Spiced Brown Butter Rum Flip

The weather is changing and the festive season is around the corner. I’m not ready for it, and I still can’t get used to the seasons being the wrong way around here, but I have accepted it. All of the comforting food and drinks that belong to the holidays can feel a little out of place in an Australian summer, but I persist with many of them. Partly out of nostalgia, but mostly because they’re too good to give up just because the weather says otherwise.

One of those is eggnog. I’ve been known to make a token purchase of the carton variety and slowly make my way through it, including adding it to my morning coffee for something different during that short seasonal spell. Traditional eggnog is pretty heavy — it might have something to do with all that cream? Usually I’m not one to question a healthy dose of cream, particularly when it’s laced with cinnamon and nutmeg. Nothing says holidays quite like that combination to me.

However, I’m not generally a fan of heavy, creamy drinks and even less so when it comes to cocktails. Add the fact that the height of the festive season happens at the height of summer here and I had two very solid reasons to turn my favourite nostalgic drink into something colder, stronger and without the cream.

Enter the Spiced Brown Butter Rum Flip. Brown-butter-washed rum brings the richness I wanted without relying on cream, while a whole egg gives the cocktail that silky texture you expect from a flip. Cinnamon, vanilla and plenty of fresh nutmeg take care of the nostalgic eggnog flavours. It’s still festive and definitely not a light cocktail, but served ice cold, it feels far more at home in December here than a glass of traditional eggnog yet still tastes very much like one. If the idea of a lighter version of an alcoholic eggnog appeals to you as much as it does me, then this one is definitely worth it.

Worth Making?

YES – Brown-butter-washing the rum adds a toasted, nutty richness that works particularly well with vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg.
YES – A whole egg gives the cocktail a rich, silky texture without needing to add cream.
YES – If you love the warming flavours of eggnog but want something stronger and more cocktail-forward, this gives you the vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg without becoming a glass of heavy creamy eggnog.
SKIP IT – If you prefer light, fresh or citrus-forward cocktails. This is a rich, spirit-forward drink built around aged rum and warm spice.
SKIP IT – If you don’t want the extra step of brown-butter-washing the rum or the raw egg puts you off. Regular aged rum will work, but the toasted brown butter flavour is what makes this version worth making. The egg adds the creaminess.

Spiced Brown Butter Rum Flip

A rich and silky rum cocktail made with brown-butter-washed aged rum, cinnamon syrup, vanilla and freshly grated nutmeg. The whole egg gives it a luxurious, creamy texture while keeping the brown butter and warming spices front and centre.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time:10 minutes mins

Cook Time:5 minutes mins

Brown Butter Rum (resting time):6 hours hrs

Course: Drinks

Keyword: brown butter rum cocktail, brown butter rum flip, Christmas rum cocktail, cinnamon rum cocktail, eggnog inspired cocktail, fall rum cocktail, holiday rum cocktail, nutmeg cocktail, rum flip cocktail, spiced brown butter rum flip, spiced rum cocktail, whole egg cocktail, winter rum cocktail

Servings: 1 cocktail

Equipment

• 1 cocktail shaker

Ingredients

• 50 ml brown-butter-washed aged rum
• 15 ml cinnamon vanilla syrup
• 1 whole egg
• About ⅛ tsp freshly grated nutmeg plus extra to finish
• Tiny pinch fine sea salt
• Ice

Brown Butter Rum

• 375 ml aged or dark rum
• 45 g unsalted butter
• Small pinch fine sea salt optional

Cinnamon Vanilla Syrup

• 100 g granulated sugar
• 100 ml water
• 3 cinnamon sticks broken
• 1-2 vanilla pods split down the middle

Instructions

1. Add the brown butter rum, cinnamon syrup, vanilla syrup, whole egg, nutmeg and salt to a cocktail shaker.
2. Dry shake vigorously without ice for 20–30 seconds to emulsify and aerate the egg.
3. Fill the shaker with ice and shake hard for another 15–20 seconds, until very cold and well aerated.
4. Double strain into a chilled coupe or in a rocks glass with a large cocktail ice cube.
5. Let the foam settle for 20–30 seconds, then grate a little fresh nutmeg over the top.

Brown Butter Rum

1. Brown the butter. Add the butter to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until the butter foams, the milk solids turn deep golden brown and it smells distinctly nutty. Take care not to burn the milk solids.
2. Cool briefly. Remove from the heat and leave for about 5 minutes. You want the butter warm and liquid, rather than piping hot.
3. Combine with the rum. Pour the rum into a jar or heatproof container. Add all of the brown butter, including the browned milk solids. Seal and shake vigorously for about 20 seconds.
4. Infuse. Leave at room temperature for 1–2 hours, shaking the jar a couple of times during the first 30 minutes.
5. Freeze. Transfer to the freezer for at least 4 hours or overnight, until the butter has formed a completely solid layer.
6. Remove the butter. Break through and lift off the solid layer of fat. Don’t worry about getting every tiny piece at this stage.
7. Strain. Pour the rum through a fine-mesh sieve, then filter through a coffee filter. For a particularly clean result, filter it a second time.
8. Store. Transfer to a clean, sealed bottle or jar and refrigerate until ready to use.

Cinnamon Vanilla Syrup

1. Heat the sugar and water just until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat, add the cinnamon and vanilla and steep for 45–60 minutes. Strain and refrigerate.

Make it your own way

SOFTER – Reduce the brown butter rum from 50 ml to 45 ml for a slightly less spirit-forward flip.

MORE SWEETNESS – Increase the cinnamon vanilla syrup.

LESS SPICE – Reduce the cinnamon syrup to 5 ml, but keep the freshly grated nutmeg for that eggnog-inspired flavour.

ADD COGNAC – Replace 10 ml of the rum with 10 ml cognac for a deeper, more traditional eggnog-style spirit profile.

SERVE NO ICE – Serve straight up. The addition of ice will gradually soften the cocktail as you drink it.