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    Hot Buttered Rum

    March 30, 2024

    Vanilla ice cream lends a silky creaminess to our hot buttered rum recipe, creating a batter that melts seamlessly into mugs of hot water and dark rum—oh yes, we’ve got your cup of cheer right here.

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    2 mugs of Hot Buttered Rum with cinnamon sticks on a plate

    We Can’t Promise Snow, but a Cup of Cheer? Oh Yeah, We’re All Over That.

    Snow is falling, a cozy fire is crackling, and Netflix is all queued up. But wait—my hands are empty. They need to be cupped around a mug of something hot and boozy, stat! Hot buttered rum gives Mulled Wine a run for its money as the most classic winter warmer. Warmly spiced and delightfully warming, they each have their place. A big simmering pot of mulled wine is great for a party, while hot buttered rum is ideal for quiet nights in. Mix up a batch of this hot buttered rum batter—enough for 24 servings—pop it in the freezer. Whether you’re mixing up a few mugs to serve as a nightcap after an intimate dinner party or whisking up a cocktail for one, having a batch of this buttered rum batter in the freezer means you’ll have a whole seasons’ worth of everyone’s favorite warm, boozy cocktail right at your fingertips. If rum isn’t your thing, our White Russian is a great holiday sipper.

    ingredients laid out for hot buttered rum mix vanilla ice cream, butter, brown sugar powdered sugar cinnamon nutmeg

    Batter Up

    While the earliest hot buttered rum recipes called simply for melting a pad of butter into a mugful of hot water, sugar and rum—which honestly sounds less than appetizing—our hot buttered rum recipe relies on a more modern butter-based batter that’s designed to stir smoothly into your mug of rum-spiked hot water. And as for our hot buttered rum ingredients? Well, as usual, we’re keeping things simple. You’ll just need:

    • Butter. LOTS of it. As in four whole sticks. Tis the season!
    • Sugars! Two kinds—dark brown sugar & powdered sugar.
    • Vanilla ice cream. We prefer to use Tillamook’s Vanilla Bean ice cream for this recipe—and this is not a sponsored post! It’s just our favorite ice cream for making buttered rum.
    • Spices! Lots of cinnamon & nutmeg.
    • Salt.
    • Coconut flavoring. This is completely optional! If you’d like to add a hint of coconut to your buttered rum, add a few drops of coconut flavoring to the batter. Not a fan of coconut? Just skip it!
    melted butter in a pot
    ingredients bring added to melted butter in a pot for hot buttered rum batter
    ice cream bring added to hot buttered rum batter in a pot with a whisk
    homemade hot buttered rum batter

    How to Make Hot Buttered Rum

    Creamy, spiced and oh-so-cozy, this hot buttered rum recipe will carry you right through the holidays and buoy you through the winter doldrums. Here’s how to make it:

    1. Make your hot buttered rum mix and pop it in the freezer.
    2. Boil some water.
    3. Stir together rum, hot buttered rum batter and boiling water until you’ve got a creamy, boozy concoction that just begs to be imbibed.
    4. Sip away!

    P.S. Hot Buttered Rum Batter is the Gift That Keeps on Giving

    Not only is this easy hot buttered rum recipe handy for mixing up at home, the frozen batter make a great gift, too! Freeze a batch of batter and gift it along with a little recipe card explaining how to make hot buttered rum. If you’re feeling extra generous, gift the batter along with a bottle of dark rum and a festive mug.

    homemade hot buttered rum batter in a freezer container.
    two mugs with hot buttered rum batter
    dark rum in two mugs with batter
    2 mugs of hot buttered rum.

    More Warming Drink Recipes

    Ride out the winter with these warm drinks in your cup, and you might even find yourself hoping that Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow.

    Tools You’ll Need:

    2 mugs of hot buttered rum with cinnamon sticks
    Tillamook ice cream with 2 mugs of homemade hot buttered rum

    Cheers!

    If you try our hot buttered rum recipe, let us know how you liked it! Snap a photo of your cup of cheer, and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so we can toast you from afar. Happy eating!

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    Hot Buttered Rum

    Updated on March 30, 2024

    • Serves:  24
    • Prep Time:  10 min
    • Cook Time:  5 min
    • Calories:  293
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    Ingredients

    • 2 cups butter (4 sticks)
    • 2 cups dark brown sugar
    • 2 cups powdered sugar
    • 1 tbsp cinnamon, ground
    • 1 tsp nutmeg, ground
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1 tbsp coconut flavoring, optional
    • 1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream, softened (preferably Tillamook Vanilla Bean)
    • dark rum for serving (1 oz per drink)

    Method

    1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium-low heat. When the butter is melted, add the dark brown sugar, powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and coconut flavor, if using. Stir until just combined.
    2. Remove the pot from heat, and whisk in the vanilla ice cream. If the Ice cream is not soft enough, place it back over the heat and heat just until every thing is melted together and smooth. Remove from heat.
    3. Allow the mixture to cool slightly, then pour the hot buttered rum batter into a freezer-safe container, seal, and freeze.

    To make 1 serving of Hot Buttered Rum cocktail: Scoop 1/4 cup of frozen hot buttered rum batter into a mug. Add one ounce of rum, and top it all off with ½ cup of boiling water. Stir until well mixed, and finish with a dusting of nutmeg if desired.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories 293
    • Protein 0 g
    • Carbohydrates 26 g
    • Total Fat 9 g
    • Dietary Fiber 0 g
    • Cholesterol 40 mg
    • sodium 47 mg
    • Total Sugars 26 g

    Hot Buttered Rum

    Questions & Reviews

    Join the discussion below.

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    • Natalie

      Strange question, but why “ice cream” instead of regular cream (and maybe sugar)? I’m pretty sure every recipe I’ve ever had from you guys has been 10/10 so I have zero intentions of not following it as written, I’m just so curious about the science!

      It tastes richer and smoother than using cream and sugar. Hope you enjoy!

    • Debbie

      Mine broke if you understand what I'm trying to say it didn't entirely emulsifywhat can I do to save it. It's looks curdled

      It should be fine as long as it was melted and combined over medium low heat. Im not sure why it did that.

    • donna

      how do you serve it if you want it after you make it?Do you just pour it in a glass

      Copy the same steps in step 3 to serve it. Hope you enjoy.

    • Shelly

      I am curious if this will freeze hard like ice cream? It's been in my freezer almost 24 hours and it's still pretty soupy. Thanks!

      It is more like a batter. Not as thick as ice cream. You just need to measure it out to make the drink.

    • Sierra

      Are there proportions listed anywhere for this recipe? Others than the butter? Did I miss it?

      Yes! Keep scrolling down for the recipe!

    • Carolyn

      This was excellent! Made for the adults to enjoy on Christmas day. It was a big hit! I highly recommend using good quality ice cream and butter (like Tillamook). It'll make the end product so delicious! Thanks MP!

      You're two welcome Carolyn! So happy it was enjoyed!

    • Sarah

      So good! So easy! My 12 year old made a batch to add to our neighborhood treat exchange for the holidays! I’ve been asked twice for the recipe!

      Thanks Sarah! That's great, so glad you liked it!