

Rich

Comment Number:
9
Written by:
Rich In NNJ
Posted on:
December 13, 2006 at 6:17 am

Never mind! I ran across a Jerry Thomas recipe adapted by Audrey Saunders that calls for 12 eggs and TWO pounds of sugar.
Her recipe makes 24 servings.

So I assume your recipe would make about 6 servings.

-Rich

Comment Number:
10
Written by:
Sarah
Posted on:
December 14, 2006 at 8:10 pm

I’ve been hearing a lot about this drink over the past year or two, but haven’t had the pleasure of trying it. I’ll be sure to fix that this year. Thanks!

Comment Number:
11
Written by:
Thomas
Posted on:
December 16, 2006 at 1:52 pm

We’re going to try this one out at my parent’s holiday party tomorrow.

Comment Number:
12
Written by:
Robert Hess
Posted on:
December 18, 2006 at 5:54 pm

Audrey and I use the same base recipe for our T&J… although the original didn’t call for vanilla, which she added to hers. In my “refactored” version I added it as well.

In the original recipe, Mr. Thomas doesn’t specify how much sugar to add, instead the recipe just says “Sufficient fine white sugar”.

For my refactoring, I made up a batch at home and focused on how “little” sugar I could add and still achieve the right texture and flavor balance. So treat 1/2 cup of sugar as the “starting” point, and if you would like to add more, you can go all the way to 2 1/2 cups (or more) to take it back up to the “1 lbs” that I had originally listed.

Comment Number:
13
Written by:
Brandon
Posted on:
December 19, 2006 at 10:37 pm

So . . . say you want to have this just for yourself (and maybe a significant other, if they’re good), how could you a) scale this back a little more, or, if that’s not possible, b)how long could you keep the batter around in the fridge for servings over multiple nights? Much as I’d love to down forty servings, I’m not sure if I would survive it.

Comment Number:
14
Written by:
JRPfeff
Posted on:
December 22, 2006 at 3:29 am

Brandon - The commercial quarts of batter that I buy last the entire holiday season when stored in the freezer. You can try that if you make a larger batch.

Comment Number:
15
Written by:
Jacque
Posted on:
December 25, 2006 at 7:56 pm

I was introduced to T&J in ND years ago. They used hot coffee instead of milk, but topped it off with whipped cream and nutmeg. MMMMM good.

Comment Number:
16
Written by:
Robert Hess
Posted on:
December 28, 2006 at 10:29 pm

Brandon,
this “3 egg” version makes enough batter for about 40 drinks… so even scaling it back to 1 egg would still make more than for a single serving. But if you look at the overall cost of the batter, it isn’t so much that you’d feel guilty throwing out what you don’t use.

Note that when first made, the batter is very light and fluffy (due to the beaten egg-whites) but it gradually looses it’s volume, and if left in the fridge overnight will be a lot less in content.

Jacque,
Coffee? Sounds like an interesting twist, although frankly I think it would no longer be a “Tom & Jerry”…

Comment Number:
17
Written by:
Thomas
Posted on:
January 23, 2007 at 4:48 am

Finally got to try this out on an appropriate occasion, a big old birthday party. (The batch I made up in December went begging because the weather warmed up considerably - and stayed that way.) Finally we had a cold snap, and a big crowd, and the Tom & Jerry fixin’s were quite welcome. Few people had heard of this beverage and a common reaction to the batter, brandy and hot milk combination was a wrinkled brow and a cautious sip. But the second sip was deeper and, the sipper often followed that a request for his/her own mug!

Comment Number:
18
Written by:
Robert Hess
Posted on:
January 23, 2007 at 7:31 pm

With all of the snow we’ve been getting here in the Seattle area, the Tom & Jerry has been having plenty of opportunity for bringing into service. Glad you liked it!

Comment Number:
19
Written by:
blizlady
Posted on:
December 1, 2007 at 8:57 pm

Our favorite drink here in the midwest during the holiday season! All the stores are now stocking Mrs. Bowens Ton & Jerry batter. The recipes on the container state that the Tom & Jerry drink uses hot water, and the egg nog version uses milk. Either way, a Toim & Jerry is a traditional drink in our home during the holidays, and we don’t necessarily wait for snow! Although we are getting hit with a big storm now, so I think a drink would be perfect while we put up our tree tonight!

Comment Number:
20
Written by:
blizlady
Posted on:
December 1, 2007 at 8:59 pm

Sorry for the typos! I wish there was an edit button!

Comment Number:
21
Written by:
Thomas
Posted on:
December 9, 2007 at 11:34 pm

I’m quite certain that I saw snow flurries last week….

Comment Number:
22
Written by:
Thomas
Posted on:
December 18, 2007 at 1:54 am

Tom & Jerry’s were a sleeper hit at yesterday’s family holiday open house. No batter left by the end of the evening. Score one for the vintage cocktail!