Endnotes 06 December: Grinchy Eggnog, Adam Ant Comics, Holiday Reads, Menu Tricks & More — plus a new ep of The Library of Lost Time

Had our first eggnog cappuccino today — we are forever changed.

Hello, friends!

The holiday drinks menu has arrived at our café around the corner (Merrybeans). It features hot apple cider, eggnog, and eggnog cappuccino. The weather was brilliantly sunny and cold (35F), and that eggnog cappuccino? It made the day pretty much perfect with its vanilla, cinnamon, creamy goodness.

And now there’s a low-key competition going on in our flat because all of our favorite cafés make their own versions of homemade eggnog this time of year. In the name of science, we’re trying them all: this one and this one are both strong contenders.

In Czech, eggnog is called vaječňák or vaječný likér, and TBH, the best versions taste like you put a healthy dollop of homemade vanilla ice cream in a cup, let it melt, then topped it with whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon.

I would like very much to go to the celebration in the photo at the top of this post. To me, it looks like the Grinch threw an afternoon cupcakes-and-eggnog party after his heart grew three sizes. Be sure to treat yourself to this discussion on Reddit which answers the Very Important Question: If the Grinch’s heart was two sizes too small, and it grew three sizes in one day, it’s now one size too large. What health complications result?

Then prepare for your own heart to expand when you read what artist Chuck Jones has to say about what the Grinch meant to him.

But back to the ‘nog: People have been celebrating the season with eggnog — and ratifying treaties, apparently — since the 13th century when monks fancied up their possets (a drink made from hot milk, wine or ale, and spices) with whipped eggs and figs. Now, in addition to sipping perfect eggnog on its own, you can enjoy it in a layer cake with bourbon-vanilla frosting, slow cooker cinnamon roll casserole, or our new favorite way: in an eggnog cappuccino.

Eggnog not your thing? Here are nine other Christmas drinks from around the world.

Cheers to you! Wish you could join us for our eggnog-tasting investigation!

Endnotes: 06 December

Whoa! Did I just become obsessed with this comic about Adam Ant? Not as obsessed as this human on the internet who found and posted every episode of the comic.

This is one of the best annual traditions: The Edward Gorey House envelope art contest.

I recently spent about 90 minutes organizing my Christmas books — so many crime novels, holiday horror stories, rom-coms, and story collections. And now, here are a bunch more good titles to consider.

TimeOut has ideas about The 21 best places to go for Christmas in the world for 2024. We’ll be staying home with Smudge and our tree, but it’s still fun to look.

Related: The 28 Best Christmas Markets in Europe, From Antwerp to Zagreb and The Best European Christmas Markets to Visit This Winter.

One of my secret powers is finding the public restroom any place I go. Still, this ultimate ranking of NYC’s secret public bathrooms is super helpful.

And kinda related: How Affordable Are New York City Museum Cafes?. I love a museum café, and one of the loveliest is at the Morgan Library in NYC.

Author Andrew Sean Greer (Less: A Novel) recently moved to Venice (!), and I’m a bit envious. This video of his furniture delivery is pretty awesome:

asgreer

A post shared by @asgreer

Timely! Beatrix Potter’s recipe for gingerbread.

Whoa, did you know that Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk was also a painter?

Dave and I have been watching the adaptation of Patrick Radden Keefe’s book Say Nothing. (Dave recommended it in our podcast Ireland: It’s Not Good, It’s Grand, and it is great and phew… tough. If you’re watching, too, you might like this Esquire interview with Keefe. ‘There was a moment in preproduction when we were in Belfast for the first time doing a black-cab Troubles tour. The cabbie was driving around quoting Patrick’s book to us, and Patrick said, Excuse me, where are you getting these quotes? The driver said, It’s the best book about the Troubles, Say Nothing. I got to … say, This is Patrick Keefe, the author of the book.’

What happens to the natural world when people disappear? ‘Across the globe, vast swathes of land are being left to be reclaimed by nature. To see what could be coming, look to Bulgaria.’

Wow. This new dude ranch resort in Montana looks fantastic. Beautifully rustic cabins, meals eaten in the open air, fly fishing, mountain biking, lemon ricotta blueberry pancakes, and, in the winter, snowshoeing.

Author Amy Tector wrote a super-fun holiday rom-com called Snowdrop Kisses! For just $5, you can get a 1-month subscription to her (excellent, entertaining) newsletter and an installment of her charming story emailed to you every day from now until Christmas. I enjoyed it last year, and I’m loving the replay this year. Treat yourself!

There are so many best-of lists making the rounds right now — I enjoyed this one from Marie-Claire because it includes so many books I’ve not heard of before.

This is cool: The Secret Tricks Hidden Inside Restaurant Menus. ‘Even the binding around the menu is passing us important messages about the kind of experience we are about to have,’ explains Charles Spence, a professor in experimental psychology and multisensory perception at the University of Oxford. ‘There are a lot of elements on a menu that can be changed to nudge the customer in one way or another.’

New Episode of The Library of Lost Time

In each mini-podcast episode, we discuss two books at the top of our TBR, then share a fun book- or travel-related distraction. Get all the episodes and books galore here.

In this episode, we get excited about two new books: A Lively Midwinter Murder by Katy Watson and The Way by Cary Groner. Then Dave recommends fun board games to play with your friends and family this holiday season.

listen + show notes | transcript

Hope your holiday spirit tank is topped up.