Hot Buttered Rum
Serves 1 · 5 mins · Heatproof mug
Last updated 17 August 2026
An eighteenth-century drink that has never been improved on: a spoonful of spiced butter batter, a generous measure of rum, and hot water. The butter gives it a silky weight, the sugar and spice bloom in the heat, and spiced rum means you need far fewer additions than the original recipe called for. Make the batter once and keep it in the fridge all winter.
Ingredients
- — 50ml Dilay 1949 Spiced Rum
- — 1 heaped tbsp spiced butter batter (see below)
- — 150ml boiling water
- — Grated nutmeg and a cinnamon stick, to garnish
- — For the batter: 100g softened unsalted butter, 100g soft brown sugar, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, ¼ tsp ground cardamom, pinch of salt
Method
- Beat the butter, brown sugar, spices and salt together until smooth to make the batter. It keeps in the fridge for two weeks.
- Put a heaped tablespoon of the batter into a warmed heatproof mug.
- Add the spiced rum and stir to loosen the batter.
- Top with boiling water, stir until glossy, and finish with grated nutmeg and a cinnamon stick.
Tips for getting it right
- — Warm the mug with hot water first — a cold mug seizes the butter.
- — Swap the water for hot whole milk for a richer, dessert-like version.
- — The batter freezes well. Portion it into an ice cube tray and use one cube per mug.
Frequently asked questions
What rum is best for hot buttered rum?
A spiced or dark rum. Spiced rum works especially well because its warming spices echo the cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom in the butter batter.
Can you make hot buttered rum batter ahead?
Yes — it keeps for two weeks in the fridge and several months in the freezer, so you can make a mug in under two minutes.
Does hot buttered rum use water or milk?
Traditionally boiling water, which keeps it lighter. Hot milk makes a creamier, richer drink closer to a dessert.
Which rum is best to drink in winter?
The best rum to drink in winter is a spiced rum in a hot serve or an aged dark rum sipped neat. Hot buttered rum, made with 50ml spiced rum, 120ml hot water, butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, is the classic winter rum drink. For sipping by the fire, an aged rum such as Appleton Estate 15 Year Old or Mount Gay XO works best.
Try Dilay 1949 Panjabi Spiced Rum in this recipe.
BUY DILAY 1949 PANJABI SPICED RUMMore spiced rum serves
Buying a bottle for the festive season? See our guide to the best rum for Christmas, or find the best rum for Christmas pudding, or see what the rest of the country is drinking in our research into Britain's Christmas cocktail searches.
Dilay is for adults of legal drinking age. Please drink responsibly.