In the colder months, I know everyone loves to cozy up by a nice hot fire and have a warm, comforting drink in their hands. Hot cocoa is great most of the time, but sometimes we want something a little stronger. Whether it's heating things up with a loved one by the fire, or having a small get together at your house, hot buttered rum is the perfect drink to warm up to.

Making your own hot buttered rum batter is much less expensive than buying store batters. Plus, you can change it up to match your own taste buds. If you would like to share your love for hot buttered rum, you can jar up your batter and give it to friends as gifts!

If you have kids or don't drink alcoholic beverages, you can also make a virgin version of this comforting drink!

Step 1: Tools

You will need:
-Large pot
-Small pot
-Mixing bowls
-Mixing spoons
-Measuring cups/spoons
-Whisk
-Shot glass
-Your favorite glasses or mugs

Step 2: Ingredients

For the batter:
-1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
-2 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
-4 cups powdered (Confectioner's) sugar
-1 pint top-quality vanilla ice cream, softened
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
-Bottle of rum (dark or light)

For the cocktail:
-1 orange, quartered
-Rimming sugar; half brown sugar and half granulated sugar
-1/2 cup boiling water
-1-2 shots rum (depending on how strong you like it)
-Whipped cream
-Nutmeg and/or cinnamon sticks for garnish

Step 3: Prepare the Batter

Measure the brown sugar and Confectioner's sugar and put in separate mixing bowls.
In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Make sure you are stirring the butter as it melts, so it doesn't burn to the bottom of the pot. Gradually and slowly blend in brown sugar and powdered sugar, stirring to make sure the mixture doesn't get lumpy. It should be thick at this point. Turn off the stove and remove the batter from heat. Whisk in the ice cream, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The batter will liquify after adding the ice cream.

Step 4: Freeze the Batter

After allowing the mixture to cool, poor it into a freezer safe container, seal it tight, and place in a freezer for a few hours.

The batter should be firm before preparing your cocktail. It will not be rock hard frozen, it should be about the consistency of ice cream.

Step 5: Make the Cocktail

In a small pot, boil a few cups of water, you will need 1 cup water for each cocktail, so make sure you have enough water for everyone in your party. Remember that some water will evaporate while boiling, so make sure to account for this when measuring. For example, for 2 cocktails, you should boil 3 cups of water.
To avoid broken glass or mugs, you will need to warm up your glass or mug by filling with warm water, then dumping it out. You may need to repeat this a few times to make sure your glass or mug is ready. While waiting for the water to boil, in a small plate or container, combine a small amount of brown sugar and granulated sugar and mix it together. Rim the edge of your glass or mug with the cut orange then dip the rim into the sugar mixture.
Squeeze one quarter of the orange into your mug. Add 2-3 tablespoons of your hot buttered rum batter to a mug. Add 1 cup of hot water, followed by 1-2 shots of your favorite rum. Stir well.

Step 6: Garnish and Enjoy!

Add a heaping dollop of whipped cream on top, sprinkle with nutmeg, add a couple of cinnamon sticks, and enjoy your hot buttered rum by a nice warm fire.

Now that you have all the extra batter in your freezer, you can make yourself a hot buttered rum in seconds, or you can gift it to your friends!