There's no question as to why hot buttered rum has been popular for more than 300 years now, and that it deserves its own unofficial food holiday. Today, Jan. 17, is National Hot Buttered Rum Day. The spiced butter, the dark rum and the hot water or cider mix together to form the liquid equivalent of a hug. It's served hot, as the name implies, and is very popular in the winter and around the holidays, says National Day Calendar You can use spiced rum to add an extra kick to the drink, says The Nibble.
Martha Stewart's recipe for a hot buttered rum is a great place to start, and she adds a little orange juice for extra flavor. You can use it or omit it, but either way, her method is great. To make a hot buttered rum, blend butter with orange zest, sugar, cinnamon, ground ginger and nutmeg. Mix two tablespoons of the butter mix with an ounce or two of dark or spiced rum and pour 3/4 cup of boiling water in. Mix well, and garnish with whole spices or a squeeze of orange juice.
Watch the video below, uploaded by YouTube user Keith Marszalek, where New Orleans' very dapper top bartender Chris MacMillan of the Ritz-Carlton shows us his take on the hot buttered rum:
As long as there is butter, rum and spices, you can make your own personalized version of the drink however you want to celebrate National Hot Buttered Rum Day.
