The Brief

Christmas on the West Coast is .... different. Here you’d be hard-pressed to find carol singers in hats and scarves knocking on people’s doors or red holly berries peeping through the snow.

However, the creamy, sweet drink that is eggnog has survived the trek west remarkably well.

It's in high demand during the holidays, with or without an infusion of whiskey, brandy, or rum (although we’d say definitely with. Unless it’s breakfast. Well, maybe also at breakfast).

The history of nog

Eggnog goes back to the Middle Ages in England to a drink called posset. It was made with warm milk curdled with wine or beer and then flavored with spices. Towards the 18th century, it became a favorite of the upper classes, who drank it with sherry.

(The origin of the word 'nog' is a little unclear; possibly from noggin, an old English word for a wooden mug, or grog, a mixture of rum and water).

By the time eggnog reached the American colonies, it had become fashionable to have it with rum from the Caribbean.

Today, versions of the drink can be found in Central and South America, like rompope, similarly made with cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and rum; biblia con pisco, a Peruvian specialty made with pomace brandy; or coquito, a coconut-based drink from Puerto Rico. In Germany, versions are made with beer and tea, harking back to the drink’s origins.

While I’ve never been much of an eggnog drinker myself (I didn’t grow up with it and tend to avoid dairy-based drinks as a general rule), I’m always willing to have my horizons expanded. So in the name of research, I put down my black coffee, and went on an eggnog tour of L.A.

Broguiere’s eggnog

You may already know Broguiere’s , a beloved local dairy that's been in business in Montebello since the 1920s.

They are known for their iconic glass milk bottles with red caps, which can be purchased year-round in regular milk, chocolate, and strawberry options, from most supermarket chains.

This time of year, however, they also make eggnog, which usually hits shelves in October. People count down the days before it appears and make it a annual tradition. One Reddit user commented, “I'm thinking about having an animal-style In-N-Out burger tonight with a glass of Broguiere's eggnog. Nothing says perfect L.A. holiday time eats quite like that.”

Was I disappointed that it came in a plastic bottle as opposed to a glass one? Sure. But I wouldn’t let that affect my first sip.

The nog was thick, with a pale golden yellow color, and it tasted part almond roca and part Cadbury creme egg. It initially sent a few shockwaves through my system (it wasn’t exactly used to that kind of combo in a liquid), but once my taste buds adjusted to it, I could see the creamy appeal. It was extraordinarily delicious and felt special, given it can be purchased in most grocery stores. For my money, this nog is the best for grabbing a bottle to take home or to a small holiday party to mix with your favorite bourbon or rum for your holiday cheer.

La Monja at Mirate, Los Feliz

Mirate's cocktail version of eggnog

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Courtesy Mirate

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I’d heard about a few bars creating their own versions of eggnog, so I headed to Mirate, where bartender Max Reis is giving the classic rompope a Los Feliz makeover. The base is egg yolk and cream mixed with a vanilla and raisin-based liqueur, Oaxacan rum, añejo tequila, mezcal, cinnamon, clove, cotija cheese, and mushrooms.

Yes, that’s right. Cheese and mushrooms. It might sound odd, but according to Reis, they are meant to mimic aged umami flavors occasionally found in eggnog. It was exceptionally well-mixed, combining sweet and smoky flavors with earthy, salty and milky notes. A unique experience, as I've come to expect from him.

Fa-La Land Nog at The Spare Room, Hollywood

The Fa-La Land eggnog

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Gab Chabran

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LAist

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I met with bar lead Ryan Silva at The Spare Room, the famed mezzanine bar at the iconic Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood. There, I tried their Fa-La Land Nog, inspired by the Puerto Rican coquito, a cousin of eggnog who likes to hang out at the beach. It’s made with a mixture of aged and spiced rums, apple brandy, and a Barbados liqueur known as falernum, which contains ginger, lime, and almond flavors.

It’s topped with house-made whipped cream and matcha powder and garnished with a rolled wafer cookie filled with chocolate. Served over ice, it's almost reminiscent of a milkshake, in the best way possible.

The notes from the rum and brandy provide a juicy, mature sweetness that plays nicely with the creaminess of the drink. This was my favorite cocktail nog among those that I tried. The festive-meets-approachability vibe is perfect for humming Have yourself a merry little Christmas to yourself as you enjoy it.

Little Nicky’s Pancakes at La Dolce Vita, Beverly Hills

Little Nicky's pancakes

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Shelby Moore

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Cozy up to the small, intimate bar space inside the La Dolce Vita Beverly Hills Italian restaurant and order this nog cocktail. The name itself references Joe Pesci’s character in the film Casino, who always made it home in time to make his son pancakes. It was the most classic and straightforward of all the different versions I tried during my tour. It's made with an eggnog base, cognac, sherry, amaro, Swedish chocolate, and coconut.

