This Apple Cider Hot Buttered Rum is the definition of warm and cozy in a mug! It starts with a buttered rum batter (that can be made ahead!) flavored with apple butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and warm spices like cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and cloves. Make it quick by using hot apple cider, or take it to the next level by mulling the apple cider with whole spices, fresh apple, and orange slices. Spiked with spiced rum and topped with whipped cream, it's truly special.
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Disclosure: This post is paid for by the Michigan Apple Committee. Michigan is the nation's second-largest producer of
apples! 🍎😍We're proud to showcase the delicious apples and apple products produced in our state!
This is our coziest cocktail yet. Seriously! We love a warm beverage simmering away on the stovetop like our Nordic mulled wine during the fall and winter; it's so comforting! This version of buttered rum is truly incredible. Luscious, decadent, and really embraces the flavors of the season.
We love making a big batch of this apple buttered rum batter ahead of time and keeping it in the fridge (it lasts up to 2 weeks, or 3 months in the freezer!). This way, we can whip up these cocktails whenever the mood strikes. Perfect for après-ski or sledding 😜, holiday gatherings, or just a cozy night on the couch when it's cold out!
If you have the extra 20 minutes, mulling the apple cider makes your house smell absolutely amazing and adds incredible depth of flavor. But if you're short on time, just warm the cider and you'll have a rich, spiced, deliciously buttery drink ready in under 5 minutes!
If you love apple-flavored drinks, make sure to check out our apple cider whiskey sour or this apple cider slushy!
🍎Ingredients
🍎Ingredient Notes
- Apples. We love to stock up on plenty of apples from one of our 850 family-run farms here in Michigan! Michigan produces a large variety of apples. We like using a mixture of super-sweet and crisp Honeycrisp apples, alongside Cripps Pink apples for their tart and sweet flavor. Make sure to choose varieties that are firm and won't completely turn to mush when mulling the cider.
- Apple cider. During peak cider mill season here in Michigan, we love to grab fresh cider from one of our local apple farms/cider mills! If cider mills are closed for the season, choose the kind you find in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. We don't recommend using shelf-stable apple juice or apple cider from concentrate because these drinks lack flavor.
- Apple butter. Rich and spiced, apple butter adds a ton of flavor, depth, and sweetness. If we run out of apple butter from our local Michigan farms, we love to make our own homemade apple butter.
How to Make a Hot Buttered Rum with Apple Cider
This hot buttered apple cider rum drink comes together really quickly, even if you opt for doing the optional step of mulling the cider! Here's how to make spiced mulled cider:
Step 1 - optional!*
Combine apple cider, whole spices, ginger, apple slices, and orange slices in a Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat.
Reduce the heat to low, and bring to a gentle simmer, be careful not to boil! Simmer for at least 15-20 minutes (but up to 3 hours).
⌛Short on time? No worries! You can skip mulling the cider and simply warm the apple cider when it's time to serve instead.
Step 2
After 15-20 minutes of simmering, the flavor should be nice and infused.
Overnight infusion. If desired, you can refrigerate the cider before straining, covered, overnight in the fridge before removing the fruit and spices to allow the flavors to infuse more!
Step 3
Use a metal sieve or skimmer and remove the whole spices and fruit from the pot, and discard them.
Mulling the cider can be done up to 4 days in advance and stored in the fridge, covered. When it's time to serve, simply reheat it and pour it over the buttered rum batter in glasses!
Step 4
To make the apple buttered rum batter, combine softened butter, apple butter, brown sugar, vanilla, spices, and salt in a bowl.
🧈Butter. We'd recommend using unsalted butter to have more control over the final salt level. If you can, make this with high-quality butter. This will make a HUGE impact on the flavor of the drink!
Step 5
Using an electric hand mixer (or a rubber spatula with a lot of patience), combine all of the ingredients until a smooth mixture forms.
You can make the buttered rum batter up to 2 weeks in advance and store it in the fridge, or freeze it, and it will last for 3 months.
Step 6
To make the drink, add a scoop of the buttered rum batter to the bottom of a heat-safe glass. You will need about 1 ½ tablespoons of batter per drink.
Pour the dark rum over the butter mixture.
🥃Rum. Any dark rum will work, but we took it a step further and got spiced dark rum for even more flavor. You could also substitute whiskey in place of rum - it would taste great!
Step 7
Pour hot apple cider into the mug over the butter and rum.
We recommend using a double-walled mug or a mug with thick walls that can contain heat well, and that won't transfer too much of that heat to your hands.
Step 8
Stir with a spoon to melt the butter.
✨It's important that the apple cider is really hot (without boiling!) so it can melt the butter.
