Buttered Rum Round-up

The traditional (as in, how the colonists made it) way of getting the "hot" in your "hot buttered rum" is to stab it with a fireplace poker, fresh from the flames. It's a fun spectacle for a party or a campfire crowd, but hot water from a tea kettle will do just fine for anyone fresh out of hot iron implements.

HBR for the Masses

This recipe, intended for a crowd, starts off with a hot buttered rum "batter," which is added to the mugs before the liquor and hot water. Once you've made the batter, you can keep it in an air-tight container and use it on any number of wintertime drinks, including hot chocolate or hot cider. Bonus: Banana-lovers should consider adding 1 teaspoon or two of mashed banana into the mix.

1 bottle dark rum
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 cups light brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 pinch cloves
1 pinch salt
Boiling water

In a bowl, combine the butter, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt into a cream. Refrigerate for up to an hour. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the mixture into each mug (the recipe will make about a dozen). Fill each mug half-way with rum, and the rest of the way with boiling water. Stir and serve.

Vanilla Hot Buttered Rum

1/2 cup White sugar
1/2 cup Brown sugar
1 cup Unsalted butter
2 cups Vanilla ice cream
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch grated nutmeg
Light rum

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the two sugars and butter and simmer until melted, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the butter and sugar paste with the ice cream, then refrigerate. When you're ready to serve, fill each mug with 1 cup of the vanilla mixture and 1 oz of light rum. Top with boiling water and stir.