While that combination sounds rich, the drink is well-balanced, with the light creaminess giving way to dryness from the sherry followed by a slight bit of sweetness from the chocolate and coconut.

When asked if he was initially a fan of holiday cocktails, the bar lead, Blake Antrobus, who created the cocktail, quickly responded, “No, I always think it's kitschy...but it's also just an excuse to be silly, which is nice, instead of taking yourself so seriously.”

Trader Joe’s O’Nog (Oat Milk Nog)

Trader Joe's O Nog

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Katie Rose George-Chabrán

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LAist

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After all those rich nogs, I needed something a little simpler. While shopping at my local TJ’s, I noticed they had an oat milk nog, which was gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and vegan. So, I tried it.

After a few sips, I realized I missed the heavy cream mouthfeel, which I’d come to expect. Instead it felt like a 2% milk version. It contained a slight sweetness that felt muted, with only a smidgen of spice flavors coming through — like looking at a view through a heavy snowfall.

I guess after my eggnog journey, I’d become accustomed to stronger flavorings. Maybe it could be improved with some booze — or some cheese (vegan, of course)?

As Los Angeles homeowners grapple with the expense of rebuilding after last year’s devastating fires, an L.A. City Councilmember is putting forward an idea that could lower some costs.

Councilmember Traci Park, who represents the Pacific Palisades, has introduced a motion to explore waiving part of the city’s portion of the local sales tax for fire victims who purchase rebuilding materials in the city.

The 1% of the local 9.75% sales tax that goes into the city’s general fund would be given back to consumers under the proposal. The waiver could apply to lumber, appliances and other rebuilding goods purchased within the city.

The motion, introduced Friday by Park and seconded by Councilmember John Lee, says: “The City should do everything within its power to alleviate the financial burden for these residents and businesses in order to facilitate their return and stabilize the Pacific Palisades community.”

Would it make much of a difference? 

Economists told LAist the proposal could help many homeowners mitigate the high cost of rebuilding, but likely wouldn’t tip the scales for under-insured, under-resourced property owners.

“It wouldn't hurt if it's very well designed and easy to use,” said Alexander Meeks, a director at the Santa Monica-based Milken Institute. “But I'm not sure if it's really going to tackle the scale of the financial challenge that survivors are facing.”

Meeks noted that the tax waiver wouldn’t lower up-front costs such as environmental testing, architectural design and permitting. And it may not help homeowners sourcing raw materials from outside the city.

Zhiyun Li, a UCLA Anderson School of Management economist, said the waiver could help some homeowners justify the additional cost of rebuilding more fire-safe structures.

“Homeowners must typically pay out of pocket to upgrade to IBHS+ standards, which are more stringent,” Li said. “The tax waiver could encourage upgrading to IBHS+ standards or investing more in mitigation, thereby reducing future risk and improving the likelihood of maintaining insurance coverage.”

What’s next for the proposal? 

The proposed tax relief would not be available to properties that have been sold since the fires started in January 2025.

The motion has been sent to the City Council’s budget and fire recovery committees. If approved by the full council, it would require the city administrative officer, the Office of Finance and the city attorney to report back to the council within 60 days on options for crafting a tax relief plan.

The motion calls for the report to consider factors such as how to minimize the burden of administering the tax relief, what documentation homeowners would have to submit and what it would cost the city to oversee the program.

Senate and House Republican leadership have resurrected a stalled plan to fund the Department of Homeland Security after a record 47-day funding lapse.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said in a joint statement on Wednesday that the House will take up a measure passed by the Senate last week to fund most of DHS except Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol through the end of September.

Republicans would then attempt to fund ICE and Border Patrol for three years using a party-line budget reconciliation bill that would not require support from Democrats.

"In following this two-track approach, the Republican Congress will fully reopen the Department, make sure all federal workers are paid, and specifically fund immigration enforcement and border security for the next three years so that those law-enforcement activities can continue uninhibited," Thune and Johnson wrote.

The agreement comes nearly a week after House Republicans dismissed an identical plan, refusing to take up the Senate-passed measure and instead passing a 60-day short term funding bill for all of DHS that had little chance of overcoming Democratic opposition in the Senate.

Johnson called the agreement a "joke" and President Donald Trump declined to publicly endorse the deal. Trump had previously resisted any package that did not include his push to overhaul federal elections known as the Save America Act.

"I think any deal they make, I'm pretty much not happy with it," Trump told reporters last week.

Democrats welcomed the agreement as in line with their pledge not to give ICE any more money without reforms after immigration enforcement agents killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. But the deal does not include any of the policy demands Democrats are pressing for, such as a ban on masks for immigration enforcement officers and requiring warrants issued by a judge, not just the agency, to enter homes.

"For days, Republican divisions derailed a bipartisan agreement, making American families pay the price for their dysfunction," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wrote in a statement Wednesday. "Throughout this fight, Senate Democrats never wavered."

