Butter Rum

Over the holidays I was reading the NPR food section called “The Salt”, and they described a Christmas Cookie cocktail. It sounded sweeter than my taste, but they discuss “Fat Washing” of alcohol which peaked my interest. I know, sounds gross right? The cool thing about fat washing is even though you add fat to alcohol, when you strain it you remove all the fat but are left with the taste of it. We don’t want pools of grease in our drinks, yuck. This isn’t that at all!

Inspired by that article and this delicious dessert recipe, I decided to butter wash some spiced rum. It’s so easy, totally something to be done at home. The fat doesn’t have to sit in the alcohol for long so this is a fairly quick process too.

Remember this Bacon Vodka? I had no knowledge of fat washing then, but I was accidentally pretty close. Butter rum sounds a lot more appealing though! I added a cocktail recipe at the end that mixes the warm butter rum flavor with sharp pineapple juice. Our only ingredients are dark spiced rum and ½ stick of butter (¼ cup). I only made one cup of butter rum to start.

BUTTER WASHED RUM

1 cup spiced rum

¼ cup unsalted butter

1 pint jar

In a small sauce pan, add the butter and heat over low.

Measure out 1 cup rum into a glass jar.

Once the butter is just melted, pour it in the jar with the rum.

Set the mixture aside on the counter for a few hours, shaking every once in awhile. Then, pop it in the freezer over night.

The next day you will see the butter has mostly separated from the alcohol. I was initially concerned I would have a hard time removing the butter from the alcohol fully. Luckily it was very simple. I strained the butter rum through a fine mesh strainer first, then through a coffee filter. I poured it in three shifts, storing in the freezer between. It takes FOREVER, but is very hands off. Save the butter for baking or cooking!

The craziest thing was the rum came out light yellow. This isn’t the fanciest rum, I suspect it has color added and the dye was oil soluble. The dye seemed to attach itself to the butter and got strained out!

Color difference is wild!

The whole time I was making this rum I had a cocktail version of this dessert in mind. Because this drink is based on a dessert, it is rather sweet. I think it tastes a lot like what I was aiming for. One thing I didn’t do that would really make it a home run, would be roasting fresh pineapple and juicing it. 

Brown sugar simple syrup is made the same way as regular simple, equal parts sugar and water. Heat until it dissolves, store in the fridge.

BUTTERY PINEAPPLE

1 ½ oz Buttered Rum

2 oz Pineapple juice

½ oz Brown sugar simple syrup

Soda water to top

Pour everything but the soda over ice, stir well with a bar spoon. Slowly top with soda and gently stir to combine. Enjoy!