Here in Seattle we are in the midst of a snow and ice storm, the sort of which blows through every year or two, shutting down the city for a few days before if all melts away. Now all of you from other places (well not from California or other places that don’t get snow, you can shut up) can make fun of us with how we deal with snow, but it is really the ice that gets us. Inevitably, it always goes something like this: one evening we get a nice dusting of powdery snow, we marvel at how lovely it is. In the morning the snow melts away into brown slush and we go on with our lives. That night it drops to below freezing and all the slush turns to a hard bed of solid ice. Then it starts to snow again, and we get snow on top of ice. The cycle repeats itself until the city is covered in some sort of hellish, frozen lasagna. On top of this, the city owns approximately three snow plows (and until a few years ago, wasn’t legally allowed to use salt. Now we can and I believe this will be a turning point for Seattle winters). The snow only ever lasts for a weeks or so, and we only get a significant amount every other year or so, so I support the decision to let the city shut down and everyone play in the snow for a few days rather than invest in a fleet of snow plows. Heck, I’ve never felt it necessary to invest in a snow shovel.
Fortunately, right before the storm hit us I had whipped up a batch of what will henceforth be a winter favorite of mine: hot buttered rum. Hot butted rum batter, actually. As I am a big fan of seasonably appropriate drinks, this had been on my list of things to make going into this winter. The recipe I used as a starting point for the batter was immense, and I elected to scale it down to half that size in case it turned out I didn’t like it (it still made quite a bit and we haven’t used it all yet, even a few parties and more than a bottle of rum later). Next winter though I may make up a batch of the original size (double the one below) and keep it in the freezer for the season.
A note on rum: you want a dark rum for this (rum comes in a couple varieties, most common being light and dark). Dark rum is most common in cooking and has much more flavor. Myers is the most standard dark rum and will do you fine. I used Coruzan Black Strap rum, which is cheaper than Myers (but I think smoother) and has a deeper and more pronounced molasses flavor. Use what you like, but go with a dark rum.
Vegan Hot “Buttered” Rum Batter
1 pint vanilla vegan ice cream (I used a soy based one, but I bet a coconut one would be awesome)
1/2 lb Earth Balance
1/2 lb brown sugar
1/2 lb powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
Leave the ice cream and Earth Balance out at room temperature until soft. In a large bowl combine the softened Earth Balance and ice cream and mix with an electric mixer (or beat with a whisk) add the rest of the ingredients and mix until you have a smooth, relatively uniform mixture. Transfer the mixture to a container and store in the freezer until ready to use.
Vegan Hot “Buttered” Rum
2 oz dark rum
3 tbsp vegan hot buttered rum batter
1/2 cup hot (boiling or nearly) water
Combine rum and batter in the bottom of a mug. Add the hot water and stir. Enjoy!
