"hot buttered rum" 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.

Bananas are wonderful, versatile fruits, not to mention that they're the most consumed fruit in the world and the fourth most consumed crop after rice, wheat and maize. This doesn't mean that all uses for bananas are good ones. For example, take Rachael Ray's Banana Hot Buttered Rum recipe. The drink uses some of the classic ingredients found in normal hot buttered rum - butter, rum, sugar - but instead of cream, it uses banana liqueur. This is an unusual twist and a hot banana drink not entirely unappealing - until you add banana slices to the drink. This just seems like a bad idea. Bananas are noted or adding a creamy texture to drinks, which is why they're so popular in smoothies and milkshakes, but they're not know for being attractive when exposed to air or heat. Who wants to see a brown banana piece in or on their drink?

I'll stick to smoothies, where the bananas are blended in, not left in chunks. If you want to try RR's recipe, however, read on:

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With all the holidays coming up, we here at Slashfood want to help you celebrate and share some recipes with you. Hot or cold they're all good, and just the thing to put you in a party mood. Some of my favorites are hot drinks like mulled cider with rum and mulled wine. They're easy to make and you can control how strong they are, so you don't get obliterated at the beginning of your party, or fall asleep on your guests late at night.

Mulled Wine
Buy mulling spices or use a mix of cinnamon, clove, allspice, nutmeg, and some citrus zest or slices of any type. Take a bottle of inexpensive but decent red wine and pour into a pot, add the mulling spices and zest, bring to a low simmer for five minutes, then strain into a mug. To control the strength and make the wine a bit less potent you can add some fruit juice such as orange, apple, cranberry, pomegranate, etc. before warming it up.

Mulled Sweet Apple Cider with Rum
Buy mulling spices or use a mix of cinnamon, clove, allspice, nutmeg, and citrus zest or slices. Add to sweet apple cider in a pot and bring to a simmer for five minutes then strain, pour into a mug and add a shot of rum of your preference.