Made with a simple make-ahead batter of butter, sugar, spices, and ice cream, this rich, creamy hot cocktail is perfect for holiday gatherings and sipping on cold winter nights. (Recipe includes no-alcohol option.)
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What's the Story Behind this Recipe?
Like eggnog and the classic hot toddy, Hot Buttered Rum dates back to early colonial America, where it was served in a steaming tankard of rum, butter, sugar, and spices.
Back then, many families had their own unique recipes for such libacious concoctions. Likewise, our family has its own recipe, albeit with more contemporary roots: this one includes a healthy addition of vanilla ice cream to the standard batter mix!
My original hot buttered rum recipe, gifted to me by a dear friend decades ago, makes enough for upwards of 50+ drinks. However, for practical reasons, we’ve cut it down to something more manageable here.
This recipe makes 25-30 servings, which can be served as individual drinks, or mixed up in a slow-cooker, punch bowl-style, for fall or winter parties. You can also freeze the batter for up to four months and make it last all winter long.
What Goes into this Hot Buttered Rum Recipe
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
★ Butter: We always use salted butter for the HBR batter. If you use unsalted butter, add ½ teaspoon of salt to the batter when you add the sugars.
★ Brown sugar: We prefer to use light brown sugar. Use dark brown sugar for a deeper flavor.
★ Powdered sugar: Any good powdered sugar will work. You can substitute 1 cups of granulated sugar for ½ pound (1¾ cups) of powdered sugar.
★ Vanilla Ice cream: Any vanilla ice cream will work, but we prefer to use French vanilla for this recipe. (FYI: French vanilla is not our usual choice for vanilla, but it brings so much rich flavor to the hot buttered rum batter!) Use a quality ice cream if possible; even better if you can use one without any preservatives or unpronounceable additives.
★ Boiling water: Some people enjoy making hot buttered rum with hot apple cider; however, this makes it a little too sweet for our tastes. (It is an excellent option when making mocktails though.)
★ Spices: Use freshly grated nutmeg if possible. (It really does make a difference!) You can also substitute 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice for the cinnamon and nutmeg.
★ Dark Rum: Use any dark rum for this recipe; spiced rum is especially tasty! (We recommend using the Cap’n.) Light rum is not a great substitute (it lacks to richness and depth) but it will do in a pinch, and will result in a lighter, sweeter HBR.
See variations below for no-alcohol version.
How to Make Hot Buttered Rum with Ice Cream
Mix the Batter
Place ice cream in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to soften.
Using a stand or hand mixer, cream softened butter until fluffy. Add sugars and spices and creamy until light; about 5 minutes.
Mix in softened ice cream and blend until smooth. Don’t worry too much about little chunks of butter: they will melt when mixed in. (The batter should be about the same consistency as very soft Tollhouse cookie dough.)
Place batter in an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 4 months
To Make a Single Drink:
To make a single drink, place two generous tablespoons of batter in a coffee mug. (More or less, depending on the size of the mug and your personal tastes.
Add boiling water to about 1-inch from the rim, and stir to melt the HBR batter. Pour in 2 ounces of dark rum and stir again to combine.
Garnish with a sprinkle of fresh nutmeg.
To Make Hot Buttered Rum For a Group:
To make a party-size, big batch serving, mix up the drinks a large slow cooker set on low.
Amounts will depend on your needs and personal tastes; but generally, add one batch of batter (~40 ounces), 2 fifths of rum (~50 ounces; 6 cups), and ~18 cups of hot water to make 25-30 servings.
Serve with nutmeg and whipped cream on the side.
FAQs & Expert Tips
Hot Buttered Rum Variations
No-alcohol Mocktail
The rich, sweet buttered batter makes a delicious non-alcoholic, kid-friendly hot toddy as well. Simply omit the rum (duh) and use boiling apple cider instead of water.
You can also add a ¼ teaspoon of artificial rum flavoring if you want, but it isn’t necessary.
More Hot Buttered Rum Variations
- Hot Buttered Coffee: Use hot coffee instead water, and make it boozy or not.
- Hot Buttered Whiskey: Swap whiskey for rum. (Try Fireball for a real zinger!)
- Orange Buttered Rum: Add a teaspoon of fresh orange zest to the batter mix.
- Almond Buttered Rum: Add a teaspoon of almond extract to the batter.
- Large batch: Double the recipe.
- Ultra-creamy HBR: Top it off with a dollop of fresh whipped cream.
The hot buttered rum batter will last in the freezer for up to 4 months. Store in an air-tight freezer container and use as desired.
More Winter Beverage Recipes
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Classic Hot Buttered Rum
Equipment
- 1 Electric Mixer or hand mixer, or powerful wooden spoon
Ingredients
Hot Buttered Rum Batter
- ½ pound butter softened; 1 cup
- ½ pound brown sugar about 1¼ cups, firmly packed
- ½ pound powdered sugar about 1¾ cups, unsifted
- 2 cups French vanilla ice cream ½ quart
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Additional
- 2 ounces dark rum per drink; 2 fifths per batch
- 6 ounces boiling water per drink; 18 cups per batch
Instructions
Make the Batter
- Place ice cream in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to soften.
- Using a stand or hand mixer, cream softened butter until fluffy. Add sugars and spices and creamy until light; about 5 minutes.
- Mix in softened ice cream and blend until smooth. Don’t worry too much about little chunks of butter: they will melt when mixed in. The batter should be about the same consistency as very soft Tollhouse cookie dough.
- Place batter in an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Mix the Drinks
- To make a single drink, place two generous tablespoons of batter in a coffee mug. (More or less, depending on the size of the mug and your personal tastes. Add boiling water to about 1-inch from the rim, and stir to melt the HBR batter. Pour in 2 ounces of dark rum and stir again to combine. Garnish with a sprinkle of fresh nutmeg.
- To make a party-size, big batch serving, mix up the drinks a large slow cooker set on low.Amounts will depend on your needs and personal tastes; but generally, add one batch of batter (~40 ounces), 2 fifths of rum (~50 ounces; 6 cups), and ~18 cups of hot water to make 25-30 servings. Serve with nutmeg and whipped cream on the side.
Notes
Recipe Variations
No-alcohol Mocktail
The rich, sweet buttered batter makes a delicious non-alcoholic, kid-friendly hot toddy as well. Simply omit the rum (duh) and use boiling apple cider instead of water. You can also add a ¼ teaspoon of artificial rum flavoring if you want, but it isn’t necessary.More Hot Buttered Rum Variations
- Hot Buttered Coffee: Use hot coffee instead water, and make it boozy or not.
- Hot Buttered Whiskey: Swap whiskey for rum. (Try Fireball for a real zinger!)
- Orange Buttered Rum: Add a teaspoon of fresh orange zest to the batter mix.
- Almond Buttered Rum: Add a teaspoon of almond extract to the batter.
- Large batch: Double the recipe.
- Ultra-creamy HBR: Top it off with a dollop of fresh whipped cream.
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
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