Hot Buttered Rum

This is one of those hot, comforting, delicious sounding treats that I'd hear mentioned here and there around the holidays but that I never made any special effort to try.  When choosing treats to make and share with you all, my ideas can come from the most random of places.

I was inspired to make hot buttered rum during a rewatch of the Christmas episode of Season 2 of Grey's Anatomy (the best season, I think).  Addison was desperate to mend her marriage with Derek and invited him to meet her in a bar to browse catalogs for Christmas gifts.  Addison was drinking hot buttered rum during the scene, and for some reason, though I've seen the episode many times before, I needed to make it... and I needed to make it right then.

This indulgent beverage starts with a paste of softened butter mixed with brown sugar and holiday spices.  The mixture is scooped into mugs with boiling water and dark rum.  I knew from the list of ingredients that this would be a drink that I would enjoy immensely, and enjoy I did.  It's fragrant, smooth, buttery, warm, spicy, and just a little bit naughty.  The perfect treat for curling up on the couch with a fuzzy blanket and a holiday movie after the kids have gone to bed.

The spiced butter base can be packed into decorative jars and given as gifts, perhaps with a decorative ribbon holding a tag with printed instructions on how to make the drink.  The paste can be kept at room temperature for a while, but should be stored in the refrigerator long term.

Hot Buttered Rum

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• Yield: 4-5 drinks

Ingredients

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• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• ½ cup dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp cardamom
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• ⅛ tsp ground cloves
• Small pinch of salt
• 8 oz dark rum

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Instructions

1. Using a whisk or a hand mixer, cream the butter with the brown sugar and spices.
2. Add 2 heaping tablespoons to 4 or 5 small (~6oz) mugs.
3. Add 1.5-2oz of rum to each mug.
4. Fill the mugs with boiling water and stir to combine. Serve hot.

• Author: Erin Browne

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