Top with whipped cream, cinnamon powder, a cinnamon stick, and an apple slice, and enjoy while warm!
🍺Make it a mocktail! The buttered rum batter combined with hot apple cider is absolutely delicious on its own if you're serving kids or anyone who doesn't drink alcohol, so feel free to leave the rum out if you like!
🍎Looking for more ways to use Michigan Honeycrisp apples and apple products? We also love them in this savory stuffed apple pork loin roulade! perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, or Easter dinner!
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📖 Recipe
Hot Apple Cider Buttered Rum Recipe
Equipment
- dutch oven or stock pot
- metal sieve or skimmer
Ingredients
Mulled apple cider (makes 8 servings)
- 4 cups fresh apple cider ½ gallon
- 1 medium Honey Crisp apple can substitute for a firm and super sweet apple, cut into slices or rounds
- 1 medium Cripps Pink apple can substitute for a sweet & tart, firm apple, cut into slices or rounds
- 1 medium orange cut into slices or rounds, optional
- 3 whole cinnamon sticks
- 1 whole star anise pod
- ½ tablespoon whole cardamom pods crushed slightly
- ½ tablespoon whole cloves
- ½ tablespoon whole allspice
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger about 1.5 inches long, cut into chunks, optional
Apple buttered rum batter (makes 8 servings)
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened 1 stick
- ⅔ cup brown sugar 134g
- ¼ cup apple butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
Per 1 drink
- 1 ½ tablespoons buttered rum batter to taste
- 1 ½ - 2 ounces dark spiced rum to taste
- ½ cup mulled apple cider hot!
- Whipped cream, apple slices, cinnamon & a cinnamon stick for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Mull the apple cider (optional!) You can skip right to heating the cider on its own without mulling if you are short on time. To mull, combine apple cider, whole spices, ginger, apple slices, and orange slices in a Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer.4 cups fresh apple cider, 1 medium Honey Crisp apple, 1 medium Cripps Pink apple, 1 medium orange, 3 whole cinnamon sticks, 1 whole star anise pod, ½ tablespoon whole cardamom pods, ½ tablespoon whole cloves, ½ tablespoon whole allspice, 2 tablespoons fresh ginger
- Reduce the heat to low, and allow the mixture to simmer gently. Take care not to boil the mixture. Simmer for at least 15-20 minutes (but up to 3 hours). For even more flavor, you can refrigerate the cider overnight before straining, covered, in the fridge before removing the fruit and spices to allow the flavors to infuse more!
- Use a metal sieve or skimmer and remove the whole spices and fruit from the pot, and discard them. Keep the cider warm over medium-low heat until you're ready to mix up your drinks.
- Apple buttered rum batter. Combine softened butter, apple butter, brown sugar, vanilla, spices, and salt in a bowl.½ cup unsalted butter, ¼ cup apple butter, ⅔ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon allspice, ¼ teaspoon cloves
- Using an electric hand mixer (or by hand with some patience!), combine all of the ingredients until a smooth mixture forms. You can make this up to 2 weeks in advance and store it in the fridge, or freeze it, and it will last for 3 months.
- To make one drink. Add buttered rum batter to the bottom of a thick-walled (or double-walled) mug. Pour the spiced rum over top, followed by the hot apple cider! Stir well until the butter melts.1 ½ tablespoons buttered rum batter, 1 ½ - 2 ounces dark spiced rum, ½ cup mulled apple cider
- Top with whipped cream, cinnamon powder, a cinnamon stick, and an apple slice, and enjoy when your drink is nice and warm!Whipped cream, apple slices, cinnamon & a cinnamon stick
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Video
Notes
- Mulling the apple cider. This can be done 4 days in advance of serving and kept in the fridge in an airtight container, then can be reheated right before serving. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months, then thawed and reheated.
- Adjust the sweetness. If you prefer a less sweet drink, start with ½ cup brown sugar in the batter and add more to taste.
- Adjust spice level. Love spices? Add an extra ½ teaspoon of cinnamon or a pinch of ground ginger. Prefer it milder? Cut the spices in half.
- Make it non-alcoholic. Skip the rum entirely! The buttered rum batter with hot mulled apple cider is still absolutely delicious on its own-perfect for kids or anyone who doesn't drink.
- Batch it for a party. Keep the batter in a bowl, the mulled cider warm in a slow cooker, and let guests build their own drinks! Set out the rum, whipped cream, and garnishes for a fun DIY cocktail bar.
- Freeze the batter in portions. Scoop 1.5 tablespoon-sized portions of the batter onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze, then transfer to a freezer bag. That way, you can enjoy a drink anytime over the cold season; it will last up to 3 months in the freezer!
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