How to Make Hot Buttered Rum and warm up on a dreary mid-January day)
Welcome to mid-January, possibly the most depressing time of year.
The holidays are over and you may have noticed you had to start using a different notch on your belt. But your big belly is nothing compared to the even bigger credit card bills that you accumulated buying gifts, throwing get-togethers, and traveling these past few months.
New Year’s Resolutions have already started to lose their shine and you are wondering what you were thinking when you posted all over our social media that this year was going to be the year of change.
Life has returned to “normal” and that can be quite a letdown.
UGH -depressing indeed!
Never fear!
National Hot Buttered Rum Day is here!
And there is no better way to warm up and lighten your mood on a deary mid-January day than a hot alcoholic beverage – am I right?!
An economy fueled by Rum...
In the middle of the 16th century, America began importing molasses from Jamaica which was then distilled to create rum.
It quickly became one of the most common pantry items back in colonial days because it was cheap, easy to get, and even considered “nutritious.”
FUN FACT: During that time, water was considered unsafe to drink unless boiled which meant grabbing your trusty jar of distilled deliciousness was the more convenient choice. You were more likely to be offered rum than tea (which was kept locked up) when visiting someone’s home.
It was even used to incentivize people to get to the polls and vote. In 1758, George Washington has his agents supply voters with 160 of rum, beer, wine, and ciders. (The next question is - did they have to show ID? 😏)
Rum actually made up 1/5 of the Colonial economy. It wasn’t until after the Revolution that grain-based alcoholic beverages like beer became popular.
Who created Hot Buttered Rum?
Given the abundance of rum in every household, it was only a matter of time before some brilliant colonists decided to add their rum to hot beverages on a cold day, thus creating what we call hot-buttered rum.
After that, no holiday celebration was complete without it. In fact, it even became its OWN holiday - JANUARY 17th!
Hot Buttered Rum Recipe
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter (room temp)
- ¼ honey
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- Pinch of salt
- ¾ cup spiced rum
- 2 cups boiling water
- 4 cinnamon sticks (garnish)
Instructions
- Using an electric mixer, beat brown sugar, butter, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in a medium bowl until smooth.
- Transfer into a larger bowl and add rum and boiling water.
- Stir until butter mixture dissolves and divide up into 4 mugs.
- Garnish each with a cinnamon stick, serve and ENJOY
So hears to turning your mid-month slump into a celebration of just surviving January - CHEERS!