National Hot Buttered Rum Day falls annually on January 17 and celebrates this warm alcoholic drink that contains, hot water, rum, butter, a sweetener and spices such as cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon.
Even though the season of holiday cocktails is behind us, the desire for something warm and comforting to drink during the cold is not! That’s where National Hot Buttered Rum Day comes in.
Keep reading for ways to celebrate this national cocktail day, its history and get a recipe for homemade hot buttered rum at the bottom of the post.
How to observe National Hot Buttered Rum Day
Looking for a creative way to celebrate this national day? Try one of the ideas below:
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- Make your own hot buttered rum cocktail from scratch with the recipe below.
- Learn about the differences between the 10 most popular types of rum to thoroughly enjoy this spirit.
- Show your love of this drink by wearing a hot buttered rum t-shirt.
- Serve your drink in fancy clear mug.
- Make hot buttered rum the easy way with a hot buttered rum mix.
- Add hot buttered rum syrup to your coffee this morning.
- Use the hashtag #NationalHotButteredRumDay to spread the word about the day on social media.
The history of hot buttered rum
Hot buttered rum is considered one of the oldest mixed drinks in America.
We can thank our early ancestors for the tradition of hot buttered rum. During the mid 1600’s, Jamaica began exporting molasses, from which rum is distilled, to Colonial America.
The first distilleries in New England opened and then early colonists began adding distilled rum to hot beverages, which ended up with the creation of hot buttered rum.
More January 17 national days
Did you enjoy learning about National Hot Buttered Rum Day? Well you’re in luck, January 17 is host to more than just one national day!
Here is a complete list of all the January 17 national days:
- National Hot Buttered Rum Day
- Ditch New Year’s Resolutions Day
- Judgement Day
- Cable Car Day
- Kid Inventors’ Day
- Hot Heads Chili Day
- Ben Franklin Day
- National Bootlegger’s Day
For more reasons to celebrate this month be sure to check out this list of national days in January and these January food holidays.
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Here is a recipe for homemade hot buttered rum from scratch. Print it out below and make one to celebrate the day.
Hot Buttered Rum Day Recipe
This delicious drink is a combination of dark rum, spices and butter. It is perfect for the cold days of winter.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of butter - softened
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 dash ground cinnamon
- 1 dash ground nutmeg
- 1 dash ground allspice
- 1 dash pure vanilla extract
- 2 ounces dark rum
- 5 ounces water (hot)
- Optional: Cinnamon Stick
Instructions
- Place the butter, sugar, and spices into the bottom of a heavy glass or mug.
- Mix well with a muddle.
- Pour in the rum, and top the glass with hot water.
- Stir well.
- Garnish with a cinnamon stick if desired and enjoy.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
1Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 252Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 99mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gProtein: 0g
Nutritional information is approximate due to natural variation in ingredients and the cook-at-home nature of our meals.
D. Rouse
Friday 22nd of January 2021
In 1976 I had hot buttered rum in a Colonial Williamsburg restaurant to accompany my Game Pie. It had ONLY hot rum and unsalted butter; NO sugar and NO spices. Now every "recipe" I see for this warming beverage is loaded with sugar and has added spices, and even other adornments. Surely historical Colonial Williamsburg had the correct, original, recipe; simply hot rum and butter, just as the name of this beverage states. Not much of a drinker beyond occasional wine, I remember being startled when first I tasted it! Fond memories........