This easy hot buttered rum recipe is made with a make-ahead buttered rum batter that’s made extra creamy with the addition of vanilla ice cream. The combination of warm baking spices and light rum make for a cozy and festive winter beverage.
This Creamy Cocktail Recipe Comes Straight From My Aunt Shelley
There are plenty of hot drinks to hunker down with during winter — my favorite Irish cream in a cup of coffee is one of them — especially alongside a plate of homemade fudge or sweetly spiced cookies.
So when the temps start to drop and those magical snow flurries begin to fall, all I want to do is sit in front of the fire with a glass of creamy hot buttered rum. This recipe is from my aunt Shelley who years ago made it to add cheer and cheers to our holiday.
This cocktail starts with a fluffy hot buttered rum batter of whipped butter, sugars, and spices for those classically warm flavors. The surprise ingredient is the addition of softened vanilla ice cream — essentially eggs, vanilla, and cream.
The mixture goes into the freezer and later gets mixed with light rum and boiling water swirled together with a cinnamon stick and topped with a dollop of whipped cream.
Enjoy!
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
The best rum for hot buttered rum is light or dark rum. Something that’s a little smoky and a little sweet balances out the sweet and creamy batter nicely. I wouldn’t use spiced rum since the spices are already in the batter.
Depending on what type of ice cream you use, the batter may not freeze hard. I like Tillamook ice cream, which has fewer stabilizers and is already pretty soft when frozen.
I like to serve this warm cocktail in my mom’s glass mugs, which we’ve always used to toast our holiday traditions (here are some similar ones).
Ingredients for the Batter and Cocktail
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Vanilla ice cream — The surprise ingredient that makes this hot buttered rum recipe super creamy and rich.
- Unsalted butter — A key ingredient in hot buttered rum recipe.
- Powdered sugar — This gets beaten with brown sugar and butter to fluffy oblivion.
- Brown sugar — Adds some warm toffee notes to the cocktail.
- Ground cinnamon — To give this drink some nice warm, coziness.
- Ground nutmeg — I recommend using whole nutmeg and grating it fresh if you can.
- Light rum — Or use dark rum if you like.
- Hot water — Thins and mellows everything out so it’s not overly rich.
- Cinnamon sticks — I find extra long sticks at Costco.
- Whipped cream — The finishing touch that makes this drink such a treat.
Heidi’s Tip: The recipe makes enough for a party, so feel free to cut the recipe in half if making a smaller batch.
How to Make Hot Buttered Rum
What does hot buttered rum taste like? Hot buttered rum is creamy, sweet, and spiced with warming undertones of rum that go down smooth. Sipping a mug of this hot treat is kind of like a salted caramel latte and some spiced rum had a baby, and it’s the perfect drink to warm up to during winter.
- Soften your favorite vanilla ice cream. Set the ice cream out to soften for about 10 minutes.
- Make your spiced butter mixture. While the ice cream softens, use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the room-temperature butter, powdered sugar, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg until fluffy.
- Mix in the ice cream and then freeze. Add the softened ice cream and beat until mixed. Transfer to an airtight container with a lid and pop it into the freezer.
- Thaw slightly, mix, and serve. To serve, thaw the butter mixture slightly. Place 3 tablespoons of the mix into a glass mug with 1 ½ ounces of rum and fill the rest of the glass with hot water. Top with whipped cream, sprinkled cinnamon or nutmeg, and garnish with a cinnamon stick swizzle.
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Creamy Hot Buttered Rum Recipe
Ingredients
For the Batter
- 1 quart vanilla ice cream , softened
- 16 ounces unsalted butter , softened
- 1 pound powdered sugar
- 1 pound brown sugar , packed
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
For the Cocktail
- light rum
- hot boiled water
- cinnamon sticks , for serving
- whipped cream , for serving
Instructions
- Set the ice cream out to soften for about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the butter, powdered sugar, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg until fluffy. Add the softened ice cream and beat until mixed. Transfer to a container with a lid and freeze.
- To serve, thaw the butter mixture slightly. Place 3 tablespoons of the mix into a glass mug with 1 ½ ounces of rum (1 large jigger) and fill the rest of the glass with hot boiled water. Stir well and top with whipped cream, a sprinkle of nutmeg, and a cinnamon stick.
Notes
Nutrition
Substitutions and Additions
- Skip the alcohol and serve this as a mocktail. It’s still sooooo delicious!
- Add a tablespoon or two to a cup of coffee for breakfast or brunch.
- Instead of light rum, use dark rum, whiskey, or bourbon. I wouldn’t use spiced rum since the spices are already in the batter.
- Instead of a cinnamon stick swizzle, use a candy cane to add holiday cheer.
More Holiday Drinks to Sip
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