Have you ever heard of Bombardino? This Italian alcoholic delight might not be widely known in the United States—at least not yet—but it's a cozy, flavorful twist on classic Christmas eggnog. Serve with fresh Italian pizzelle cookies or gingerbread men to keep warm on a frosty winter's night!
Everyone has that one special food or drink they look forward to every holiday season: peanut brittle, potato latkes, roasted chestnuts, sticky toffee pudding, and for me, eggnog everything. Eggnog ice cream, eggnog lattes, and of course eggnog cocktails like this Italian eggnog drink known as bombardino.
"Bombardino" translates to "the bomb" in Italian, and this drink truly lives up to its name! Popular at ski lodges, it's the perfect way to warm up after conquering the slopes of the Italian Alps.
While traditionally bombardino is made with a thick custard called Zabaglione, today most variations of this hot cocktail are made with eggnog liqueur.
If you enjoy this cocktail, make sure you try my latest Christmas whiskey cocktail. It's simply divine!
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This is an easy alternative to authentic Italian bombardino, which is made with an egg liqueur called Vov. Not the most common ingredient on this side of the pond!
- Bombardino is probably the quickest and easiest drink you'll ever make. Just heat, mix, and garnish!
- This cost-effective original recipe only calls for 4 simple ingredients which you can easily find at any store if they aren't already in your kitchen.
🛒 What You Need For This Recipe
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Eggnog: Any kind of eggnog will do.
- Brandy: Whiskey or rum make great alternatives.
- Whipped cream: Store-bought is fine, or you can make your own homemade whipped cream.
- Garnish: I like to top mine with a little powdered cinnamon, but you can also use cinnamon sticks or spices like star anise and freshly grated whole nutmeg.
🍸 How To Make A Bombardino
Step 1: Add 1 cup of eggnog to a saucepan and warm over medium heat until the eggnog is just about to boil. Remove it from the stove and pour ½ a cup into each glass.
Pro tip: You don't want to leave the eggnog over the stove long enough to actually boil, so make sure you remove it in time. It only took about 3 minutes for me before it was time to take it off the heat.
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Step 2: Add ¼ cup of brandy to each glass and stir.
Step 3: Top it all off with whipped cream and garnish with cinnamon, nutmeg, or star anise. Serve while warm and enjoy!
Pro Tip: One of my favorite kitchen tools is a Microplane zester which can be used to grate whole nutmeg and zest citrus. If you don't have one, put it on your Christmas list!
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Bombardino is Italian for "the bomb", and that's exactly what this hot eggnog cocktail is!
Vov, which means "eggs", is an Italian eggnog liqueur made with Marsala wine, egg yolks, milk, sugar, and vanilla.
While eggnog is usually something you would drink cold, it is sometimes served hot. In Italy, they make bombardino, a warm cocktail made with eggnog liqueur, brandy, cinnamon, and whipped cream. This drink is commonly enjoyed at ski lodges in the Italian Alps as a way to warm yourself after a long day of skiing.
👩🏻🍳 Pro Tips
- While the usual way to make bombardino requires Vov or eggnog liqueur, I don't recommend substituting the eggnog in this recipe because it will change the taste and alcohol content.
- If you're a chocolate milk vs hot cocoa kind of person, try this tasty drink over ice, I did! It's just as delicious.
- Don't have goblets? Serve your bombardino in a pretty holiday mug instead.
- Learn how to make limoncello with my easy Italian limoncello recipe!
🎄Related Recipes
If you enjoy this bombardino recipe, check out these other great recipes!
📖 Recipe
📖 Recipe
Bombardino (Italian Eggnog Cocktail)
Equipment
- 1 zester
Ingredients
- 1 cup eggnog
- ½ cup brandy
- whipped cream
- cinnamon to garnish
Instructions
- Add 1 cup of eggnog to a saucepan and warm over medium heat until the eggnog is just about to boil. Remove it from the stove and pour ½ a cup into each glass.
- Add ¼ cup of brandy to each glass and stir.
- Top it all off with whipped cream and garnish with cinnamon, nutmeg, or star anise. Serve while warm and enjoy!
Notes
- You don't want to leave the eggnog over the stove long enough to actually boil, so make sure you remove it in time. It only took about 3 minutes for me before it was time to take it off the heat.
- While the usual way to make bombardino requires Vov or eggnog liqueur, I don't recommend substituting the eggnog in this recipe because it will change the taste and alcohol content.
- One of my favorite kitchen tools is a Microplane/zester which can be used to grate whole nutmeg and zest citrus. If you don't have one, put it on your Christmas list!
- If you're a chocolate milk vs hot cocoa kind of person, try this tasty drink over ice, I did! It's just as delicious.
- Don't have goblets? Serve your bombardino in a pretty holiday mug instead.
- Learn how to make limoncello with my easy Italian limoncello recipe!
Kelly Methey says
Can’t wait to try it!
Hilda Sterner says
I've been having one for the last 3 nights.😉