Now that the holidays are upon us with their promise of groaning tables and loosened belt buckles, we have been thinking about what to prepare to conclude these days of feasting. I want to suggest a sweet and frothy alternative to the traditional plum pudding, pumpkin pies and mince pies, which are all delicious, but usually the last straw after a big Christmas dinner.

Syllabub is a drink, or dessert, made with milk or cream and wine or liqueur. It might be described as England’s answer to the Italian zabaglione and the French sabayon. Depending on how you make it, it is also rather like a sweetened and lightly alcoholic clotted cream.

It is thought that the name comes from a kind of wine from the Champagne district, sill or sille, and the Elizabethan slang word “bub,” which meant a bubbling drink, hence, a sille bub, although there are many variations as to the actual spelling of the name ranging from sillabub to the delightful sillybubbles.

The Tudors and Hanoverians in jolly ol’ England probably drank this foaming dessert, although these days we customarily eat it with spoons from tall and elegant parfait glasses. One old English version interestingly entitled Syllabube Under The Cow, gives instructions to pour warm milk “from a great height” when no cow was at hand, so as to ensure its frothiness. Anyone who has ever milked a cow will understand the reason for this directive.

Technically any glass will do for this dessert, but fine parfait or Champagne flutes are aesthetically more pleasing to the eye, and after all, presentation is almost as important as content.

Here’s one way to make syllabub: Commence by putting the six glasses of your choice into the refrigerator to chill. In a deep bowl combine two cups of heavy cream. For best results use heavy cream that has been refrigerated for three or four days.

To the cream add one cup of white sugar, a half-cup of Sherry (or brandy or hard cider or wine) and the finely grated rind and juice of one lemon. Beat or whisk with a balloon whisk in the same direction for 30 minutes (body building exercises are a definite advantage before undertaking this recipe), or use an electric beater at medium-high speed for about six minutes, or until soft peaks are obtained. The mixture should be fairly stiff, but beware of curdling it or turning it into butter.

Set a large, very fine sieve over another bowl and pour the mixture into it. Refrigerate the preparation for about one hour or more and then scoop the froth that remains in the sieve into the chilled glasses. The syllabub should be served with thin, crisp biscuits such as langues de chat or wafer batons, or any delicate wafer cookies. This is really delicious, and above all, a light finish to a substantial holiday feast.

To read more about the history of and how to make syllabub, click here or here.