9 Rums Bartenders Love for the Perfect Hot Buttered Rum

Planteray Cut & Dry Coconut Rum

Kim’s top bottle pick for Hot Buttered Rum is Planteray Cut & Dry Coconut Rum. “While it offers the depth of a dark, aged rum for the necessary warmth, the subtle, natural coconut flavor is its secret weapon,” he says, adding that the coconut creates synergy with the butter, giving the cocktail a rich, creamy, and custard-like complexity. “Using salted butter alongside this rum is key, as the added salinity perfectly cuts through the richness and balances the sweeter tropical notes.”

Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaican Rum

Alec Gropman, senior partner and director of culinary operations for Uptown Hospitality Group in Charleston, South Carolina, looks for balance, with a touch of nostalgia, when crafting his version of the cocktail. “My favorite rum for a Hot Buttered Rum is Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaican Rum,” he says. “Not just because of its funky flavor and high proof kick, but also because it’s my dad’s favorite.” 

Gropman notes that the spirit’s Navy Strength (slightly higher alcohol) cuts through the butter and spices, making for a perfectly balanced, smooth cocktail. Crafted at the Hampden Estate using Wedderburn and Plummer pot still distillates, this bold, flavor-packed rum presents flavors of grilled tropical fruits, banana, nutmeg, and baking spice.

Coconut Cartel Rum

Imbert also prefers a coconut rum when preparing his take on the seasonal cocktail. “Hot Buttered Rum made with Coconut Cartel’s Anejo Rum offers a delicious, coconut-forward tropical touch to the cocktail,” he says. Imbert notes that the distillery’s method of cutting the dark Guatemalan rum with coconut water adds a light and fresh balance to the traditional savory and buttery warmth found in the drink. “Even here in the Bahamas with a tropical Christmas, the rich flavors of a Hot Buttered Rum pair beautifully with cool island breezes and our own festive gatherings.”

Chairman’s Reserve Original Rum

For a sophisticated upgrade to Hot Buttered Rum, Kim recommends using Chairman’s Reserve Original Rum. Crafted in Saint Lucia from a blend of pot and column still distillates, the spirit is aged in ex-bourbon barrels, which brings a complexity of sweet raisin, caramelized fruit, and spicy oak-derived vanilla notes to the final rum. “Its rich, harmonious character is refined enough for sipping neat, but it shines in this cocktail by adding elegant layers of flavor — chocolate, tobacco, and clove — that blend well with the spiced butter batter, ensuring the final drink is smooth and balanced,” he says.

Diplomático Reserva

“Hot Buttered Rum is a nice twist to make at home during the holidays over the traditional go-tos like spiked Eggnog and Mulled Wine,” says Erin Green, head bartender of The Feathered Fox in Jersey City, who always keeps a bottle of Diplomático Reserva on hand. “The spirit is aged up to 12 years in oak barrels, making it a great sipping rum or perfect for elevating a classic cocktail like the Hot Buttered Rum,” she says noting the rum has a soft palate with notes of orange peel, vanilla, and toffee, which all work in harmony with the rich and warming ingredients of the cocktail.

Ten to One Dark Rum

Luis Hernandez, food and beverage director at Hello Hello in New York City, describes Ten to One Dark Rum as the perfect pick for Hot Buttered Rum. “The funky Jamaican pot still rum and aging give great aromatics to the cocktail that go really well with the butter, especially when using brown butter for the cocktail, which I think is the best way,” he says. 

Founded by Trinidad native Marc Farrell in 2019, the rum is made from a blend of aged and unaged rums from the Dominican Republic, Trinidad, Barbados, and Jamaica, with aged components matured up to eight years in ex-bourbon barrels. Expect notes of baked apple, butterscotch, tropical fruits, and clove.

Planteray’s 20th Anniversary XO Rum

Imbert also loves Planteray’s 20th Anniversary XO Rum. “The rich, velvety blend of tropical fruit, vanilla, and toasted coconut adds such great depth and warmth to the cocktail, and balances perfectly with the butter and spice,” he says. 

Planteray’s 20th Anniversary XO bottling is made from a blend of column and pot-distilled rums that are aged for eight to 15 years in ex-bourbon casks in Barbados, then transferred to France and finished in small French oak (ex-Cognac) casks for an additional two to 10 years. Expect ripe and intense flavors of burnt banana, vanilla bean, crème brûlée, and a touch of cracked black pepper.

Bacardi Ocho

Hemant Pathak, chief mixologist and general manager at New York City’s Room 207, Junoon, and Jazba, describes Hot Buttered Rum as old school and charming. “I reach for a dark or aged rum like Bacardi Ocho, because of its deep, layered, mellow flavor of dried fruits, spices, and oaky vanilla,” he says. 

Pathak finds Bacardi Ocho to be sufficiently dry, ensuring the cocktail doesn’t become syrupy. Crafted from high-quality molasses made from sugarcane, this unique expression spends at least eight years aging in lightly charred oak barrels before release.

Ron Zacapa 23 Centenario Rum

Aliz Meszesi, bar director of Manhatta, in New York City, prefers to use rich, aged dark rums — specifically those with deep molasses, baking spice, and vanilla notes — when making Hot Buttered Rum. “Those flavors fold seamlessly into the batter, giving the drink more warmth, dimension, and a rounded, dessert-like finish,” she says. Zacapa 23 Centenario is her top choice.