Tom and Jerry time at The Crystal Restaurant in Watertown, N.Y.

View of my neighbors house as seen from my front porch through the snow covered Lilac bushes. This is what we woke up to this morning. It certainly sets a festive tone for Thanksgiving and approaching Christmas.

One sure sign of the holiday season is when the Crystal Restaurant in Watertown, NY, starts serving Tom and Jerry's. It's a great, tasty holiday drink. People stop in just to have a couple at the bar. Today I went there with my Celebrity Brother and brother R the Builder. As you can see by the photos there was some snow today. It mostly came last night. It is the heavy, wet, slushy type of snow.

Tom & Jerry drinks served up at the Crystal Restauran in Watertown, NY. photo by Gary Walts

The  Crystal Restaurant sign, downtown Watertown. The restaurant is a landmark in the city and has changed little for many years. 

Go here for a Tom & Jerry recipe
Go here to learn more about this Christmas Cocktail

Tom and Jerrys at The Crystal Restaurant

Winter has set in here in Chaumont, NY. The mornings have been cool, just 21 degrees on this day. Today I taught guitar at Musicology in Watertown. I currently charge $15.00 for a half hour, $25.00 for an hour. Four students showed up today. Two canceled. Anyhow, I was done at 3:00 and my celebrity brother and I went to The Crystal Restaurant for Tom and Jerry drinks. It is an old time, classic holiday cocktail and there is no better place to enjoy them than The Crystal.

Making Tom and Jerrys at The Crystal Restaurant

Ingredients
Tom and Jerry

* 12 egg(s)
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 bottle brandy
* Pinch of ground allspice
* Pinch of ground cinnamon
* Pinch of ground cloves
* 1 bottle dark rum
* milk
* nutmeg



Glass Type: mug
Instructions

Separate the eggs. Beat the whites until they form a stiff froth, and the yolks -- to which you have added the sugar -- "until they are as thin as water," as the professor advises, gradually adding 4 ounces brandy (spiceaholics will also add a pinch each of ground allspice, cinnamon, and cloves). Fold the whites into the yolks. When ready to serve, give it another stir and then put 1 tablespoon of this batter in a small mug or tumbler. Now add 1 ounce brandy (although some die-hard Dixiecrats prefer bourbon) and 1 ounce Jamaican rum, stirring constantly to avoid curdling. Fill to the top with hot milk and stir until you get foam. Sprinkle a little grated nutmeg on top. This one may require practice and a certain amount of fiddling, but it's well worth the effort. Note: Some people find the milk too rich and filling, so they use half hot milk, half boiling water.

Read more: http://www.esquire.com/drinks/tom-and-jerry-drink-recipe#ixzz1fW8qlTVl