Christmas time is chock full of traditions, and my new favorite has to be snuggling up with a nice warm glass of hot buttered rum. It’s literally the perfect cocktail for a chilly winter day. Deliciously rich and creamy, perfectly spiced, and guaranteed to make you feel all nice and cozy.
That being said I have to admit that the name hot buttered rum doesn’t exactly sound all that appealing to most people. Honestly, I’ve shied away from making this drink for years because the idea of putting hot butter in a cocktail sounds, well…. pretty gross. But I beg you, let go of any preconceived notions you might have of putting butter in a cocktail because this drink is crazy good!
What is hot buttered rum?
Hot buttered rum has been around for centuries dating all the way back to the American colonies. In fact, it was one of the most popular cocktails served during that time period and has only slightly changed since then. You see, originally it was made by measuring out rum, butter, sugar, and spices into a glass. Then all you had to do was pour boiling hot water into the glass, and stir until the butter was melted and the sugar dissolved.
And while that’s still a great way to make hot buttered rum, nowadays the process is a little more streamlined thanks to hot buttered rum batter. To make it you basically place some softened butter, brown sugar, along with a few spices into a mixing bowl. Then you simply use a spatula and mash these ingredients together into a batter/paste.
Why is this the better option?
Well, it’s pretty simple. Instead of separately measuring out all of these ingredients for each drink, now all you have to do is measure out this batter, rum, and some hot water. And since this batter can be stored in your refrigerator you can easily whip it out and make a drink in seconds.
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- I highly recommend that you make your hot buttered rum batter ahead of time and leave it in your refrigerator. It will stay good in there for weeks!
- Try swapping out the hot water with hot apple cider for a more festive take on this classic cocktail.
- Substitute the butter with some coconut oil for a vegan-friendly version of this cocktail.
- Check out some of our other holiday cocktails like hot apple cider, and apple pie moonshine.
Hot Buttered Rum Recipe
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 1 minute
Servings: The batter is enough for 12 drinks
Ingredients
For the Batter:
A stick of softened salted butter (½ Cup)
1 Cup of brown sugar
1 Teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 Teaspoon of cinnamon, ground
½ Teaspoon of nutmeg, ground
½ Teaspoon of ginger, ground
¼ Teaspoon of cloves, ground
¼ Teaspoon of cardamom, ground (optional)
For each cocktail:
2 Tablespoons of batter
2 Tablespoons of dark rum, 1 fl oz.
1 Tablespoon of heavy cream (optional)
¾ Cup of boiling hot water
Optional garnishes:
Freshly grated nutmeg
Star anise
Instructions
- Make the batter: Get out a medium-sized mixing bowl and toss in all of the ingredients for the batter. Then use a spatula to smoosh and mix all of the ingredients together until they are thoroughly incorporated.
Set this aside or place it in your fridge for later use.
- Mix up the cocktails: Get out a mug and place the 2 tablespoons of batter, 2 tablespoons of dark rum, and heavy cream if using. Then pour half of the hot boiling water into the mug and stir it with a spoon until the batter is melted.
Follow this up by pouring in the remaining boiling hot water.
- Garnish the hot buttered rum with some nutmeg, or star anise and enjoy while it’s still hot.
Hot Buttered Rum Recipe
Ingredients
For the Batter:
- A stick of softened salted butter ½ Cup
- 1 Cup of brown sugar
- 1 Teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 Teaspoon of cinnamon ground
- ½ Teaspoon of nutmeg ground
- ½ Teaspoon of ginger ground
- ¼ Teaspoon of cloves ground
- ¼ Teaspoon of cardamom ground (optional)
For each cocktail:
- 2 Tablespoons of batter
- 2 Tablespoons of dark rum 1 fl oz.
- 1 Tablespoon of heavy cream optional
- ¾ Cup of boiling hot water
Optional garnishes:
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- Star anise
Instructions
- Make the batter: Get out a medium-sized mixing bowl and toss in all of the ingredients for the batter. Then use a spatula to smoosh and mix all of the ingredients together until they are thoroughly incorporated. Set this aside or place it in your fridge for later use.
- Mix up the cocktails: Get out a mug and place the 2 tablespoons of batter, 2 tablespoons of dark rum, and heavy cream if using. Then pour half of the hot boiling water into the mug and stir it with a spoon until the batter is melted. Follow this up by pouring in the remaining boiling hot water.
- Garnish the hot buttered rum with some nutmeg, or star anise and enjoy while it’s still hot.
