This time of year, there’s nothing better than sipping on a Hot Toddy, aka Hot Buttered Rum. The rich buttery flavor mixed with the spices and warming rum… it’s the perfect winter elixir.
» If you are looking for more hot drinks, try these Hot & Boozy Drinks for Cold Days or these Festive Holiday Cocktails.
Whether you believe that a Hot Buttered Rum has the powers to ward off an oncoming cold, this hot drink is a crowd pleaser. I like to think it has special powers, but that might just be an excuse to drink more of them! A classic Irish coffee is another great hot elixir, though it has a lot more robust flavors that this hot buttered rum.
We’ve come to expect that butter mix to show up at the party and if it doesn’t, we confront her in mock anger. It’s just that good. She also always brings eggnog, so we go between sipping hot buttered rum and eggnog cocktails.
Hot Buttered Rum Ingredients
- Butter – Softened to room temperature
- Brown sugar – You can use regular brown sugar or brown sugar substitute.
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Vanilla extract
- Dark Rum – Kou don’t have to use dark rum, I like to use spiced rum. Any brown liquor will suffice, so if you only have whiskey on hand, try a Hot Buttered Whiskey instead.
- Pinch of salt
- Garnish – Orange zest, nutmeg, and cinnamon stick
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By the way, you don’t have to use dark rum. Any brown liquor will suffice, so if you only have whiskey on hand, try a Hot Buttered Whiskey instead.
Here are a few white or silver rums that we recommend for cocktails.
How to Make A Hot Buttered Rum
A Hot Buttered Rum is quite easy to make, and you can mix up a large batch of the spiced butter to use for subsequent drinks, which cuts down on prep time.
Mix up a large batch and keep it in your fridge for whenever the mood strikes. Or use a large batch to make hot toddies for your holiday party. My aunt makes Hot Buttered Rum for all of our family holiday gatherings.
Since it’s not super practical to make just one drink at a time, the recipe for the butter mix is enough to make 4 drinks, while the cocktail instructions themselves are for just one drink. You can make 4 with the butter mix.
To make the butter mix put all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix them together well.
When you are ready to mix a drink:
For 1 drink:
Place 2 tablespoons of the butter mix into a mug, pour in 1 1/2 ounces of rum. Add 6 ounces of hot water and stir well. Garnish
For 4 drinks:
Put all of the butter mixture, rum, and hot water into a pitcher and mix well. Divide evenly into 4 mugs. Garnish.
Tips & Notes
- The butter mix will keep in a container in the refrigerator for at least a week.
- You can make the butter mix ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Substitute another dark liquor for rum, if desired.
» Learn more about drinking and enjoying rum in this guide (p.s. there are cocktail recipes too!)
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Hot Buttered Rum
Ingredients
For the butter mix
- 1/4 cup butter softened
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
For the cocktails
- 6 ounces dark rum
- 24 ounces boiling water
For garnish
- Orange zest
- Ground nutmeg
- Cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Put all of the butter mix ingredients in a bowl and mix together well.
- To make 4 drinks, put all of the butter mix, rum and hot water in a pitcher and mix well. Pour into 4 hot drink glasses. Top with desired garnish.
- NOTE: To make just one drink, place 2 tbsp of the butter mix into a mug, pour in 1 1/2 oz rum, add 6 oz hot water and stir well.
Notes
- The butter mix will keep in a container in the refrigerator for at least a week.
- You can make the butter mix ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Substitute another dark liquor for rum, if desired.
Nutrition
Another Boozy Hot Drink To Try
Click for Even More Boozy Hot Drinks
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Laura is the founder and editor of the travel blogs Savored Sips and Savored Journeys. She is dedicated to sharing the best information about drinks found around the world.
Hot buttered rum is one of my favorite holiday drinks! The spices blend together perfectly and taste wonderful!
Frost and ice outside and my cold hands would love to be wrapped round a glass of this.
This looks like Christmas in a glass!
Give me a hot buttered rum and a fire and I’m set for the night ~ yum!
This is such a delicious drink!! My husband really enjoyed it!
Scrolling through, the first ingredient list has Orange Juice on it, but when you get to the recipe, there’s no mention of OJ at all. Could someone clear up my confusion?
Sorry about that Steve. We use orange zest now instead of orange juice. I’ve corrected the information.
This is good. I used a brown sugar substitute to make it low carb, and since I’m the only one in the house that will drink this, make it a cup at a time. I use more hot water than the recipe calls for…about 1 1/4 cups per serving. The first time I made a drink, I thought it was a little harsh. The extra water made it perfect.
Great to hear your feedback, Toni. It’s always good to adjust it to your taste.
This recipe is my jam. I put the butter mixture into my semi sphere silicone mold (each semi sphere holds a tablespoon) and freeze it. Then I pop them into a bag and pull out two whenever I need a hot buttered rum! Works great.
That is a great idea Heather. I am definitely trying that!