Elks To Offer Free Tom And Jerry Drinks Christmas Eve

By Bill Vander Weele

Many area residents will begin their Christmas Eve celebration in a familiar way on Friday, Dec. 24.

The Wolf Point Elks Lodge will provide free Tom and Jerry drinks from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Wolf Point Elks Event Center.

The tradition has been going on in Wolf Point for at least 40 years. It is a way for the lodge to thank the community for their support over the year and gives members and guests a chance to socialize.

“It used to be a lot more people than the last couple of years,” Elks member Dennis Heser said. “Hopefully, more people will come this year.”

He added that it’s a great time for all adults. He said it’s fun when long-time Elks members attend or younger adults participate while they are in town for the holidays.

Elks’ member Gary Johnson is also looking forward to the event.

“It’s a nice thing for the community,” Johnson said.

According to the website Gastronom, the Tom and Jerry was originally created back in the 1850s as a winter cocktail at St. Louis’ Planter House Hotel by Jerry Thomas. The drink is often sometimes attributed to British writer Pierce Egan in the 1820s. The drink is spiked with brandy and rum and topped with a nutmeg. It was likely inspired by a boozy version of English eggnog that is commonly served around the holidays. Tom and Jerry drinks are served warm with a whipped, silky texture that doesn’t weigh you down like thick eggnog Egan’s authored a book

Life in London and the subsequent stage play Tom and Jerry or Life in London. To publicize the book and play, Egan introduced a variation of eggnog by adding brandy and calling it a Tom and Jerry.