Someone should write a Christmas carol about butter. I’m not volunteering per se, but after a few Hot Buttered Bourbon cider cocktails, I may burst into song.
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I’m not sure how a holiday without butter would go down, but I don’t think I want to be a part of it. If ever an ingredient deserved a holiday theme song, butter might be it!
Or bourbon might be it.
We can debate over our second round of this warm bourbon cocktail!
This hot buttered bourbon is warm, cinnamony, buttery romance. It sips like a special occasion.
The butter melts into the apple cider and spices, adding creaminess and depth to every sip, while the smooth bourbon keeps the drink from being overly sweet.
Hot buttered bourbon is guaranteed to keep you toasty and happy on the inside, even if the weather is drizzly and chilly on the outside.
5 Star Review
“OMG. This is superb! The air smelled so nice! Thanks for the recipe!”
— Marlene —
How to Make Hot Buttered Bourbon
The inspiration for my hot buttered bourbon cocktails came from a classic winter warmer, hot buttered rum.
I updated the typical buttered rum recipe to include two of my favorite cold-weather ingredients: bourbon, and apple cider.
I also kept the recipe easy to make—no need to prep and chill the spiced butter ahead of time.
The Ingredients
- Apple Cider. A classic ingredient for a fall cocktail. I love how apple cider tastes with the spices, butter, and bourbon. (If you do too, you’ll also love this Apple Cider Cocktail.)
- Butter. This cocktail isn’t greasy or heavy; rather, the butter makes it smooth, creamy, and utterly delightful.
- Honey. For a touch of warmth and sweetness.
- Spices. Cloves, cinnamon, and ginger come together to make this drink taste truly cozy.
- Bourbon. Hot bourbon drinks are a true treat! Bourbon is a treat in my Gold Rush Cocktail as well.
- Cinnamon Sticks. A fun and flavorful garnish.
The Directions
- Simmer the cider. Mix the butter, honey, and spices together. Whisk the butter mixture into the cider.
- Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the bourbon. Serve with cinnamon sticks and ENJOY! This might be the easiest fall cocktail ever!
Recipe Tip
The drink may separate a little as it cools. It will still taste delicious, but if this bothers you, simply stir it back together with a spoon or cinnamon stick.
Storage Tips
While this drink is best enjoyed the day it is made, you can enjoy the leftovers the next day.
Storage Tips
- To Store. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight storage container for up to 3 days.
- To Reheat. Gently rewarm hot buttered bourbon in a saucepan on the stovetop over medium-low heat until hot. Stir frequently.
Recommended Tools to Make Hot Buttered Bourbon
- Saucepan. An essential tool for every kitchen.
- Ladle. Perfect for serving your hot buttered bourbon cocktails.
- Measuring Spoons. Double-sided spoons = fewer dishes to wash.
Cheers! I hope this warm bourbon apple cider cocktail warms your spirits (and your belly too!).
More Festive Cocktails
Hot Buttered Bourbon
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Ingredients
- 1 cup apple cider
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 cup bourbon (4 ounces)
- Cinnamon sticks for garnish
Instructions
- In a small sauce pan over low heat, bring cider to a gentle simmer. In a small bowl, mix together the butter, honey, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger with a spoon until combined. Add the butter mixture to the cider, whisking just until it melts.
- Remove pan from heat, whisk in the bourbon and serve immediately. Garnish with cinnamon sticks.
Notes
- The drink may separate a little as it cools. It will still taste delicious, but if this bothers you, simply stir it back together with a spoon or cinnamon stick. I use Bulleit brand bourbon (my favorite!), but feel free to substitute your bourbon of choice. A rye whiskey would be wonderful as well.
Nutrition
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Mmmmmm, reminds me of Harry Potter and Butterbeer. Bourbon is always my first choice when it comes to cocktails, so this sounds like it was made for me. And a great cause too!
I think it was made for you Meg :-) Cheers!
Oh my gosh!! This sounds so good! I think I might be going to the liquor store today to get me some bourbon!
Do it Steph!! So worth it–plus bourbon tastes great in a variety of baked goods too. Definitely a staple :-)
I have family who would really enjoy this! I think I would enjoy the song you’re writing (right?!:) even more!
I’m glad they’d enjoy this Mary Frances! Do you want to get me started with the first verse? ;-)
Butter is a staple in my kitchen as well! And a must for the Holidays! This drink sounds so comforting. Oh, I love it!
Have a wonderful weekend :D
Butter buddies unite! Have a great weekend too :-)
I have definitely never tried a hot buttered bourbon drink..I generally stick to tropical fruity thangs. However, I am loving all the seasonal flavours in this bad boy…andddd it has booze. That is always a good thing.
lol Taylor. I love fruity drinks too, but this one is especially perfect for winter!
Haha, like Meg above, this reminded me of Harry Potter lore’s butterbeer as well! I imagine this must smell divine.
Butter beer–love it! And it totally does Georgia. I felt like I was in cinnamon cider paradise
Yeah, HI. GET IN MY FACE. I’ve been not super happy with my bourbon sippin’ cocktails lately. And now I know why: because it’s not had butter in it. I’m doin’ this tonight!
CHEERS!! Is there any problem a little butter can’t solve? Nope–didn’t think so.
Oh I will love to be all over this. And so very wintery and wizardy!! I will go ahead and dream all day long now. Thanks for making my morning. (PS: You may have very many harry potter fan readers!!)
