Cozy Coffee Hot Buttered Rum

This coffee hot buttered rum is the coziest, dreamiest winter cocktail. It’s made from scratch with homemade batter, hot coffee, fresh whipped cream, and warm spices. Save this recipe for Christmas morning, holiday parties, and lazy Sunday nights.

Now that we are days away from Christmas, I am in full cozy, winter wonderland, cookie mode. But before I make my husband hide my laptop and hibernate for the rest of the year, I had to share just one more little recipe with you all!

This year, we’ll be having Christmas breakfast at Marc’s family’s house, and my contribution is hot buttered rum. This is one of my go-to holiday drinks along with cinnamon hot chocolate and Norwegian gløgg, of course.

This buttered rum is a traditional holiday cocktail that is rich, sweet, spicy, and beyond cozy! But, in this recipe we’re using coffee instead of hot water, because well, when don’t I add coffee? It basically makes it a morning drink which means it’s perfectly acceptable for Christmas brunch. Let’s make it!

The best coffee rum cocktail

A few years ago, I went to a party that had a hot buttered rum bar and I’ve been obsessed with them ever since. This is a recipe that I’ve developed over the past few holidays and it’s by far my favorite! Also, instead of hot water, we’re using coffee because it adds so much extra flavor and coziness.

• This recipe is sweet, spicy, and boozy.
• If you’re a coffee fan, you’ll love this cocktail!
• The recipe comes together in just a few minutes.
• This cocktail is amazing for parties, holidays, & cold winter nights!

A few ingredients & substitutions

The batter

• Unsalted butter – this will add richness to the cocktail. It’s also key for the signature butterscotch flavor.
• Brown sugar – for sweetness and caramel notes. I like dark brown sugar!
• Spices – cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves will add spice and warmth to the batter. Any warm spices like allspice, anise, and mace would work too.
• Salt – I use Morton’s Kosher salt to offset the sweetness of the batter.
• Vanilla – for just a little extra flavor. Make sure you’re using 100% pure vanilla extract.

The cocktails

• Coffee – pick a coffee with flavor notes like nuts, chocolate, or caramel. Feel free to use decaf if you like.
• Rum – a splash of spiced rum makes this drink perfectly boozy. Try dark rum or bourbon instead!
• Half-and-half – this is optional but I like adding a bit for creaminess.
• Whipped cream – for topping the cocktails. This is also optional!

Make this drink

To make the batter

1. In a small bowl, mix together the butter and brown sugar until it’s smooth.
2. Then, add the cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and vanilla.
3. Mix everything together until it’s very smooth.

To make the cocktails

1. Add the batter and rum to a mug.
2. Then, pour the coffee into the mug and stir until the butter is melted.
3. Mix the half-and-half into the coffee. Lastly, add whipped cream and enjoy!

Store & freeze for later

Spoon leftovers into an airtight container. Refrigerate the batter for up to 2 weeks – amazing for gifting or make-ahead drinks!

To freeze the batter, use a #40 cookie scoop to scoop the batter into mounds on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Freeze the sheet pan until the batter pucks are solid, about 1-2 hours. Then, pop the frozen batter in a zipper bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

Non-alcoholic version

To make a non-alcoholic hot buttered rum, just replace the rum with an NA version or leave it out entirely. If you want rum flavor without the alcohol, you can also try adding 1-2 teaspoons of rum extract to the batter!

Big batch for a crowd

Making this coffee rum cocktail for a crowd? You can make it in a slow cooker for easy serving. Here’s how!

1. Mix the batter and brewed coffee in a slow cooker.
2. Set the slow cooker to WARM and stir it well to make sure everything is mixed.
3. Then, ladle the coffee into mugs. Add a shot of rum, half-and-half (if you want), top with whipped cream, and enjoy!

More tips

• Use good-quality butter and coffee. They’re the main flavors in this cocktail, so good-quality stuff makes a big difference!
• Make sure the butter is room temperature. You want the butter and sugar to mix together like you would with cookie dough.
• Add more or less batter to taste. If you prefer less sweet cocktails, use less batter. If you like sweeter cocktails, use more.
• Fresh spices make a huge difference in this drink! I recommend using freshly-ground spices (or at least new spices) for the best flavor.

If you make this recipe, I would love it if you left a star rating and review! I read every single comment and love hearing what you think about my recipes. Thank you for supporting Sunday Table!

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