A gold Ember Mug² filled with a creamy warm beverage, surrounded with ornate glassware, cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, and cranberries.

Hot Buttered Rum: The Ultimate Comfort Drink

December 02, 2020

Classic seasonal spices, rich creamy texture, just the right amount of sweetness, and that warm-down-to-your-toes feeling of drinking spiced rum – now, that’s what we call a holiday spirit. Hot buttered rum is the type of drink that just begs to be made on cold nights. If it isn’t already a holiday favorite for you, we have a feeling this recipe will change that. Glowing Christmas lights and your coziest winter PJs are not required but definitely recommended.

Drinking Temperature

Served at 140°F (60°C)

Ingredients


Makes 4 servings

  • 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • ⅛ tsp cloves
  • 2 Tbsp maple syrup or honey
  • ⅓ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 pinch salt
  • ¾ cups spiced rum
  • 2- 2¾ cups boiling water according to taste

Music Playlist

Directions

  1. Use a hand mixer to combine butter with sugar, honey/maple syrup, spices, and vanilla
  2. Add butter mixture to a pitcher
  3. Add rum and 2 cups boiling water to pitcher and stir to combine
  4. Taste and add ¼ cup more boiling water at a time until desired taste is achieved

When you’re ready to serve, split into four mugs. Hot buttered rum can be a strong drink, so it’s best to slip slowly. However, let it cool too much and the butter will separate and solidify. To keep it perfectly hot and smooth the last sip, set your Ember Mug² to 140°F. For even more holiday cheer, try it in our new Ember Mug² : Metallic Collection.

A hand pours liquor into a black Ember Mug² that's surrounded with ornate glassware, cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, and cranberries.

Fun Variations on the classic hot buttered rum

For even more holiday flavor:

Go for a holiday-themed spiced rum. Several brands put out pumpkin spice, gingerbread, and other holiday spiced rum this time of year.

For a pumpkin spice version:

Sub the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves for ¾ tsp pumpkin pie spice, and add 1 Tbsp pumpkin puree to the butter mixture.

For a sugar-free version:

Substitute brown sugar and maple syrup for Swerve brown sugar replacement.

For a make-ahead version:

Want an easy way to serve hot buttered rum on a moment’s notice? Double the batter recipe and freeze it for up to a month. For pre-measured batter, freeze tablespoon-sized balls of batter on a baking sheet, and save them in a freezer bag. Combine 1-2 tablespoons of batter with 2 oz of spiced rum and 6 oz boiling water.






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