When I wanted to make some hot buttered rum last Christmas, I looked at recipes from all over the internet. One thing that struck me immediately was the huge amount of sugar in each one. Some even contained honey as well. One site said their recipe tastes like alcoholic cinnamon buns. Sorry, when I drink rum, I want to taste the rum! So I played around with various combinations of spices and liquor and came up with this, which I think is sufficiently sweet. I use a dark rum, but it's good with any of the readily available brands.

Contributor: Family recipe

2 cups water 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter 2 tablespoons brown sugar (add more if you must, but this was plenty sweet enough for us) 1 teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter) 2/3 cup rum

Heat the water, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt (if using) until it boils. Reduce heat to allow the mixture to just simmer, and cook for about 10 minutes. Stir in the rum and serve immediately. Makes approx. 3-4 servings.