I’m such a Harry Potter fan too–I can’t believe I didn’t make the connection first! Have a great weekend. Cheers!
This winter I have been all about warm cocktails. It is cold outside, and beer and wine don’t seem to have the same appeal that they do in the summer. However, this looks amazing and delicious, and most importantly, WARM, and I really want to make this as soon as possible. Is it too early to start drinking, yet?
Of course not Jordan! I shot the photos at 10 am and may or may not have needed to conduct a small ‘quality test’ ;-)
Send some my way! Perfect for this FREEZING day we are having! Yum!
It is SO COLD here too Lisa. We better double up :-)
I’ve never had a buttered drink! Can’t wait to try it. Kind of reminds me of Butterbeer from Harry Potter, ha! I’ll make this and pretend I’m in Diagon Alley : )
What a great connection Natalie. Love the Harry Potter books, so I’m going to do the same!
This looks like a great winter drink!
Thanks Angie! It will warm you right up.
And here I thought I was happy with just hot buttered rum and then you DO THIS!!! How utterly fabulous!! Drink up!
Oh WOW. That looks absolutely delicious and comforting!
I saw this on a menu once and when I went to order they didn’t have it.. now I know what it is! Will try and give it a go, I’ll let you know how it turns out =)
{ Teffys Perks Blog } X
This drink looks fabulous! Perfect for a cold night, can’t wait to try it out!
I agree Erin. A Christmas without butter would be quite sad. At least at my house! This drink looks just delicious!
I drank my fair share of mulled wine and spiced cider over the holidays and loved it! This sounds wonderful!
We just started appreciating bourbon. We’ll have to try this recipe!
This sounds like a great drink to have over the holidays. The “hot buttered” sounds scrumptious :) I’m thinking about what holiday get together I want to have this at.
Ok, seriously, i need someone to pay me to write about my love for butter. Also cheese. Basically all dairy products.
Pass the butter, will ya?
I’ve got a pound of butter here with your name on it! Oh, and some bourbon to go with it ;-)
This looks incredible! And like the perfect way to keep away the winter chill :)
You’ve got the idea!! We need to keep warm this time of year somehow :-)
Sooo I’ve never had a hot buttered drink … I kinda feel like I’ve been missing out! This looks and sounds delicious!
Ashley, hot buttered cocktails make life wonderful. I think you’ll love it!
I made this with jim beam the first time, bulliet the second. There is definitely a difference, quality of liquor matters even in this. Cocktail went for a 5/10 to a 10/10
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Jeff! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Now this is the kind of cocktail that will make me sing Christmas carols after the third one because they are so good, I can’t stop!
Tune up the piano and let’s sing Nicole!
Haha, I would be all for a song dedicated to butter! I’ve never had a hot buttered bourbon before, but it sounds insanely cozy and decadent. Yum!
Oh.My.God. This is superb! I let the WHOLE spices marinate in the cider sinmering for about an hour till my Christmas guests finally appeared… magic! The air smelled so nice and added humidity too! The cider was infused with spicy deliciousness. Then at serving time, I added the butter mixed with some powdered cinnamon to the cider in the stove pot. Put bourbon in each mug, adding the spiced cider w/butter last. To die for. Took the third, or was it fourth? round, when we couldn’t drink anymore for being too soused, (BTW recipe makes 1 healthy serving in a favorite mug) and put the remainder in a jar in the fridge to be nuked later, adding bourbon after heating. Works for me! Got a cold after Christmas and this makes the PERFECT Hot Toddy for whatever ails you! THX for the recipe!
Marlene, I am overjoyed to hear this! You are making me crave a cup (or three) myself now. I hope they keep you warm all winter long! Thanks so much for trying the recipe and letting me know how it turned out for you.
Are the cloves whole or ground?
Hi Kathleen, the cloves are ground!
Hi. Would this work in a crock pot to keep warm longer? And of course to make in a larger batch? Thanks!
Hi Jen! I haven’t tried the recipe this way, but from what I can find online, it should work fine. You could try adding all the ingredients except the bourbon, covering and cooking on LOW for about 4 hours, then switching the slow cooker to WARM and stirring in the bourbon. If you decide to experiment with this method, I’d love to hear how it goes!
Oh my goodness!!! This is amazing~ it smells SO good and is so warm and delicious going down!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Mendes! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Very tasty and easy to make. I had never made a cocktail with butter before and was a little skeptical but turned out really good! Perfect drink for a cold windy night in the Northeast.
Thanks for sharing the recipe! Marc
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Marc! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Worst recipe ever. This site does not tell how to make the hot buttered bourbon. Lists the ingredients but, as best as I can tell, has a whole lot of useless babble but never lists directions or measurements of spices to use.
Uhm, Hi John. I’m so confused, because I see it on my end. The ingredients and directions are located in the recipe card, right above the area where you commented. You can also use the “jump to recipe” button at the top of the screen to take you there. Could you please check again?
Girlfriend and I thought we had apple cider, we did not. Substituted with some strongish ginger beer ( Bundaberg, I think ) and it was very, very good.
Ohhh! So glad it worked out for you! MUST TRY IT!
Yup tried it on a night by the fire where it was 38 degrees and the drink tasted great and kept me warm
That’s the best time! Thanks John!