These hot rum punch recipes are perfect for Christmas, New Year’s, or if you just want a hot, boozy beverage to warm you up in the wintertime!
There’s nothing like a hot punch to warm you from head to toe during the cold season! Here in North Carolina, winter weather starts around November and lasts until late March.
I know for most people North Carolina’s not that cold. But for someone who grew up in the South, it can feel like the arctic circle to me 😂
Anywho, I love a warm drink in the wintertime to distract me from the unending cold, and hot rum punch might be the best of them all.
What is Hot Rum Punch?
Usually when we think of rum punch, we think of cool, tropical drinks that are best served with a tiny umbrella on a beach.
Though equally delicious, hot rum punch is a totally different beast. This tasty drink really only has two rules: it has to be hot and it has to feature rum.
Hot rum punch can be made with any type of rum (light, dark, coconut, etc) and usually has various fruit juices and winter spices.
There are a ton of different hot rum punch variations, so it’s known by many different names. Some of these names include buttered rum punch, cider rum punch, spiced rum punch, etc.
Types of Rum
The two main types of rum are light and dark rum.
Light rum is (you guessed it!) light and mild tasting with a clear color. It’s aged in stainless steel tanks and used in many of your favorite tropical cocktails like Mojitos and Pina Coladas.
Dark rum falls on the other side of the spectrum and has spicier, sweeter notes. It’s typically aged longer than light rum in barrels and is the primary sprit in cocktails like Hurricanes and Dark n’ Stormies.
You can use either type of rum in a hot rum punch, so it just comes down to what else you’re putting in the punch and preference. That said, 99% of the recipes you find use dark rum for the spicy flavor and coloring.
More Festive Punch Recipes
- 10 Fabulous New Year’s Punch Recipes With Alcohol
- 7 Boozy, Green Grinch Punch Recipes
- 10 Festive and Easy Christmas Punch Recipes
- 13 Delicious Non-Alcoholic Thanksgiving Punch Recipes
Speaking of recipes, let’s jump right into these hot, delicious punches!
7 Hot Rum Punch Recipes to Warm Up Your Winter
Hot Apple Cider Rum Punch
It doesn't get much cozier than this glass of boozy goodness! This is a pretty classic recipe that only requires two main ingredients: dark rum and apple cider.
From there, you just need apples, oranges, ginger, and cinnamon stick to infuse the punch with all the spicy, citrusy flavors that make this drink so amazing. It'd be perfect for a winter bonfire or for Christmas parties!
Winter Tea Rum Punch
Move over Hot Toddy, there's a new cold-curing, restorative drink in town!
This creative rum punch recipe calls for a wintry tea of your choice (cinnamon, chai, etc), orange juice, ginger beer, dark rum, and honey. So while most punches are on the sugary side, this one won't be overly sweet. Instead, it'll primarily be tangy, spicy, and refreshing.
Hot Buttered Rum
On the other side of the sweet spectrum, we have a classic hot buttered rum recipe! This punch has sugar, spice, and everything nice. It would also make your house smell beyond incredible.
In this recipe, you make spiced butter with brown sugar, nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon. From there, you just add the spiced butter to a glass and pour your rum and boiling water over it. For extra sweetness, you can even add whipped cream on top. Brb drooling.
Rum-pum-pum Hot Rum Punch
This is one of the most interesting hot rum punch recipes I've come across, and I'm sure you wouldn't expect some of the ingredients.
Pineapple coconut juice, pineapple juice, and pumpkin purée make up the base of this punch, so it's basically a holiday flavor explosion in your mouth. Garnish with a ring of pineapple in each glass for an extra festive kick!
Warm Pomegranate Punch
The only thing better than rum punch is rum and red wine punch!
This admittedly uses less rum than a traditional rum punch, but I don't care. Mulled wine is my other favorite hot beverage, so finding a recipe that combines the powers of hot rum and mulled wine feels like destiny.
The recipes uses six simple ingredients: cinnamon, star anise, sugar pomegranate juice, red wine, and white rum. It's basically a bonfire in a glass.
Spiced Apple Cranberry Warm Rum Punch
This is almost identical to the apple cider rum punch, but with one key difference: cranberry juice.
The addition of cranberry juice would add tartness to the drink and cut through some of the sweetness of the apple cider. So this is a perfectly balanced iteration of hot rum punch that would be amazing for holiday parties or New Year's Eve!
Feuerzangenbowle (Flaming German Rum Punch)
To finish us off, we have one of my favorite show-stopping punches that's as delicious as it is fiery.
Feuerzangenbowle literally translates to "fire tongs punch", and the recipe involves heating red wine with spices in a pot with a rum soaked sugar cone on top that you set on fire. The caramelized, boozy sugar then melts into the wine as you pour more rum over the cone until it's entirely dissolved.
Thanks to the impressive theatrics of this drink, it would be so fun to make for a New Year's party!
Which of these hot rum punches are you going to cuddle up with this winter? I’m definitely going to be making a batch of the Spiced Apple Cranberry for Christmas, but all of these sound amazing. It’s 7am here so that’s a little early to start boozin’, but I’m definitely drooling a little bit.
If you have a favorite hot rum punch recipe that you love whipping up in the wintertime, please let me know in the comment section below 🙂
Wishing you all a warm, safe, and festive winter!