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 mocktail option.)
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, 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
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.
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.
Nutritional information includes batter ingredients only.