Hot Buttered Rum Is a Cold Weather Essential
Winter can be an endless, freezing drag. Luckily, nothing helps melt through seasonal malaise like a cocktail classic: hot buttered rum.
“Hot buttered rum is one of those cocktails that feels like a warm hug; it’s nostalgic, rich and comforting,” says Kayleigh Speck, general manager of CRU PVD in Providence, Rhode Island. “It’s a drink that feels thoughtful but not fussy and the kind of cocktail you want to make when it’s cold out and you’ve got some time to sip and unwind.”
Originally intended for medicinal purposes, this colonial-era drink is a steaming mixture of rum, butter, sugar, spices and hot water.
“One early recipe called for ‘butter the size of a black walnut’ and ‘maple sugar the size of a large hickory nut,’ mixed with boiling water, rum and ‘nutmeg for the ladies,’” shares spirits writer Wayne Curtis in The Oxford Companion to Spirits & Cocktails.
Other common add-ons include spices like cinnamon, cloves and allspice.
Wait—Am I Drinking Butter?
If you’re weirded out by the notion of drinking butter—understandably!—let us put your mind at ease: The requisite butter in hot buttered rum gives the sipper a velvety richness and noted depth, while sugar (we prefer molasses-forward brown sugar) lends a rounded sweetness.
Meanwhile, various spices and aged rum contribute additional layers of complexity and aromatics.
A Comfort Drink with Endless Variations
Have a favorite wintry ingredient? Try adding it to the mix.
Vanilla extract brings a delicious depth to the drink—it’s featured in our recipe below—but substituting sarsaparilla or ginger will yield a completely different (and delightful) flavor profile. Endlessly customizable, we encourage you to use this base recipe as a springboard to cocktail creativity.
The Best Rums for a Hot Buttered Rum
Hot buttered rum is also a great excuse to use some of those liqueurs gathering dust on your bar cabinet or cart.
If you’ve still got that bottle of Drambuie or Galliano that’s been taking up space in your liquor cabinet since 1983, this is your opportunity to throw in a splash and put them to work.
Speck reaches for Chairman’s Spiced Rum when mixing the cocktail. “The rum’s natural sweetness and depth cut through just enough to keep it from feeling too heavy,” she says.
Need more suggestions? Our list of the best rums for cocktails or sipping straight is a great place to start.
Thirsty yet? Let’s get mixing.
The Original Hot Buttered Rum
- 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- Pinch of salt
- 2 ounces dark or aged rum
- 6 ounces hot water
- Cinnamon stick, for garnish (optional)
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