Deck the halls with eggnog. How to throw your own personal Nogfest party

Before I begin my holiday shopping, before I plan the trek to a tree lot, before I even flip on the heater for the first time all winter, I make eggnog. Six weeks later, about two dozen friends squeeze into my tiny rented bungalow to gather around a large vintage punch bowl filled with the stuff, part of a festive tableau that also includes shrimp cocktail, batched Negroni, chips and dip, peppermint bark and more than a few mini quiches. Now each year, sometime in October, I dedicate an hour or two to shopping for and preparing Death & Co.’s eggnog recipe, carefully combining sugar, a whopping 16 eggs, milk, heavy cream and what feels like enough booze to stock a speakeasy until my stand mixer is full to the literal brim. Cocktail Sauce I’m not saying that shrimp cocktail is a perfect pairing with eggnog, per se, but when I began dreaming up my holiday party spread, there was no way shrimp cocktail wouldn’t be present. Don’t make things tough on yourself: You can purchase fresh, cooked shrimp from your fishmonger or grocer of choice, along with bottled cocktail sauce, but should you choose to make your own, simply poach raw shrimp in salted water, then dunk into this quick, zesty recipe for homemade cocktail sauce by L.A. Times Food deputy editor Betty Hallock.