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Created by Chef Remy
Silky butter melting into dark rum and warm spices, the drink that turns a cold night on the gallery into a celebration, served steaming in thick mugs with a grating of fresh nutmeg on top.
Some drinks warm your hands. This one warms your soul. Hot buttered rum has been the answer to Louisiana's rare cold snaps since the French Quarter was young. When that damp winter wind comes off the river, nothing else will do.
At Lagniappe, we serve this from Thanksgiving through Mardi Gras. The secret is the batter: butter whipped with brown sugar and spices until it becomes something like a sweet, fragrant compound that melts on contact with hot water and rum. Make a batch and keep it in your icebox. When guests arrive cold and tired, you're three minutes from being the best host they've ever known.
My grandmother Evangeline made her batter with a little vanilla and a pinch of salt. She said the salt makes everything else taste more like itself. Four generations later, I still make it her way. The proportions matter less than the quality of your ingredients. Use real butter, dark muscovado if you can find it, and rum with some character. Cheap rum makes cheap drinks, and we don't do cheap in this kitchen.
Quantity
1 cup (2 sticks/226g)
softened
Quantity
1 cup (220g)
packed
Quantity
1/4 cup (85g)
Quantity
1 1/2 teaspoons
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
freshly grated, plus more for garnish
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon
Quantity
1/8 teaspoon
Quantity
1 teaspoon
Quantity
8 ounces
preferably aged Louisiana or Caribbean
Quantity
4 cups
Quantity
for garnish
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| unsalted buttersoftened | 1 cup (2 sticks/226g) |
| dark brown sugarpacked | 1 cup (220g) |
| honey | 1/4 cup (85g) |
| ground cinnamon | 1 1/2 teaspoons |
| nutmegfreshly grated, plus more for garnish | 1/2 teaspoon |
| ground allspice | 1/4 teaspoon |
| ground cloves | 1/4 teaspoon |
| fine sea salt | 1/8 teaspoon |
| pure vanilla extract | 1 teaspoon |
| dark rumpreferably aged Louisiana or Caribbean | 8 ounces |
| boiling water | 4 cups |
| cinnamon sticks (optional) | for garnish |
Place the softened butter in a large bowl. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about two minutes. Add the brown sugar gradually, beating after each addition until completely incorporated. The mixture should be smooth and creamy, with no sugar granules visible when you rub a bit between your fingers.
Pour in the honey and beat until fully combined. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and salt. Beat on low speed until the spices are evenly distributed throughout. The batter should smell like Christmas morning and look like caramel-colored frosting.
Add the vanilla extract and beat one final time until everything is uniformly blended. Taste the batter. It should be intensely sweet and spiced, almost overwhelming. This is correct. The hot water and rum will mellow everything out. Transfer the batter to a container with a lid. You now have enough for about sixteen drinks.
When you're ready to serve, fill your mugs with hot tap water and let them sit for a minute or two while you prepare the drinks. Cold ceramic steals heat from the drink the moment it's poured. Pour out the warming water just before assembling.
For each serving, place two tablespoons of the spiced butter batter in a warmed mug. Add one ounce of dark rum. Pour in half a cup of boiling water. Stir vigorously until the butter melts completely and the surface becomes glossy and golden, with small pools of butter floating on top. That's what you want to see.
Grate fresh nutmeg over the top of each drink. Add a cinnamon stick if you like. Serve immediately while steam still rises from the mug. This is not a drink that waits. The butter will solidify if it cools too much, and nobody wants to drink that.
1 serving (about 215g)
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