All the Hot Buttered Rum Recipes You'll Ever Need to Chase Away the Chill

It's incredibly important to layer up during the colder months: a warm shirt, cozy sweatshirt, and hot buttered rum are a good place to start. Oh, and warm, fuzzy socks. But the hot buttered rum is a critical part. Creamy yet sweet and perfectly spiced, hot buttered rum makes a pretty good argument that butter is so much more than an ingredient only for toast or baking. It's the unsung hero of warm cocktails. Don't believe us? You'll soon be Team Hot Buttered Rum. 

Old-Fashioned Hot Buttered Rum

The classic hot buttered rum recipe comes together pretty quickly; it'll be in your hands before you've even finished removing your outer winter layers and put on your indoor winter layers. Oversized sweaters and wool socks are only so warming. 

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
• 1 dash pure vanilla extract
• 2 ounces dark rum
• Hot water to top off
• Whipped cream or cinnamon stick for garnish

Instructions

1. Warm a mug by filling it with hot water.
2. After the mug is warm to the touch, pour out the water.
3. In the mug, combine the brown sugar, butter, and vanilla extract.
4. Stir well to combine.
5. Add rum.
6. Top off with hot water.
7. Garnish with whipped cream or a cinnamon stick.

Slow Cooker Buttered Rum

If you're a person who prefers to let someone (or something) else do the cooking, then this slow cooker hot buttered rum recipe is your newest partner in cozy cocktails. Go ahead and curl up under a blanket while this cooks. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• ½ cup unsalted butter
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 6 whole cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 cup dark rum
• 4 cups water
• Whipped cream for garnish, optional

Instructions

1. In a slow cooker, add water, brown sugar, butter, salt, cloves, and cinnamon sticks.
2. Stir to mix.
3. On low, allow the mix to simmer for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally.
4. Warm mugs by filling them with hot water.
5. After the mugs are warm to the touch, pour out the water.
6. In warm mugs, add 2 ounces of rum to each.
7. Top off with the slow cooker mix.
8. Garnish with whipped cream.

Honey Buttered Rum

This recipe calls for sweet and rich honey, making it a smooth combination of a hot toddy and hot-buttered rum in the best of ways. You have enough things to decide in life. Having to decide if you want a toddy or buttered rum isn't one of them anymore. 

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons of honey
• ½ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 dash pure vanilla extract
• 2 ounces dark rum
• Hot water to top off
• 4-6 cloves, lemon wedge, cinnamon stick, and star anise for garnish

Instructions

1. Warm a mug by filling it with hot water.
2. After the mug is warm to the touch, pour out the water.
3. In the mug, combine the brown sugar, butter, honey, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
4. Stir well to combine.
5. Add the rum.
6. Top off with hot water.
7. To prepare the garnish, pierce the lemon wheel with cloves.
8. Garnish with pierced lemon wheel, cinnamon stick, and star anise.

Non-Dairy Buttered Rum

If dairy doesn't agree with you or you've opted to go dairy-free, this recipe is just as rich and flavorful as all the rest. A life without dairy no longer means a life without a hot buttered rum. 

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon melted dairy-free or vegan unsalted butter
• 1 dash pure vanilla extract
• 2 ounces dark rum
• Hot water to top off
• Cinnamon stick for garnish

Instructions

1. Warm a mug by filling it with hot water.
2. After the mug is warm to the touch, pour out the water.
3. In the mug, combine the brown sugar, dairy-free butter, and vanilla extract.
4. Stir well to combine.
5. Add rum.
6. Top off with hot water.
7. Garnish with cinnamon stick.

Spiced Hot Buttered Rum

That bottle of spiced or even dark rum is whispering to you, "Pick me! Pick me!" And those voices are just in luck. This recipe leans on spiced rum and some extra spices to give the classic recipe a deeper flavor.

