Hot Buttered Rum
Dark rum, hot water and a spoonful of spiced butter batter that melts into it. Richer than it sounds and better than it has any right to be.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Make the batter ahead: beat softened butter with an equal volume of brown sugar, plenty of cinnamon and nutmeg, a little clove and a pinch of salt. Keep it in the fridge.
Preheat a mug, then put a heaped tablespoon of batter in it.
Add the rum and top with hot — not boiling — water.
Stir until the batter has melted completely and grate nutmeg over the top.
A thoughtful finish
- Make the batter in advance and keep it in the fridge; it holds for weeks and freezes well. This is what turns the drink from a project into a two-minute pour.
- Include a pinch of salt in the batter. It is the difference between tasting like sweet butter and tasting finished.
- Stir until there is no fat slick on the surface. Unmelted batter separates and the drink turns greasy.
Common mistakes
- Boiling water, which splits the butter and leaves an oily film.
- Skipping the salt, which leaves it flat and cloying.
- Using unsalted butter with no salt added and then wondering why it tastes of nothing.
A few good questions.
Can I make the batter ahead?
Yes, and you should. It keeps several weeks refrigerated and months frozen. Most of the work in this drink is the batter.
What rum works best?
A dark or aged rum with real molasses weight — Demerara rum is excellent here. Avoid spiced rum, since the batter already supplies all the spice.
Can I use cream instead of butter?
That gives a different drink, closer to a hot buttered-cream nog. The butter is what gives this its particular richness and mouthfeel.
Is it very sweet?
It can be. Use equal butter and sugar in the batter rather than more sugar, add the salt, and it stays balanced.
Variations
- Hot Toddy — Whiskey, honey, lemon and hot water.
- Tom and Jerry — Hot egg batter with rum and brandy.
- Grog — Rum, water, lime and sugar.
- Mulled Wine — Spiced red wine, warmed.
Where it comes from
c. 1600s · Colonial America
Rum arrived in the American colonies from the Caribbean in the seventeenth century and quickly became cheaper than imported British spirits. Colonists combined it with the butter, cream and spices they had to hand — the technique borrowed from older English buttered ales and possets, which also used fat to enrich a hot drink. The batter approach, where a spiced butter-and-sugar mixture is made in advance and kept cold, is what makes it practical: one batch serves a crowd over a whole evening.
Sources
- Wayne Curtis, And a Bottle of Rum, 2006 (book)
- David Wondrich, Punch, 2010 (book)
Strength. About 1.33 US standard drinks at an estimated 10.7% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
A keeper?
Save this drink for your next cocktail hour.
Saved in this browser.The next great drink
might already be on your shelf.
Choose your bottles and mixers. Discover what you can make.