The first sensation was that of alcohol, not at all unpleasant. Secondly, the consistency had something close to creamy pudding and the flavour of the eggs was subtle and surprisingly delicious. I watched my spoon go back for seconds. Yes, I think I like it.

The party, made up of mostly retired Flemish folk, went on to discuss in great detail, and with even greater passion, the makings of a good advocaat. "You have to warm up the egg yolks and sugar," some insisted, while others believe the type of alcohol plays a more crucial role. "Use the strongest you can find," one woman said, "96% - almost pure alcohol is best."

Still, I felt more swayed to side with her husband, who insisted that cognac or brandy is better, or plain jenever, something with 20 to 40% alcohol. This particular batch was made with jenever and, more importantly, fresh eggs from their own free-range, organically fed hens. That, they claimed, you could tell by the advocaat's deep yellow colour.

Of course you can find bottles or jars of advocaat (sometimes spelled advokaat) in almost any grocer, but it's easy, and much more fun, to make it yourself. Despite the varying strong opinions on the subject, the basic ingredients are eggs, sugar and alcohol. Some add condensed milk for a more fluid result. For the opposite effect, use only the egg yolks and not the whites. It's all a matter of experimenting and tweaking the recipe according to your own personal taste, but the most basic recipe is:

12 large, fresh eggs
400 grams sugar
1 packet vanilla sugar
1 litre alcohol (brandy, cognac, jenever...)

Chill an empty bowl in the fridge. Mix the eggs and sugars with a mixer for a good 10 minutes in a bain-marie (or double boiler) to a slightly warm, creamy concoction. Then add the alcohol little by little, mixing all the while. Pour into the cold bowl and allow to cool before filling well sealing jars with the mixture. Keep it in the refrigerator for at least a month, giving the advocaat time to become nice and thick. Then it can continue to be stored in the fridge or just in the pantry.

I've been told that the alcohol and sugar prevent advocaat from going off, so you'll be able to please friends and family with your homemade delicacy for months to come. Advocaat is traditionally served at coffee time, in a small shot glass with a wisp of whipped cream. But it can also be incorporated into numerous desserts, such as cake, or used as a topping for ice cream.

Fun fact: Where did advocaat get its name? Nothing to do with lawyers, the name advocaat refers to the drink's origins in the Dutch colony of Suriname. Colonists invented it by mixing the ever-available avocados with their favourite brandy wine. When they returned home, where avocados were hard to come by, they found that eggs had the same solidifying effect, hence creating a new spirit with a similar texture.

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