12 oz brown ale *see note
2 oz dark rum (or brandy)
1 oz molasses
1 whole egg
grated nutmeg for garnish
Pour the ale into a saucepan and heat over low to medium low heat until warm and steaming, but don’t bring it to a boil.
Meanwhile, in a small pitcher or measuring cup, combine the rum, molasses, and egg and beat vigorously with a fork or whisk until it’s a little frothy looking. Pour the beer into the rum and egg mixture in a slow steady stream, beating with a fork the whole time to prevent the egg from heating too quickly.
Serve in a large mug (or two smaller mugs) and garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg.
*note: If you can find English style brown ale or Nut brown ale, it’ll be sweeter and less bitter and hoppy than American style brown ales. This is much more similar to what they would have been drinking 300 years ago. We used a beer called Rouge Hazelnut Brown Nectar with a nutty sweetness that was perfect for this drink if you can find it. If you can only find American brown ale, it’ll be fine but you may want to add a touch more molasses to combat the bitterness of the hops.
Flip first appeared sometime in the 1690s, and it was wildly popular in colonial America for the next century. George Washington was said to be a big fan.
Flip was made in a metal pitcher and whipped until warm and frothy with a red hot fire poker (called a flip-dog). They’d usually be served in ceramic mugs or sometimes in special flip glasses.
Sometimes they were poured back and forth between two mugs to make sure they were creamy and well blended. This pouring back and forth gave Flip the nickname “Yard of Flannel” but they also went by the names “Bellow-Stop”, “Hotch-Pot”, and “Crambambull”.