Hot Buttered Rum

It’s been a cold, icy week and we’ve been holed up for a few days. Having made it through this winter blast it seemed a hot cocktail was in order to toast the upcoming weekend and ready ourselves for the next round of chilly weather. I dusted off this centuries old recipe to make this classic beverage with a bit of an update, boasting beautiful spices whipped in creamy butter and luscious vanilla ice cream, swirled into a dark, exotic rum.

For years I’d heard of this drink but never really considered making it until I was thumbing through old cookbooks. I read through so many versions of hot buttered rum. With a bit of tweaking, this delectable concoction was ready for sipping.

The buttered rum batter is what caught my eye. Butter blended with three heavenly spices – ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and freshly grated nutmeg. Sweetened with both granulated and dark brown sugar then blended into softened vanilla ice cream.

Stir a small scoop or two of this decadent batter into a mug along with dark rum, add a splash of boiling water to warm things up.

You can blend up a batch of the batter and keep it in the freezer. Then it’s ready anytime you want to stir up a hot buttered rum for your friends or maybe just one for yourself. Put on the kettle and get ready for a wonderful warm up. It might just make you want winter to stay a little longer!

Hot Buttered Rum

For the buttered rum batter:

½ cup butter, at room temperature

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¾ teaspoon ground cloves

¾ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 cup vanilla ice cream, softened but not melted

Add the softened butter to a large mixing bowl along with both sugars, plus the cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.

Beat on medium speed until well combined, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the softened ice cream and stir in on medium speed until fairly smooth, about 1 minute. The batter will be in a somewhat liquid state but will firm up when chilled.

At this point you can store the batter in a freezer-safe container and freeze until you’re ready to mix up your cocktails.

Makes about 2-½ cups buttered batter, enough for 10 to 12 cocktails.

For each hot buttered rum:

3 tablespoons hot buttered rum batter, to suit your taste preference

6 tablespoons dark rum

1 cup boiling water

Scoop the buttered rum batter into a mug.

Pour the rum in followed by the boiling water, stirring well to blend.

Serve piping hot. Makes 1 hot cocktail.

If you love to spend time in the kitchen, KitchenAid’s 7-quart mixer will not disappoint. https://go.shopmy.us/p-19176151

I keep an assortment of trays on hand. This antique brass tray from Williams Sonoma is ideal for serving drinks and appetizers and for creating beautiful spaces. https://go.shopmy.us/p-24956725

For storage, Tovolo’s ice cream tub is perfect! https://go.shopmy.us/p-21552812

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