Eggnog the old-fashioned way, Massachusetts dairy bar making holiday staple for nearly 100 years
SHARON - A Massachusetts dairy bar is hard at work this holiday season, making thousands of bottles of eggnog like it has for generations.
The days before the holidays are often filled with people hustling and bustling, getting ready for family traditions. It's been that way at Crescent Ridge Dairy in Sharon since 1932.
"It's a long history. We think we have the recipe down pretty well," said Mark Parrish, the company's president.
Right now, they're in the thick of it, bottling rich, creamy eggnog that's a part of so many families holiday staples.
Rob McCarthy is in charge of making sure the eggnog gets made and to where it's going. In a 750-gallon tank, the four main ingredients are mixed: milk, cream, sugar and eggs.
Estimated 50,000 bottles of eggnog this year
"Last year was our highest [output], pushing up to 40,000 bottles. This year I think it's going to be up around 50,000," said McCarthy.
It's an intense process to make something so simple. After being mixed, the nog is pasteurized, or sterilized. From there, it's homogenized, or blended. Finally, it's bottled and set for delivery to area grocery stores or customers' front doors.
"It's been about 80 years that we've been bottling eggnog. Making it here, bottling it and delivering it," noted Parrish.
That's generations of work to make the eggnog, which has become as much a tradition as mistletoe and holly.
"We're really offering the customer not only nostalgia, but the quality of the product," said Parrish.
