Welcome to the one time of year when it’s totally acceptable (encouraged even) that we coat our throats with a hearty dose of booze and butter. That’s right, my friends… it’s totally time to drink butter. Call your mom, call your friends, text your ex-boyfriend from three ex-boyfriends ago (awesome excuse), and let everyone know that it’s time to get on this drinkable butter bandwagon. Hallelujah, this is fun/dangerous/delicious/ridiculous/whaaaat!?
This post is brought to you by: there’s a bottle of spiced rum ‘decorating’ my desk (and something must be done about it).
Let’s start with our spices. Cinnamon sticks are stellar. Freshly grated nutmeg is so fragrant it’s bonkers. Fresh cloves are in-your-face holiday. This is a solid trio. Should you want to spice things up for real, you might try a few dried anise seeds, too. Just a few!
I find that it’s important to use whole spices for this recipe. The whole cinnamon sticks and cloves will be steeped in our liquid. The one small exception is the nutmeg… we don’t throw the whole nutmeg pod in, we simply fresh grate a few good pinches into the liquid. Cool?
We’re using a spiced apple cider as our base liquid. I just used a bottled, unfiltered apple cider… the kind of apple cider you’d want to chug cold, straight from the jar (not that I did that, or anything).
Cider is brought to a simmer and the essence of spices are infused into the liquid. If you place your face over the steaming cider… it’s like a cider facial (which probably costs about three hundred dollars in Beverly Hills).
A bit of butter is added as well. Butter is melted and whisked into the steaming cider. What could be bad about this!? Absolutely nothing (unless you’re vegan or allergic to butter).
To finish the cider we add a hearty dose of black spiced rum, round sliced apples, and a splash of fresh lemon juice.
This Hot Buttered Rum and Cider is my new go-to holiday cocktail situation. I’m going to keep in warm in a dutch oven on the stove top when I know people will be stopping by. I made a batch and actually placed it back in the apple cider jar or future holiday-drop-in circumstances. I appear to be clever… but I might just drink it all myself.
Feel free to adapt this recipe in any way you see fit. If you don’t have rum, try bourbon. If you’re vegan, leave out the butter. If you’re not into booze at all… well heck, just leave it out! The heart of this dish lies in the warm and spiced apple cider. Rum and butter just make it go down all the easier.
It’s a holidaaaaayyy!
xo
Hot Buttered Rum and Cider
serves 4
adapted from Epicurious
3 cups spiced apple cider
1/2 cup water
2 cinnamon sticks
10 whole cloves
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter
3/4 cup dark spiced rum
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
sliced apples and cinnamon sticks for serving
In a medium saucepan, combine cider, water, cinnamon sticks, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 15 minutes.
Uncover, return to medium heat, and add butter. Stir until melted. Remove from heat, stir in bourbon and lemon juice. Remove cinnamon sticks and cloves. Add sliced apples before serving. I like to serve the cider in mugs with cinnamon sticks for garnish.
Kathryn
Is that cleansing sage as part of your desk decorations? Love it. I’ve written you a million times, I think we’d be friends. But now I’m just the weird stalker that says over and over, without reply, that we should be friends. I made your gingerbread cake today, haven’t tried it yet but it smells totes amaze. Teach me how to wear a hi-low skirt, I know you must have tips. Happy holidays Joy the Baker! Seatbelts.
joythebaker
it’s totally cleansing sage. you’re totally not a weird stalker. i appreciate you. but wait… what’s a hi-low skirt?
Kathryn
Oh, Joy! A hi-low skirt is one of those that is high in the front and longer in the back? I picked up that name from modcloth, which is where I have a long navy number in my “shopping bag” that I just can’t decide on. It seems like a summery look, but I recently saw a chick with short boots and scrunched socks that looked really cute, and I was just wondering how you might have rocked one. This is old news, but you and Tracy got me blazin’ it up! I’m up in montery; us cali ladies dont totally have to dress for the seasons, right? i wore flip flops over the weekend. Really though, you’re an inspiration. Xoxo
joythebaker
tracy and i need to talk about the hi-low skirt on the podcast. it’s just too much to type.
anna
yaay! drinkable butter!
Julianne of Kitchen Constellations
loved the photos in this post! the picture of the apple makes me want to grab some paper and draw it…. normal impulse, yes?
Ellen @ Indigo Scones
Kraken= the best rum and coke! Also, vanilla beans are steeping in a bottle of it as we speak. Going to be one crazy good extract!
tracy {pale yellow}
warm cider, delicious spices, butter; joy you speak my love language!
Laura D
Last time I made a batch of mulled wine I drank it all by myself, including the mason jar I filled and saved for later to “share” so… if that does happen, you know, it’s Christmastime, TREAT YO SELF
Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe
My family makes hot buttered rum every Christmas, but we use a mix. I like this idea much better, especially with the addition of apple cider. Yum!
Mary Obremski
Joy, will you be coming out with another cookbook? Anxiously waiting for #2. :)
Chloe Moon
So far I haven’t had any Christmasy drinks…that needs to change! This sounds so yummy!!!! =)
Ergo – Blog
Nicole @ Lapetitebaker
Hot buttered rum is my favorite cocktail for the holiday season! Love love this recipe.
Julie Smyth
JOY! I have a question….. I haven’t heard anything about my next Lost Crates shipment. I tried to check their website and it seems to be MIA…. what does this mean? I LOVED my surprise in August but am not sure what’s going on. Let me know please :)
joythebaker
I’ve actually stopped sending out Lost Crates shipments.
Jennifer
I totally recommend Smirnoff Kissed Caramel Vodka to be added to warmed cider. Totally delicious. :) Your recipe looks super yummy!
Lauren
This is my favorite drink this time of year! I totes take it to parties and keep in warm in a crock-pot! Happy Holidays Joy!
Seanna Lea
My Christmas party was on the 8th, or I so would have made this. It might have ended up a little light on the rum, but that would be aOK!