Hot Buttered Rum

So while I'm not much of a drinker (I only drink heavily on days ending in "y") this particular hot toddy is a sentimental one. Way back during our first operational assignment to Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany, we were assigned to the 22nd FS (a squadron that sadly no longer exists) and we shared many good times with our fellow Stingers. One said good time was our annual wives holiday bazaar fundraiser where we would slave over our kitchen aid mixers producing hot buttered batter to sell each year at the base's holiday bazaar. Vendors come from all over Europe to sell their wares at the giant holiday bazaar. It was great shopping and great fun selling our hot buttered beverage each year with the wives. I miss it dearly and day dream regularly about going back!

We made two kinds of hot buttered rum, (sadly neither with actual rum because we lacked a liquor license) one was the "ready mix" kind and we would serve up hot on the spot, and the other, a jarred version that you could mix up yourself at home and it was awful! I didn't bother writing down the jarred recipe, but below is the ready mix recipe. I've altered it slightly, mostly just made a smaller amount because the original recipe was a mass produced version that would fill a large rubbermaid container! I consulted my resident alcoholic as to what kind of rum I would need, Hot Buttered Malibu didn't sound right, I like my malibu with pineapple juice and grenadine anyways. Steve told me to look for a dark, rich rum. So off to the store I went to get the ingredients and be horrified when the cashier didn't even card me for my rum purchase! I ended up with Bacardi Gold Rum. A taste test of the final product won me many praises from Steve so I must have gotten the recipe right! Here is what you'll need:

Stinger "Ready Mix" Hot Buttered Rum

4 Sticks of Butter

16 oz (one box) of Brown Sugar

32 oz bag of Powdered Sugar

2 oz Imitation Rum

2 tsp ground Cinnamon

1 tsp ground Nutmeg

1/2 Gallon of Vanilla Ice Cream, softened

Cool Whip or Whipped Cream topping

Lots and lots of Bicardo Gold Rum

Melt the butter in a large pan on the stovetop over low heat. I mean large, like a stock pot if you have one. Once the butter is melted, stir in both kinds of sugar. I didn't use the entire bag of the powdered sugar, maybe about 2/3 of the bag. I used my hand held mixer here because I have no patience. Once the butter and sugar are well mixed, add the imitation rum and spices. Add more or less imitation rum/spices to taste, but I find this recipe just perfect. Remove from heat. Allow to cool for a few minutes so when you add the ice cream it doesn't just melt immediately. This is when I took baby girl upstairs for bath and bedtime, a process that takes about 20 minutes (25 on a squirmy night) and then returned to the recipe. Once the mixture has cooled a little bit, add the softened ice cream and mix until well combined. Package mixture into freezer bags or tupperware containers and freeze until you plan on using it. You can keep it frozen for 3 months. When you are ready to use it, set out the mixture an hour or so before to soften it and make it easier to scoop. Combine about a 1/2 cup of the mixture with a 1/2 cup of boiling water in a mug, add more or less mixture to taste. I find a 1:1 ratio of the mixture to boiling water is perfect. If it's five o'clock somewhere on a day ending in "y" toss in a shot of Bicardi Dark Rum (or two shots, if the day has been particularly strong.) Top with cool whip or whipped cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg. The drink is also very delicious without the alcohol but that's really no fun and my kids seem less whiney after I've tossed a few back. Enjoy!