The Best Method For Making Rich And Delicious Hot Buttered Rum

An American tradition dating back to colonial times, buttered rum remains a comforting favorite for fall and winter holiday gatherings. True to its name, buttered rum is made with spiced and sweetened butter blended with hot water and spiked with rum. Tons of recipes for hot buttered rum exist, but Molly Horn, Chief Mixologist and Spirits Educator at Total Wine & More gave Tasting Table an exclusive play-by-play on the best method and ingredients to try.

"The key to a great hot buttered rum is to make a fantastic batter -– which while it might sound intimidating, is really no more challenging than making simple cookie dough," she said. The "batter" is the spiced and sweetened butter that bestows a rich mouthfeel and perfect flavor complement to the tasting notes and alcoholic bite of the rum. You can check out our list of the 11 best rums for hot buttered rum for the most well-balanced flavor pairings.

"The best part is once you have your batter, which can be made a few days in advance, making the drink itself is as easy as adding a tablespoon of batter to a mug, adding hot water, and blending that together (a small electric whisk or milk foamer works wonders for this), and adding your rum!" Horn continued. Of course, water and butter tend to repel each other, so emulsifying tools are especially crucial to a well-mixed hot buttered rum cocktail. Plus, many electric hand emulsifiers come with whisk and frother attachments like this Nuwave three-in-one immersion hand blender.

As Molly Horn believes a buttered rum cocktail is only as good as its batter, she provided key tips and ingredient suggestions on how to make it."To make your batter, blend equal parts unsalted room-temperature butter with brown sugar and a pinch of your favorite classic winter spices such as clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, and/or allspice," she offered. "I also like to add minced candied ginger as well as a small pinch of kosher salt. Whip until blended, taste, and see if you need more of your spices for the flavors to come out. You can store your batter for up to 3-4 days, making it great for entertaining!"

If you're making a large batch of batter, a standing mixer or electric hand mixer would speed the process along by efficiently creaming the butter, sugar, and spices. If you really want to streamline your cocktail-making when the day comes, you can pre-portion the butter into individual balls. Our recipe for hot buttered rum adapted from mixologist Griffin Elliott calls for a ratio of three pounds of sugar per pound of butter. Dark brown sugar with a higher molasses content provides the ultimate richness. Minced candied ginger will bring an especially spicy and aromatic bite while a pinch of kosher salt is the pro tip to accentuate the taste of the spices and brown sugar. If you want to bring a smoky finish to your cocktail, you can swap rum with whiskey.