Trump seemed to bless the revived plan earlier Wednesday, writing on social media that he wants a party-line bill to fund immigration enforcement on his desk by June 1.

"We are going to work as fast, and as focused, as possible to replenish funding for our Border and ICE Agents, and the Radical Left Democrats won't be able to stop us," Trump wrote.

Despite the shutdown, ICE has been minimally impacted because Republican lawmakers approved $75 billion for ICE through another party-line budget reconciliation bill last year.

Congress is on a two-week recess, but the Senate and House could move to fund all of DHS except ICE and CBP as early as Thursday using a procedure known as unanimous consent that allows the chambers to circumvent formal voting as long as no member objects.

Even during a recess when most members are not in Washington, this could be unpredictable, especially in the House, where many hard-line conservatives oppose a deal that does not fully fund DHS.

"Let's make this simple: caving to Democrats and not paying CBP and ICE is agreeing to defund Law Enforcement and leaving our borders wide open again," Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., a member of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, wrote on X. "If that's the vote, I'm a NO."

If a member does object, that could require waiting for another vote when all members are back from recess.

Claudia Grisales contributed reporting.
Copyright 2026 NPR

California clocked its second-worst snowpack on record Wednesday, a potentially troubling signal ahead for fire season.

It’s an alarming end to a winter that saw abnormally dry conditions briefly wiped from California’s drought map in January, for the first time in a quarter-century.

Though precipitation to date has been near average, much of it fell as rain rather than snow. Then March’s record-breaking heat melted most of the snow that remains. The state’s major reservoirs are nevertheless brimming above historic averages and are flirting with capacity, and a smattering of snow, rain and thunderstorms are dousing last month’s heat wave.

But experts now warn that California’s case of the missing snowpack could herald an early fire season in the mountains.

On Wednesday, state engineers conducting the symbolic April 1 snowpack measurement at Phillips Station south of Lake Tahoe found no measurable snow in patches of white dotting the grassy field.

“I want to welcome you call to probably one of the quickest snow surveys we’ve had — maybe one where people could actually use an umbrella,” joked Karla Nemeth, director of the California Department of Water Resources. “We’re getting a lot of questions about are we heading into a hydrologic drought? The answer is, I don’t know.”

State data reports that California’s snowpack is closing out the season at an alarming 18% of average statewide, and an even more abysmal 6% of average in the northern mountains that feed California’s major reservoirs.

Only the extreme drought year of 2015 beat this year’s snowpack for the worst on record, measuring in at just 5% of average on April 1st, when the snow historically is at its deepest.

“I think everyone's anticipating that it will be a long, busy fire season,” said Lenya Quinn-Davidson, director of the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Fire Network.

“Without a snowpack, and with an early spring, it just means that there’s much more time for something like that to happen.”

‘It’s pretty bizarre up here’ 

In the city of South Lake Tahoe, which survived the massive Caldor Fire in the fall of 2021 without losing any structures, fire chief Jim Drennan said his department is already ramping up prevention efforts.

“It's pretty bizarre up here right now. It really seems like June conditions more than March,” Drennan said. “People are already turning the sprinklers on for their lawns.”

Without more precipitation, an early spring may complicate prescribed burning efforts. But Drennan said fire agencies in the Tahoe basin can start mechanically clearing fuels from forest areas earlier than usual.

“That means we can get more work done,” he said.

It also means homeowners need to start hardening their homes now, said Martin Goldberg, battalion chief and fuels management officer for the Lake Valley Fire Protection District, which protects unincorporated communities in the Lake Tahoe Basin’s south shore.

Goldberg urges residents to scour their yards for burnable materials, create defensible space and reach out to local fire departments with questions. The risks are widespread — from firewood, wooden fences, gas cans, plants, pine needles — even lawn furniture stacked against a house.

“In years past, I wouldn't even think of raking and clearing until May,” Goldberg said. “But my yard's completely cleared of snowpack, and it has been for a couple weeks now.”

‘A haystack fire’

Battalion chief David Acuña, a spokesperson for Cal Fire, said fire season is shaped by more than just one year’s snowpack.

Climate change has been remaking California’s fire seasons into fire years. And California’s recent average to abundant water years have fueled what Acuña called “bumper crops of vegetation and brush.”

“Most of California is like a haystack. And if you’ve ever seen a haystack fire, they burn very intensely because there's layers of fuel,” Acuña said.

Like Quinn-Davidson, Acuña wasn’t ready to make specific predictions about fires to come.

But John Abatzoglou, a professor of climatology at UC Merced, said the temperatures and snowpack conditions this year offer a glimpse of California in the latter decades of this century, as fossil fuel use continues to drive global temperatures higher.

How this year’s fires will play out will depend on when, where and how wind, heat, fuel and ignitions combine. But it foreshadows the consequences of a warmer California for water and fire under climate change.

“This,” Abatzoglou said, “is yet another stress test for the future in the state.”

This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.