In an electric mixer, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form and set aside.
Combine the egg yolks and sugar and beat until the sugar is dissolved and the yolks take on a bright yellow color.
With the mixer still running, slowly add the rum, almost drop by drop. Dumping it all in at once will "cook" the egg yolks, resulting in a scrambled mess that can't be undone.
Once the rum is in, add the rye whiskey in a slow but steady stream to ensure it is well mixed. (The eggs are tempered at this point, but it's still better to go slow.)
Add the milk and cream, and continue to mix until everything is well combined.
Turn off the mixer and fold in the egg whites. They will tend to float, but will settle over time; just shake before serving.
Pour into a sealed glass container; metal or plastic are not as good. Refrigerate for storage, but you may want to bring it to room temperature before serving. The alcohol content will take care of any bacteria. The eggnog may be stored, refrigerated, for up to a year; the longer it sits before serving, the more the flavors meld.
Garnish with nutmeg on each serving.
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Substituting half-and-half for the milk and cream doesn't taste the same.
You may add some nutmeg to the mix before folding in the egg whites, but it tends to discolor the nog and the flavor actually gets stronger as the nog sits; not necessarily a good thing, but individual tastes vary.
The recipe can be doubled for larger batches, but anything beyond that is not likely to fit in the bowl of your mixer.
This recipe has been in my family for generations and is supposedly handed down from a recipe Charles Dickens used, although there is no proof of that, and other recipes claiming the same heritage rely largely on bourbon instead of rye whiskey.
The eggnog contains quite a bit of alcohol, and is meant to be sipped in small portions. It's powerful stuff!
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