Ingredients

• 1½ ounces spiced rum
• ½ ounce allspice dram
• 2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
• 2 ounces dark rum
• Hot water to top off
• Cloves, dash nutmeg, and cinnamon stick for garnish

Instructions

1. Warm a mug by filling it with hot water.
2. After the mug is warm to the touch, pour out the water.
3. In the mug, combine the brown sugar and butter.
4. Stir well to mix.
5. Stir in rum and allspice dram.
6. Top off with hot water.
7. Garnish with a cinnamon stick, cloves, and a dash of nutmeg.

Butterscotch Apple Buttered Rum

One of the most decadent of the buttered rum recipes available, its extra ingredients and prep time are well worth it. Do you wish to live the delicious life? Of course you do, and you should. 

Ingredients

• 2 ounces spiced rum
• 1 ounce apple cider
• ¾ ounce butterscotch liqueur
• 1 teaspoon packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
• Whipped cream, cinnamon stick, apple slice, and caramel for garnish

Instructions

1. Warm a mug by filling with hot water.
2. After the mug is warm to the touch, pour out the water.
3. In the mug, combine the brown sugar, butter, and apple cider.
4. Stir well to mix.
5. Add rum and butterscotch liqueur.
6. Top off with hot water.
7. Garnish with whipped cream, cinnamon stick, apple slice, and caramel drizzle.

Pumpkin Buttered Rum

When you think of fall flavors, pumpkin definitely jumps towards the top of the list. So why not add a bit of pumpkin for a gourd-geous hot-buttered rum? It's savory and sweet, perfect for enjoying indoors while you watch the leaves fall.

Ingredients

• 1½ ounces spiced rum
• ¾ ounce pumpkin liqueur or vodka
• 1 teaspoon packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
• 1 dash pure vanilla extract
• Hot water to top off
• Whipped cream and ground nutmeg for garnish

Instructions

1. Warm a mug by filling it with hot water.
2. After the mug is warm to the touch, pour out the water.
3. In the mug, combine the brown sugar and butter.
4. Stir well to mix.
5. Add rum and pumpkin liqueur.
6. Top off with hot water.
7. Garnish with whipped cream and sprinkle of ground nutmeg.

Maple Buttered Rum

Maple syrup isn't just for pancakes. You already know how well maple syrup and butter go together on pancakes, so it's no surprise they do the same in a buttered rum. 

Ingredients

• 1½ ounces spiced rum
• ½ ounce maple whiskey
• ¾ ounce maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
• 1 dash pure vanilla extract
• Hot water to top off

Instructions

1. Warm a mug by filling it with hot water.
2. After the mug is warm to the touch, pour out the water.
3. In the mug, combine the maple syrup, butter, and vanilla extract.
4. Stir well to mix.
5. Add the rum and maple whiskey.
6. Top off with hot water.

Bananas Foster Hot Buttered Rum

In our opinion, we've saved the best for last. If you love bananas foster, why wouldn't you want to drink a hot buttered rum that tastes just like it? Yeah. That's what we thought. 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 ounces banana-flavored rum
• Hot water to top off
• Whipped cream and cinnamon stick for garnish

Instructions

1. Fill a mug with hot water to warm it. 
2. In a small, light-colored pan, heat the butter over medium heat, stirring.
3. Allow the butter to melt and keep cooking, stirring. Watch it closely. 
4. When the butter turns golden brown, remove it from the heat and stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla until it is well-mixed.
5. Pour the water out of the mug and scrape the butter and brown sugar mixture into the mug, using a spatula to make sure you get every last bit of it.
6. Add the banana-flavored rum and stir to mix.
7. Top off with hot water and stir.
8. Garnish with whipped cream and a cinnamon stick. 

Buttering Up to Hot-Buttered Rum

Any hot-buttered rum recipe is sure to please. It all comes down to the flavor or ingredients you'd like to use. Once you've mastered a few of them, you can easily swap around ingredients. For instance, consider using maple butter or coffee liqueur to stir up some new flavors. If you want a richer, creamier taste, you can add more butter or a splash of cream. Whichever you choose, hot-buttered rum is a great way to warm up and go full cozy.