Hot Buttered Rum

A Hot Buttered Rum is a popular mixed drink, served warm, made with aged dark rum, boiling water, honey, butter, and nutmeg. 

In the United States, the Hot Buttered Rum is synonymous with the holidays.

Like a big, warm hug with a hint of holiday spices. You could say it’s similar to a Hot Toddy, but the Hot Buttered Rum is, of course, made with rum instead of whiskey and includes butter. 

The dark aged rum offers a wonderful rich, fruitiness and molasses sweetness that works wonderfully with the honey and nutmeg. The butter adds a touch of oiliness that, despite its texture, works wonderfully as a cozy after-dinner sipper during winter.

Hot Buttered Rum dates back to Colonial America in the mid-1600s. Colonists began experimenting by adding rum, butter, and spices to hot beverages, creating what we now know as hot buttered rum.

The tradition of adding butter to hot drinks dates back to mid-1500s England, when it was advised that adding it in hot ale was (mistakenly) believed to be good for sore throats. 

Buttered Beere, a precursor to hot buttered rum, was documented as early as 1594 by Thomas Dawson, long before rum made its way across the Atlantic from Barbados in the 1600s.

Hot buttered rum became synonymous with the holidays in the United States during the 19th century and later gained popularity in mid-20th century ski lodges. Its festive and warming qualities made it an ideal choice during winter gatherings, with recipes passed down through generations.

• Use aged dark rum
  For the best-tasting Hot Buttered Rum, go for an aged dark rum. Their rich, complex flavors of molasses, caramel, vanilla, and brown sugar, enhance the drink’s spices and buttery texture.

• Use unsalted butter
  Since this drink is all about the sweetness and spices, opt for an unsalted butter so you get all the smoothness but without the saltiness.

• Hot Buttered Rum with Hot Apple Cider
  A very popular variation of a traditional Hot Buttered Rum is to replace the boiling water with hot apple cider. There’s something so special and festive about the combination of apple, nutmeg and cinnamon. Mmm, mmm.

• Use Brown Sugar
  Replace the honey with brown sugar. Brown sugar gives hot buttered rum a caramel, toffee-like sweetness.
• Add vanilla extract
  As if the Hot Buttered Rum wasn’t cozy enough as it is, add a dash of vanilla extract to give your drink another element of complexity. There’s nothing quite like the comforting taste of vanilla during winter.

• You’ll see that we opt for a wine glass to serve our Hot Buttered Rum. But like many other warm drinks, a Toddy Glass, which is commonly used to serve an Irish Coffee, is perfect. These heat-safe glasses have a handle, making them perfect for sipping warm beverages.

• To garnish a Hot Buttered Rum, we recommend a lemon wheel or lemon wedge perched on the rim of the glass, together with a whole cinnamon stick placed directly into the glass.

• Adding a sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg on top can enhance the flavor even more.