Hot Buttered Rum: the Perfect Winter Drink

Imagine this: a crisp winter evening, snowflakes falling daintily from the sky, the crackle of logs breaking and falling in the fireplace, a comfortable armchair, and you with a cup of hot buttered rum. Each sip you take makes your toes tingle and the spices in the drinks leave a long lingering taste in your mouth, even after the glass has been drained.

Rum has always had a very important place in American holiday celebrations. And, in light of the ban on outright celebrations during Christmas and Thanksgiving, spiced rum drinks have become quite a favorite. Hot buttered rum, or hot toddy, a cocktail made with sugar, spices, boiling water and, of course, rum has its origins in Europe where it was customary to mull wine and ciders with spices. This helped to take the edge of the biting chill.

In earlier days, however, toddy was made with sherry or whiskey. Soon after the import of molasses from Jamaica began to Colonial America and distilleries were set up in New England, colonists started adding distilled rum to toddies, creating hot buttered rum. This also gave us other hot drinks like eggnog, another favorite among Americans.

Today, although hot buttered rum is made with dark rum, you can also use light or spiced rum, if you prefer a milder or spicier taste to your drink. If you are wondering when we’ll get to the part where we share our recipe with you, we are almost there.

Ingredients:

1.  Light brown sugar – 2 lb

2.  Softened, unsalted butter – 1 lb

3.  Cinnamon (ground) – 4 tsp

4.  Nutmeg (ground) – 4 tsp

5.  Ground allspice – 1 tsp

6.  Vanilla extract – 4 tsp

To make the base mixture for hot buttered rum, combine all the above mentioned ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat them together until they are well combined. Put the mixture in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to a month. It’s always better to ready the batter in advance so the subtle flavors of the spices are allowed to mingle.

Remove the batter from the refrigerator at least 6 hours before serving to make it soft. To make hot buttered rum, pre-heat a coffee mug and add 2 tablespoons heaped with batter into it along with 1.5 oz rum of your choice. Add boiling water and stir well. Serve with a spoon. Enjoy: alone or with friends. It tastes great any way.

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