A set of five Tom and Jerry mugs listed on EBay as Buy It Now for $20.

We don’t keep a bottle of Scotch in our desk in the city room of the L.A. Daily Mirror. In fact, we are something of a wet blanket when it comes to imbibing.

However, we can’t resist a nod to drinks of the past during this time of year.

Our first is the Tom and Jerry (we still have grandma’s dozens of Tom and Jerry mugs stashed away somewhere or other). The Tom and Jerry was a seasonal favorite back in 1940s, but I can’t say I have seen them at a party or ever tasted one.

If you’re planning some retro holiday celebrating (you know who you are), here’s how to make them.

You will need:

1 cup of brandy
1 cup of rum
6 eggs, separated
1 pound of powdered sugar (remember that sugar was still rationed even after the end of World War II)
Boiling water
Nutmeg

Here’s a 1945 recipe:

This recipe served six in the 1940s,  but there’s no telling how far it would go today.

Whip the egg whites until they (not you) are stiff.

Helpful tip: Do not wash the beater.

Then beat the yolks (you did remember to separate the eggs, right?) until they are thick and “lemon-colored,” according to our recipe.

Beat the sugar into the yolks (you are modern and have a Sunbeam Mixmaster, don’t you, dearie?) until it is thoroughly dissolved.

Fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture. This makes the batter.

Combine the cup of brandy and the cup of rum. Ix-nay on the ippling-tay.

Depending on the size of your cups (those are mugs, dearie) put 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of batter into each cup. Add one jigger of the combined rum and brandy and then the hot water, stirring constantly.

Top with that nutmeg I mentioned earlier.

If you want to go the punchbowl route, stir the rum and brandy mix into the batter, add a teaspoon of nutmeg and slowly add three cups of that boiling water I mentioned, stirring all the way.

Now drink a toast to the Greatest Generation and thank them for doing such a fine job on the P-38s.