How to Make a Hot Buttered Rum drink to enjoy on a cold winter day.
Do you take the time to enjoy the cozy comforts of your home? This time of year I think we all do when it looks like this outside…
We don’t get much snow here in South Carolina, but we did get a dusting last weekend and some very chilly temps…19 degrees. Brrrrr!
Instead of working on the kitchen, I felt there was no better time to embrace and enjoy the cozy comforts of my house to relax and read snuggled under my fur throw in front of the fireplace.
Back in the 1980’s, there was a buzzword for the pursuit of being cozy at home. It was called cocooning. Fast forward to 2017 and the new buzzword is all about Hygge (pronounced HOO-gah) and the actual doing of Hygge is Hyggelig (HOO-gah-lee.)
You and I are home lovers… we love our homes, especially the comfy cozy parts. We are experts in getting comfy and no marketing term can tell us how to be comfy at home., but maybe could show us how we could fit more of it into our lives.
Being cozy at home is pretty simple, isn’t it? A fire in the fireplace, candlelight, a bowl of soup and a pair of fuzzy slippers? :-)
For me, cozy at home means… candles or a fire in the fireplace along with a steaming cup of something hot, a good book or an old movie from the 1940’s – 1950’s playing on the TV.
To add to my cozy bliss during the cold winter months, instead of a steaming mug of tea, coffee or hot chocolate, I reach for a Hot Buttered Rum.
It will have you saying YUM!
When Ed and I were first married, we found a recipe for Hot Buttered Rum in a cookbook and decided to try making a batch. We have been making it every winter since. We make the mix ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator in an airtight jar.
It is very easy to make the mix and even easier to make the drink when the pursuit of comfy cozy at home hits like it did last for me last weekend.
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To make the drink you need rum and some boiling water, along with 1 or 2 tablespoons of the mix. Depending on your tastes you can garnish with a cinnamon stick, lemon slice or whipped cream.
Here is the recipe.
Hot Buttered Rum Recipe
Hot Buttered Rum Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 16oz package of dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1 dash salt
- Rum
- cinnamon sticks for garnish
Instructions
- Combine sugar, butter, spices, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Beat at medium speed using an electric mixer until well mixed. Store butter mixture in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
- To Serve: Place 1-2 heaping tablespoon’s butter mixture, 1 jigger (1-1/2 ounces) rum, and 1 cinnamon stick in a mug; fill with boiling water. Stir well. Garnish with lemon slice or whipped cream.
Once I have the hot buttered rum mix made I place it in an airtight container. I found a jelly jar works well. I made a label for it and glued a cabinet knob to the top which makes it perfect to give a batch as a hostess gift or to family and friends when they come over to your house for some hyggelig. :-)
If you would like to try it and make a batch, you can download the label here: Hot Butter Rum Drink Mix Label | Serving Instructions (back of the jar label)
Cocooning, Hyggelig, or Comfy Cozy … What makes you feel cozy at home?
Sara says
Hello! Should I use dark or light brown sugar for this? Also, light or dark rum? Salted or unsalted butter? Thank you so much in advance! I’m not great in the kitchen so I don’t want to mess it up. So excited to make this!!
Diane Henkler says
Hi Sara –
Good question. I have used both and it always tastes fine. If you are going out to buy the ingredients, buy unsalted butter and dark brown sugar.
Kim says
Finally got around to making this. O…M…G…it is DELICIOUS! Hoping for lots of cold nights to enjoy it. Thanks you for sharing the recipe.
Estelle Maxwell says
How much butter…I couldn’t find amount on ingredients list. Thanks
Diane Henkler says
Hi Estelle –
Thanks for telling me that the butter was missing. I just updated the recipe onto a card and forgot it. I updated the recipe card. You need 1/2 cup softened butter. It is soooo good! Enjoy
judy h. says
Thank you a thousand times over for the HBR mix recipe!
Rosemary Gregory says
Oh my word! You have saved my day ?. My book club buddies exchange gifts each January for Christmas. The five women are never any problem,, but three men! Perfect gift for each of them. Unfortunately, I can hear the women, “But I want some, too!” I’ve loved going through your renovation of your beautiful lake house. I want one, too!
Diane Henkler says
Thanks Rosemary – We have given the mix as gifts to our friends for many years and some even ask us to bring it to parties so they can set it up on the bar for guests to make it just as they would any other drink. :-) Enjoy your book club exchange.
Dee says
YUM, Have all the indegrients in the house to make this. Thank You.
Marcia Sillyman says
Diane, your toddy gift idea is inspired. I have tried to print the revised labels however they are too close to the top edge of the paper and the top line gets cut off on each of them on my printer. I suppose I could play around with the downloaded offering but I wonder if you can reformat the label on your end moving it down and over so my label would look as special as yours. Thank you.
Diane Henkler says
Hi Marcia – Hmmm… sorry about that. I just printed it and it was OK, but everyones printers are different. Let me see if I can center it on a .pdf. I will email you when I have the new link posted. Thanks for taking the time to tell me about the problem.
Diane Henkler says
Hi again Marcia – I created a new .pdf where the label is in the center. I tested it out on two printers and it printed the same on both. I updated the link in the post. Here is the new link: https://inmyownstyle.com/images/2017/01/Jar-Label-for-Hot-Buttered-Rum-Mix-edited.pdf
Marcia says
Diane, you did a great job and I appreciate your serving me. I can’t wait to make this gift.
Diane Henkler says
Hi Marcia – The whipped cream makes it extra delish, but I prefer it with a lemon. Also, just like making a cup of hot chocolate, you can decide how much mix to add according to your tastes. Enjoy! Sorry I can’t serve you one through the computer screen. :-)
Marcia says
My husband and I each had a mug last night and it is one cozy drink. After the first sip, my husband said, YUM! I prepared it straight up with lemon and am writing to say, THANK YOU!
Diane Henkler says
Hi Marcia – You are welcome. It is a nice change from hot cocoa, coffee or tea on a cold winters day. I hope you have a wonderful weekend and can take time to relax and enjoy some more hot buttered rum. :-)
Merete Hansen says
You just made my day ??
I have never seen the word ” hygge” used in other countries than my own.
Here in Denmark it is a word I use very often.
Many years ago I lived as an au pair with an American family. Very often I wanted to use the word “hygge” so I had to teach the oldest boy how to pronounce it and what it means ??. We had a lot of fun
Thank you for using “my” word
Diane Henkler says
Hi Merte – What a nice story to hear. Thanks for sharing it with me. I only now the word from reading about it in magazines. It is nice to hear how someone from Denmark uses the word often. I hope you are enjoying lots of it this winter. XO
NWA Electrician says
It is still too cold to get out of bed! Will you come make it for me? Lol
Just kidding. Thanks for the recipe!
Carla from Kansas says
I think I will stick to cocooning since I can pronounce that!
Diane Henkler says
Hi Carla – Cocooning was such a great term…kind of exactly what we do when we want to get cozy at home. I hope you can enjoy lots of it this winter.