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Spice up cold nights with this hot buttered rum recipe

By Shanna Smith on July 30th, 2023
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There’s something indulgent about hot drinks. I mean, cold drinks aren’t really for splurging, you know? You can’t melt things in them. But hot drinks…add the cream, add the sugar, add the flavours, add the spices. Even add the butter!

(record scratch)

What? Yes, I said butter! As in hot buttered rum.

If you’ve never had it, hot buttered rum is the ultimate cold weather beverage. Sweet, smooth and creamy, with a kick of spiced rum, it’s definitely something you’d find on Santa’s Naughty List, but in the best way.

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Why I think you’ll like this hot buttered rum recipe

Well, the main ingredient is butter, so there’s that. But also, it gets its sweetness from dark brown sugar and honey—two things that add so much flavour and character to any recipe. Finally, you top it off with yet more deliciousness in the form of whipped cream. YUM.

Makes 20-30 cocktails, depending on amount of batter used per cocktail

Ingredients

  • 1 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 2 tsps ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg, plus more for garnish
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tsps vanilla extract
  • Good spiced rum (see notes)
  • Boiling water
  • Whipped cream

Directions

  1. To make the hot buttered rum batter, add first 8 ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Turn the mixer on low for 30 seconds to allow butter, sugar, honey and spices to come together.
  2. Once the batter ingredients are loosely combined, increase the speed of the mixer to medium and whip for 2 ½ to 3 minutes, pausing to scrape down the sides with a spatula as needed. Finished hot buttered rum batter should be light and fluffy, which will help it melt easily in the cocktail.

For each hot buttered rum cocktail

  • Add three tablespoons of batter to a mug. Pour one shot of the rum (about 2 oz.) and 2/3 cup boiling water over the batter.
  • Stir until batter has completely melted. If desired, add more batter to taste. The more batter you add, the richer the final result will be.
  • Garnish with whipped cream and nutmeg.

Notes

  • Please, for the sake of these ingredients and your own taste buds, use a good spiced rum. That means not the cheapest and definitely not something that comes in a plastic bottle. I’m all for saving money, but cheap rum tastes like cheap rum, even when mixed with butter. Trust me, I tried it to make sure.
  • You can easily make this nonalcoholic for kids or for folks who’d rather not imbibe by simply skipping the rum and just using hot water. Or for a richer result and the use of less hot buttered rum batter, mix with hot milk.
  • Hot buttered rum batter can be made up to 3 days in advance and kept refrigerated in an airtight container until ready for use. Extra batter should be frozen and will keep for up to 3 months.
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Mix things up with a cozy fall drink bar

You know what goes great with an amazing cold-weather cocktail? A group of great friends! Host them with a sweet and simple fall drink bar using these ideas.

Need help making the most of chilly days? Here’s a little more inspiration: