Classic Hot Buttered Rum Recipe—For You or a Crowd | Wholefully (2024)

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It doesn’t quite feel like Christmas until I’ve curled up in front of the fireplace with Bing Crosby on the record player and a cozy mug of Hot Buttered Rum in my hand.

Hot Buttered Rum dates back to the colonial days in the United States, and the recipe (and flavor!) hasn’t changed much in the past few centuries—it’s sweet, creamy, buttery, and packed with holiday spice. Let us show you how to make this delicious Christmas co*cktail!

Classic Hot Buttered Rum Recipe—For You or a Crowd | Wholefully (1)

Table of Contents

What does hot buttered rum taste like?

To the uninitiated, buttered rum may not sound like a super appealing drink—butter mixed with alcohol? Sounds like a pass. But trust me. Hot buttered rum is sweetly spiced, and full of buttery vanilla flavor. It’s kinda like a really good Christmas cookie in a mug!

What’s in it?

The magic of this drink comes from the hot buttered rum batter. A batter for a co*cktail? Yup! To make this spiced butter mixture, you’ll need to warm and mix together:

  • Brown sugar and honey for sweetness.
  • Unsalted butter for (you guessed it!) butteriness.
  • Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves for some spiciness that warms you from the inside out.
  • A pinch of salt to bring out the flavor.
  • Vanilla extract for flavor.

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When you’re ready to serve, you’ll just stir the batter with some hot water. Then pour in the rum, and top with whipped cream and nutmeg. Easy as that!

And lest you are thinking of skipping the whipped cream—don’t! As it melts into the drink, it makes the whole thing dreamy creamy.

Wholefully Protip

The recipe below makes enough batter for about four co*cktails. If you’re not using it all right now, the extra batter can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Classic Hot Buttered Rum Recipe—For You or a Crowd | Wholefully (3)

What kind of rum should I use?

You can use spiced rum or dark rum here. Spiced rum is typically a dark rum that has been flavored with caramel and other spices. We prefer dark rum so we can control the spices, but a good quality spiced rum will also do the trick!

How do I warm the rum?

You actually don’t need to warm the rum separately in our hot buttered rum recipe. Since we are using boiling water to whisk with the batter, it will do the work of heating the batter and the rum through. So go ahead and use room temperature rum!

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How strong is hot buttered rum?

Each drink has 2 ounces of rum, which is just over a standard shot. Be careful, though—hot buttered rum goes down smooth, and is tasty enough to catch up to you quickly! Feel free to add more or less rum to taste.

Can I make it non-alcoholic?

You sure can! Just drop the rum, and keep everything else. You’ll still have a delicious and festive drink.

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How can I make hot buttered rum for a crowd?

The slow cooker is your friend when you want to make hot buttered rum for a group. Here’s all you need to do:

  1. Put all the batter ingredients in the slow cooker on high for an hour. No need to make the batter separately in advance!
  2. Add some water and rum, and set the slow cooker to warm.
  3. Keep the whipped cream and some nutmeg off to the side, and add them right as you serve each individual glass.

Looking for more festive drinks?

We have a collection of over a dozen Christmas co*cktails for you, including:

  • Eggnog Martini
  • Jingle Juice Holiday Punch
  • Cranberry Gin Fizz
  • Butterscotch Bourbon Eggnog
Classic Hot Buttered Rum Recipe—For You or a Crowd | Wholefully (6)

Hot Buttered Rum Recipe

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

You can almost hear the sleigh bells when you sip on Hot Buttered Rum! This old-fashioned co*cktail is creamy, sweet, and warms you from the inside out.

Ingredients

For the Batter:

  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly ground is best)
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Each co*cktail

  • 2/3 cup hot water
  • 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) batter, plus more to taste
  • 2 ounces dark rum
  • Sweetened whipped cream and ground nutmeg, for garnish

Instructions

  1. To make the batter: In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the brown sugar, butter, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Heat, stirring frequently, until the butter is completely melted and the sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
  2. To make each co*cktail, combine the hot water with about a quarter of the batter in a mug, and then stir vigorously to combine.
  3. Add in the rum and stir to combine. Taste, and add additional batter if you like it a bit sweeter or spicier.
  4. Top with a large dollop of whipped cream and fresh grated nutmeg.

Notes

  • Don’t be tempted to skip the whipped cream! As it melts into the drink, it makes it dreamy creamy.
  • The batter can stash in the fridge until you are ready to make your next co*cktail.
  • To make this in a slow cooker for a crowd, add all batter ingredients to the slow cooker and set to high for an hour, or until the mixture is melted and combined. Add in 2 1/2 cups of hot water and 1 cup of rum and stir vigorously to combine. Set on warm. Serve anytime topped with whipped cream and nutmeg.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 239Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 56mgCarbohydrates: 49gFiber: 1gSugar: 47gProtein: 0g

At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.

Classic Hot Buttered Rum Recipe—For You or a Crowd | Wholefully (2024)

FAQs

What kind of rum is best for buttered rum? ›

By creaming the butter with the sugar and spices you can also better avoid that dreaded oil slick appearance, and when choosing a rum, go for something big and rich. The Demerara rums from El Dorado work wonders, as does a robust Jamaican rum like Coruba, or something dark and mellow like Zaya or Zacapa.

What is the difference between hot buttered rum and Tom and Jerry's? ›

While both are hot, alcoholic beverages, their ingredients differ. Tom and Jerrys are also often made with rum, though they can also be made with whiskey or vodka. Both are also spiced. However, a batter instead of butter (see what we did there?) is used to make a Tom and Jerry rich and creamy.

How long does buttered rum last? ›

It mixes up in minutes and keeps in the freezer for up to 3 months, so you'll have it for the entire holiday season! Simply combine 1 tablespoon of the batter with rum and hot water for a classic Christmas drink.

Is hot buttered rum good for a cold? ›

From hot toddies to buttered rums, these warming winter co*cktails can remedy everything from a sore throat and runny nose to a bout of seasonal depression.

Can you drink 10 year old rum? ›

If kept out of direct sunlight and in a cool setting, unopened rum can be stored almost indefinitely. It is considered a stable liquor with a high ABV to preserve its integrity while in storage. Once opened, a bottle of rum should be used within 6 months to 2 years, depending on the additional flavors in the liquor.

Should rum be refrigerated? ›

Thanks to their high alcohol content, most distilled spirits — including whiskey, vodka, gin, rum, and tequila — do not require refrigeration. However, if the temperature gets too high , the alcohol will expand and evaporate.

Does rum go bad after 20 years? ›

An unopened bottle of rum doesn't go bad. Unopened rum can last for decades upon decades. But once the bottle is opened, rum goes pretty fast. Seaspirits Distillery, master rum distillers, recommend drinking a bottle of rum within 6 months of opening.

What is the difference between a hot toddy and a hot buttered rum? ›

The Hot Toddy basically refers to an alcoholic beverage with made with hot water, alcohol, sugar, and spices. Hot Buttered Rum is a drink with a long history but making it with a batter like this recipe really came about in the 1940s when it was a popular Tiki drink and the batter made for a smooth creamy, rich drink.

Is there alcohol in hot buttered rum? ›

The answer is in the name itself: It's hot, it has butter and it has rum. It's comfort food in a mug, plain and simple.

Is hot buttered rum nice? ›

Hot buttered rum is a favorite winter drink, and it's irresistible. It is both sweet and warm, which is just the kind of comfort you want on the coldest days of the year. In the United States, the drink dates back to colonial times, but warming beverages, in general, have a longer and broader history.

What is the best rum to cook with? ›

Aged and dark rums are ideal when cooking dishes with strong flavors such as beef stews or pork, while white rums are often used for cooking seafood or poultry. Another rule: No matter the style, pick a high-quality brand, as a cheap hooch will make dishes taste bitter.

What is Jamaican style rum? ›

Jamaican rum can be made from sugarcane juice, cane syrup, molasses, sugar or a combination of any of the above; it must be distilled in copper pots and a lot of it is made in double-retort pot stills; and, if it's aged, it does so in oak barrels in Jamaica (more on this last detail later).

What are the 3 types of rum? ›

Rum is often split by colour into white rum, gold rum and dark rum, although as we'll discuss, that doesn't tell you very much about the spirit at all.

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