"HotButteredRum" news and stories

Happy Hot Buttered Rum Day!

Dating back to Colonial America, when molasses was first imported from Jamaica and New England distilleries started creating rum in the 1650s, buttered rum was prized for its warming qualities, both in spirit and temperature. Today, with the tasty combination of spices, melted butter and hot rum, the drink endures as the perfect solution to cold wintry nights.

For a recipe, refer to our drink expert LeNell Smothers' extra rich and creamy version of the quaff, or if you're feeling extra adventurous, check out Martha Stewart's baked Buttered Rum Meltaways.

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The first time someone offered me a Hot Buttered Rum my mouth immediately salivated. On a cold wintry day, those three words sound divine. However, when the recipe is poorly executed and you get a glob of butter in a lukewarm mug, it's not always as good as it sounds.

Hot fatty drinks go way back to more than 200 years ago, when folks traveling by coach might stop in at a tavern to warm up, maybe having their drink warmed with a red hot poker from the fireplace. Recipes for Hot Buttered Rums can be found in several old cocktail books such as the 1862 Jerry Thomas' "Bar-Tenders Guide." Technically, this drink is a toddy with the addition of butter. The rum used would have been a darker rum aged in a barrel, so shy away from more modern style white rums and "gold" rums colored with caramel coloring when making this drink.

Here's an idea for making one that's richer and creamier than just chucking a pat of butter with spices in a hot mug of rum that ends up resembling an oil slick.