Why Does Eggnog Smell Like Acetone?

[Johnny Pneumatic]

I smelt of a glass of eggnog(a nasty sounding drink I don't consume) and it smelt faintly like acetone. Why?

 

[American]

I don't know about eggnog, but your hard liquors can have "large traces" of nasty organics like aldehyde (especially certain ones like brandy, I think). It's likely the cause of nasty hangovers as much as the alcohol itself.

 

[Abdul Alhazred]

I smelt of a glass of eggnog(a nasty sounding drink I don't consume) and it smelt faintly like acetone. Why?

It goes without saying that you don't waste good brandy spiking eggnog, and cheap brandy does in fact smell like (and probably contains) acetone.

Spike it with an inexpensive dry sherry, instead.

 

[Ziggurat]

Re: Re: Why Does Eggnog Smell Like Acetone?

It goes without saying that you don't waste good brandy spiking eggnog, and cheap brandy does in fact smell like (and probably contains) acetone.

Spike it with an inexpensive dry sherry, instead.

Or Kahlua.

 

[jj]

Could it be the nutmeg you were smelling?

 

[epepke]

I smelt of a glass of eggnog(a nasty sounding drink I don't consume) and it smelt faintly like acetone. Why?

It's probably cheap brandy or extremely cheap rum, accentuated by nutmeg.

 

[Anathema]

Some flavorings based on amyl acetate (banana oil) have a slightly acetone wang to them. If there is alcohol in your eggnog preparation, that probably adds to the effect. Are you sure it didn't smell like "bubble gum" or "imitation banana" candy? It's hard to tell the difference sometimes.