Made with your favorite rum, butter, sugar, ice cream, and warm spices, this Hot Buttered Rum Recipe is a bit like sipping on a warm apple fritter donut!

This recipe makes enough for 50 drinks, so it’s perfect for fall and winter parties that you can serve for a crowd, but it easily freezes to enjoy individual servings all winter long, too.

Hot Buttered Rum for a Crowd

It’s pretty much a guarantee that you will find some hot buttered rum batter in my freezer throughout the winter because there’s nothing better than a hot, spiced, and smooth cocktail to warm you up when it’s chilly outside. Plus, as a quintessential holiday drink, this one is a must for entertaining!

As it makes enough batter for about 50 drinks, this recipe is my go-to for winter gatherings. If 50 drinks sounds like a lot and you don’t have any parties on the schedule, don’t worry – the batter freezes super well for 3 months or more and you can easily prepare just one or two drinks at a time.

So what does hot buttered rum taste like? Not like eating a stick of butter! Hot buttered rum is smooth and creamy with buttery undertones, but vanilla and the warm apple pie spices balance out the butter. It’s a bit like sipping on a warm apple fritter donut. Hot buttered rum has actually been around since the colonial times, though I would wager that it wasn’t quite as flavorful or creamy as this modern version!

Hot Buttered Rum Ingredients

This drink is made with not only butter and rum, but also sugar, ice cream, and apple pie spices too.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)

For the Hot Buttered Rum Batter:

• Butter: I recommend using unsalted butter to avoid making the drink salty.
• Sugar: We love both brown sugar and powdered sugar in this buttered rum recipe.
• Vanilla ice cream: Allow it to soften on the counter for easier mixing.
• Apple pie spice: Our homemade apple pie spice recipe is perfect to add warm, seasonal flavors to the cocktail.

For Each Drink

• Batter: Keep the above batter in the freezer and scoop it out two tablespoons at a time for the individual drinks.
• Rum: You can use either gold rum or spiced rum for this holiday cocktail (see below.)
• Apple cider: Be sure you’re using apple cider and not apple cider vinegar!
• Whipped cream: Added at the end for serving.
• Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon and cinnamon sticks make great garnishes.

What’s the best rum to use?

Any dark or spiced rum will work to make this Christmas cocktail. Spiced rum is typically dark rum that has been flavored with caramel and other spices. I prefer dark rum because you have more control over the spices added, but a quality spiced rum works well too. I recommend a mid-range rum – not the cheapest, but you definitely don’t need the most expensive either.

How to Make Hot Buttered Rum

Making this classic holiday cocktail is simple and once you have the batter prepared, each drink comes together in seconds!
(Scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details.)

• Make the batter. Melt the butter over medium heat then blend in the brown sugar and powdered sugar. Remove from heat and whisk in the ice cream and apple pie spice. Transfer the mixture to a freezer-safe plastic container and freeze until solid.
• Make the holiday cocktail. In a glass mug, add 2 tablespoons of the batter and 2 ounces of rum. Fill with hot apple cider and stir to combine.
• Serve. Garnish with whipped cream, a dash of ground cinnamon, and a cinnamon stick.

Easy Variations

Need a kid-friendly version or maybe rum isn’t your jam? Here are a few ways you can switch up this recipe to be suitable for almost anyone:

• Make it a mocktail. For the kid-friendly version, simply omit the shot of rum when assembling the drink. Or for adults who don’t want booze, but love coffee, add some of that. You’ll still have a warming spiced beverage perfect for enjoying during the holidays.
• Use whiskey instead. Prefer whiskey to rum? Simply swap out the rum for your favorite whiskey. Apple Jack Daniels in this drink is delish!
• Use water instead of apple cider. Many versions of this drink simply use boiling water when assembling the drink. I prefer the flavors of apple cider and it helps make the drink a little sweeter and more complex, but if you only have water on hand, you can still make your hot buttered rum.
• Make a smaller batch. If 50 drinks seems like a lot, you can easily halve the hot buttered rum batter recipe. Just be sure to keep a ratio of 1:1:1 of butter, brown sugar, and powdered sugar.

Serving Suggestions

Serve your hot buttered rum in a mug or heatproof glass. I like to top mine with some whipped cream and a cinnamon stick. A sprinkle of cinnamon or other spices on top is a nice touch as well. The whipped cream will melt, making the drink even creamier.

Be sure to serve the drink warm, just after adding the hot apple cider.

How to Store

The hot buttered rum batter will last in the freezer for up to 3 months, just enough time to get you through the holiday season and winter. Store in an airtight, freezer-safe container and simply scoop out a serving of the batter as needed to make the hot cocktail. An ice cream scoop is perfect for this.

More Holiday Drink Recipes:

• Brandy Alexander Milkshake
• Easy Holiday Punch
• Jack Frost Winter Cocktail
• Easy Christmas Punch
• Shirley Temple Party Punch

I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!