Thirsty Thursday Eve - Spiced Buttered Rum
While it’s still cold, I wanted to take the opportunity to rave about spiced buttered rum for a moment and how it is the ideal way to stay warm.
For the longest time, I heard about spiced buttered rum at Christmas parties and other such gatherings. Growing up, my family were teetotalers, so there wasn’t any alcohol anywhere. When we were old enough to buy our own alcohol, my cousins and I would just bring our own alcohol to Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc, and sneak it into red solo cups outside. Having a pitcher of alcohol actually featured in the party was unspeakable.
Eventually, I just decided to make some for myself. It was cold and I wanted to try it, so I looked up a recipe and made some of the butter mix. Fortunately, the process is that you make a batch of the butter and just cut off a pat, add rum, and top it with hot water to melt the butter down. This would be a huge pain if you made the mix per drink, but you can make enough per batch to get probably 20 or more servings.
This is not a drink to make when you’re wanting to have a lively party. It’s almost like a sedative. When you’re ready to end the night with a nice, soothing vibe, that’s where this excels. I can’t imagine it drinking in hot weather, either. If it’s not sub 40 outside, you will be sweating when you finish one of these. But in the right circumstance, it’s divine.
For the longest time, I heard about spiced buttered rum at Christmas parties and other such gatherings. Growing up, my family were teetotalers, so there wasn’t any alcohol anywhere. When we were old enough to buy our own alcohol, my cousins and I would just bring our own alcohol to Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc, and sneak it into red solo cups outside. Having a pitcher of alcohol actually featured in the party was unspeakable.
Eventually, I just decided to make some for myself. It was cold and I wanted to try it, so I looked up a recipe and made some of the butter mix. Fortunately, the process is that you make a batch of the butter and just cut off a pat, add rum, and top it with hot water to melt the butter down. This would be a huge pain if you made the mix per drink, but you can make enough per batch to get probably 20 or more servings.
The exact recipe for the butter mix is fairly flexible. The recipe I followed called for 1 stick of unsalted butter, half a cup of light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon each of vanilla, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and allspice. I bought a 2-pack of Kerrygold, so I doubled the butter and brown sugar. The spices I tripled because I would rather measure out a tablespoon rather than multiple teaspoons, and I wanted to get a more spice-first flavor profile. Plus, I didn’t have a few of the spices on hand individually, so I used some “pumpkin pie spice” I had that contained cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. All in all, it turned out well. Toss it in the ninja blender, scrape down the sides a few times, and roll it out in parchment paper or wax paper to form a roll. I cut it into thirds, and froze two of them in fresh sheets of parchment paper. That will EASILY last me all winter.
The idea of drinking butter is off putting for a lot of people. I get it. Butter is considered this tremendously unhealthy substance that you really want to be careful with anyway, with its artery clogging reputation. What I think people miss is just how versatile and awesome butter is. Any food you put it in becomes almost automatically better. You can infuse it with different flavors, it’s just fantastic. Yes, “drinking butter” sounds terrible, but butter is just one of the many ingredients in this beverage.
So you make the butter mix, you add the rum, you top it off with hot water and give it a good stir. Some of the spice solids float to the top and give almost a latte-esque film on top. Start drinking it hot, and you just get filled with the most encompassing sensation of warmth. It’s like a heated blanket, but on the inside. Couple that with the sensation of being warm that alcohol brings anyway, and it staves off the chill from the most bitter winter nights. Pass around some mugs while sitting by a fire and everybody is suddenly right as rain.
The idea of drinking butter is off putting for a lot of people. I get it. Butter is considered this tremendously unhealthy substance that you really want to be careful with anyway, with its artery clogging reputation. What I think people miss is just how versatile and awesome butter is. Any food you put it in becomes almost automatically better. You can infuse it with different flavors, it’s just fantastic. Yes, “drinking butter” sounds terrible, but butter is just one of the many ingredients in this beverage.
So you make the butter mix, you add the rum, you top it off with hot water and give it a good stir. Some of the spice solids float to the top and give almost a latte-esque film on top. Start drinking it hot, and you just get filled with the most encompassing sensation of warmth. It’s like a heated blanket, but on the inside. Couple that with the sensation of being warm that alcohol brings anyway, and it staves off the chill from the most bitter winter nights. Pass around some mugs while sitting by a fire and everybody is suddenly right as rain.
This is not a drink to make when you’re wanting to have a lively party. It’s almost like a sedative. When you’re ready to end the night with a nice, soothing vibe, that’s where this excels. I can’t imagine it drinking in hot weather, either. If it’s not sub 40 outside, you will be sweating when you finish one of these. But in the right circumstance, it’s divine.
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