This Delicious German Egg Liqueur Is A Tasty Holiday Drink!
For a classic and creamy drink to sip on, check out Eierlikör! In English, Eierlikör means Egg Liqueur – and there’s definitely no shortage of egg in our egg liqueur recipe!
Made from raw egg yolk, sugar, and rum this egg-based liqueur is both strong and sweet with different aromas like vanilla.
Eierlikör can be enjoyed on its own or used in other cocktails – such as German Eierpunsch. It’s also used to bake egg liqueur cake which we will make for this website really soon!
Eierlikör is kind of similar to eggnog – but we’ll dive into the difference below!
It’s actually really easy to find egg liqueur in Europe. We’ve drank German versions but it’s popular in the Netherlands, too.
In any case, we’ve enjoyed German egg liqueur with Lisa’s family around the holiday time.
Once the Eierlikör gets brought out and poured into shot glasses (or little waffle cones lined with chocolate) for after-dinner sipping with dessert, there’s no turning back!
Looking for more holiday recipes? Try our mulled red wine, mulled white wine, candied almonds, marzipan, or some delicious German Christmas cookies!
For the North Americans, you might know egg liqueur by the brand name “Bols Advocaat”. We’ve even found this popular Dutch brand of egg liqueur in Canada. However, generally speaking, egg liqueur can be hard to find in North America.
So, we wanted to be able to make our own egg liqueur. It was especially important to make for us because it is used in Eierpunsch – another classic German Christmas market beverage that Lisa really likes.
Because we are cooking with raw eggs, there is always a chance of harmful bacteria (mainly salmonella) putting a real damper on your holiday.
That’s why it’s important to use very fresh eggs, heat the drink at the end, and to use a certain amount of alcohol when making Eierlikor. These are very important steps to highly reduce the risk of salmonella.
Of course, if consuming raw eggs is a concern for you, you could always try and buy pasteurized eggs.
Eierlikör vs Eggnog
Eierlikör is sometimes called “German Eggnog”. We can see why people say it, but the comparison can be a bit misleading since these two drinks are prepared differently. They have similar ingredients but they are not the same.
Egg liqueur is an egg-based alcohol made with egg yolks, cream, and rum. Eggnog on the other hand makes use of the egg yolk and the egg whites as well as cream and milk.
Usually, Eierlikör includes quite a bit of rum and some whipping cream while eggnog leans much more on the dairy. Eggnog is also generally more heavily spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon.
So you can see that these two drinks are definitely similar, but they are not quite the same.
How to Make German Eierlikör – Step by Step
If you want to make egg liqueur at home, it’s only a few easy steps. You can follow the recipe card below for the exact egg liqueur recipe.
In case you are more of a visual learner, you can have a look at the process photos below. This way, you can see if you are on the right track as you prepare your Eierlikör!
First, separate your eggs and place the egg yolks into a medium-sized mixing bowl.
The egg whites you can use for other recipes, such as cinnamon stars or hazelnut cookies.
Then slowly add the powdered sugar and the vanilla extract while mixing with your electric hand mixer or a whisk until you have a creamy consistency.
Once you have a creamy mixture, slowly add the cream while continuing to mix with your hand mixer or whisk.
Then slowly add the rum and keep mixing/whisking vigorously.
Once you have a frothy mixture, put the bowl in a pot with hot water on the stovetop and keep whisking until the mixture is heated (at around 160 degrees Fahrenheit) and thick/creamy.
This can take quite a while so don’t give up after just a couple of minutes. When you notice that some of the egg liqueur is sticking to the side of the bowl, you know that it’s getting close to being done.
Make sure the water in the pot is hot but not boiling.
Once the mixture is heated and creamy, remove the bowl from the stove and pour the egg liqueur into glasses to enjoy right away or into small, sanitized bottles for storage.
Store your egg liqueur in the fridge where it should last for around 4 months if prepared correctly (used fresh eggs, used rum, heated to 160 degrees Fahrenheit, and used very clean/sanitized equipment).
Enjoy!
Eierlikör (German Egg Liqueur)
Ingredients
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 1/3 cup rum
Instructions
- Separate the eggs and add the yolks to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add in the powdered sugar as well as the vanilla extract and mix with your electric hand mixer or a whisk until you have a creamy consistency.
- Mix in the whipping cream and keep whisking.
- Now slowly pour in the the rum and keep whisking vigorously.
- Once frothing, put the bowl in a hot water bath on the stovetop and keep whisking for a few minutes until the mixture is thick and creamy. This works best if you fill a flatter, medium-sized pot with hot water and place your mixing bowl into the hot water (use a bowl that can handle it – we would avoid plastic bowls). Make sure that the water in the pot is hot but not boiling since you don't want the egg liqueur to start bubbling and lose its alcohol. You want to heat the egg liqueur to around 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Pour the egg liqueur into glasses to sip right away or into sanitized bottles to keep for later. If you use clean equipment and fresh eggs, the egg liqueur should keep in the fridge for around 4 months.
Notes
- If you want the consistency to be even more creamy, you can use condensed milk instead of whipping cream.
- Since you’re using raw eggs, we recommend that you make this recipe with very fresh eggs instead of eggs that are close to expiration.
- The egg liqueur’s sweetness is impacted by which rum you choose. If you opt for a sweeter rum like Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum (opposed to Bacardi Gold or White), you may want to tone down the powdered sugar a tiny bit. Then again, some people like their Eierlikör quite sweet!
Nutrition
This nutritional information has been estimated by an online nutrition calculator. It should only be seen as a rough calculation and not a replacement for professional dietary advice.
do you have a recipe to make Eierpunsch with the Eier liquor?
Yes we do, you can find it here: https://www.recipesfromeurope.com/eierpunsch/
Made this for weihnachten this year. ( 5 servings) added a tiny bit of cinnamon and nutmeg to it . To give it more flavor. Sooo yummy!! Better than alcoholic egg nog!!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Robert! /Lisa
This came out SO well! So excited, because I loved Eirlikor when I had it last month in Germany and have been unable to find in the US!
Thanks for the great recipe & happy holidays!
I’m so happy to hear that, Jordan. Happy holidays to you as well! /Lisa
Being German you forgot nutmeg!
Hi Laurie, neither I nor anyone in my family or German friend group uses nutmeg when making Eierlikör so I didn’t include it here either. But yes, some people in Germany do add it – so if you like the taste, it’s definitely an option to add a pinch of nutmeg!
No nutmeg in egg liquor
My husband is German and he likes to put it over ice cream and make tiramisu with it (in place of raw eggs)!
My mom also likes pouring Eierlikör over her ice cream, but I have never heard about using it to make tiramisu… how interesting! Thanks for sharing.
I used to bake Eier liquor Kuchen lecker
How much does this recipe make? I have a cheesecake recipe that calls for 200 ml, should I double this recipe?
This recipe makes close to 200ml I would say. However, unfortunately, I haven’t measured how much exactly – I’ll have to do that next time I make it. If you want to be on the safe side, you could always double the recipe and then store the leftovers in sanitized bottles/jars in the fridge. It’ll last for a few months.
Thank you for this recipe! After the eierlikör has cooled in the refrigerator, can it be reheated? Thanks!
Yes, you can gently reheat the Eierlikör. I would do it in a small pot on the stove, not in the microwave. Also make sure to only reheat it until it is warm, not hot – if it’s too hot, it might start losing its alcohol content. /Lisa