Hot Buttered Rum is the ultimate holiday cocktail, here to keep you cozy with a combination of dark rum, warm spices, honey, brown sugar, and yes, butter. It’s rich, creamy, and made for sipping while snuggling under a blanket and binge watching Hallmark Christmas movies.
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Buttered rum: an old-school cocktail with timeless appeal.
Yes, buttered rum is an actual drink—and it’s also exactly what it says it is. It’s hot, it’s made with butter, and spiked with rum. No false advertising here! This is a cocktail that’s perfect for parties but also easy enough to make for yourself just because you deserve a treat. (Hot Buttered Bourbon is equally delish.)
If the thought of butter in a cocktail is a little off-putting, think of it this way: butter is made with heavy cream. So really, it’s just a creamy, delectable, warm concoction that instantly put you into the holiday spirit.
The base of buttered rum is called batter—it’s a mixture of butter, a sweetener (in the case of my recipe, brown sugar and honey), and cozy spices. The batter will last in the refrigerator for a few weeks so you can whip up a mug of hot buttered rum whenever you have a hankering. (Or whenever “An Unexpected Christmas” is playing on the Hallmark Channel.)
Key Ingredients
You’ll find the full list of ingredients in the recipe card below, but here are some notes to keep in mind.
- Buttered Rum Batter. This starts with softened unsalted butter; to this, we add brown sugar, honey, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and just a pinch of salt.
- Rum. I use dark rum for this recipe, but spiced rum is also a delight. (Personally, I would not use coconut rum, but some people like it.)
- Whipped Cream. This makes your hot buttered rum extra creamy as it melts. Don’t skip it!
- Optional Garnishes. Add a cinnamon stick or freshly grated nutmeg if you’d like.
Scaling Up Hot Buttered Rum for a Crowd
As written, this recipe serves two, but if you’re serving it for a party, you’re going to want to scale it up so you’re not spending the entire evening mashing butter with spices in the kitchen. Here’s how I’d do it:
- Use a FULL stick of butter to make 8 cocktails. (Feel free to scale up or down from there.)
- Scale up the rest of the batter ingredients accordingly—see the recipe card notes for exact measurements if you’re making 8 cocktails.
- Beat the butter with the batter ingredients in a stand mixer or in a bowl with a hand mixer.
- Combine the rum, boiling water, and batter in a slow cooker. Use the keep warm setting and let your guests serve themselves hot buttered rum throughout the night; just set the whipped cream, cinnamon sticks, and nutmeg near the crockpot, along with mugs or heat-proof glasses.
More Cozy Holiday Drinks
This hot buttered rum recipe is a holiday classic! Make it for two or make it for a crowd in the slow cooker—I have instructions for both.
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For the Batter:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon brown sugar light or dark
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- Pinch kosher salt
For the Cocktails:
- 4 ounces dark rum or spiced rum for an even spicier drink, divided
- 1 cup hot water
- Whipped cream for serving
- Cinnamon stick optional for serving
- Freshly grated nutmeg optional for serving
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In a small bowl, mash together the butter, brown sugar, honey, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt with a spoon until combined. Divide the mixture between two serving mugs (of if only making 1 drink at the moment, place half in a glass and refrigerate the other half for up to 2 weeks).
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Add 2 ounces rum to each mug.
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Boil in a kettle or in a heatproof liquid measuring cup in the microwave. Top each drink with ½ cup hot water. Stir to combine. (I love my drinks screaming hot so at this point, I microwave for about 30 seconds, but you do you.)
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Serve immediately, topped with whipped cream and garnished with a cinnamon stick and a few gratings of fresh nutmeg.
- To make a batch of the batter: You can make a big batch of batter for a party or to keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. To do this, mix the following in a stand mixer:
- 8 tablespoons butter (1 whole stick)
- 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- A few pinches of kosher salt
Serving: 1(of 2)Calories: 295kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 0.2gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 30mgPotassium: 26mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 351IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 17mgIron: 0.2mg
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