Cocktail of the Month – November

Since I love all things decadent, I’ve decided to start posting a cocktail of the month, mostly so that I will have all of my favorite recipes in one place. There are so many variations, and let’s face it, many of them are just pretty to look at. I’m in a celebratory mood just looking at this pic!

Image source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rum,_Manhattan,_Tequila_Old_Fashioned.jpg

In North America, November means colder temperatures, newly leafless trees, preparing for influx of family and friends for holiday meals, and shopping. For me it means baking sugary sweets and packing on the carb-laden foods, such as ALL THE THINGS made with potatoes and apples and squash. It also makes me want to curl up in front of a crackling fire with a blanket and a nice, hot cup of something steamy and alcoholic, be it dark coffee generously laden with Irish Cream or hot apple cider spiked with cinnamon schnapps. For my inaugural cocktail of the month, however, I think I’ll begin with something that will kick off the holiday gorging season properly, something loaded with butter and cream and all things bad for you. Hot Buttered Rum.

Image source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hot_buttered_rum.jpg

Now, I am not a rum fan at all; it’s the only alcohol guaranteed to give me a blinding headache the next day (other than white wine and champagne–ouch), but I can drink it in small doses and this drink is worth a headache or two. It’s also rich enough that it’s hard to drink a lot of it. This is more of a sipping while chatting with friends drink than a hardcore “let’s get drunk” party cocktail.

Without further ado, here is the recipe:

HOT BUTTERED RUM

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1 pint Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (your favorite brand)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

dash of ground clove

Quality dark rum

Mix all of the ingredients together in a mixing bowl (minus the rum) and store in an airtight container in your freezer. (It might last you all winter if you hoard it for your own personal use.) When you’re ready for a drink, boil some water, pour one (or two!) shots of dark rum into a mug, add two tablespoons of the ice cream concoction, and pour boiling water over the top. Stir and enjoy.

Happy November!