There’s almost nothing better than cozying up under a blanket with a hot winter cocktail to warm the toes on a cold winter night. We love a Hot Toddy, an Irish Coffee, a mug of mulled wine or spiked cider … sometimes it’s tough to choose. But the choice was made for us when a sample of AF Rapoport’s Hot Buttered Rum and HBR Batter landed in our mailbox right before we left work for Thanksgiving weekend. Let’s just say no one had their eyes on the pie, because we were too busy swilling this warm, sweet, delightfully boozy treat.

AF Rapoport is the brainchild of Ryan Dunsmuir and Andy Rapoport, brother of Bon Appetit’s editor-in-chief Adam Rapoport, so it’s no wonder the product is as delicious as it is intoxicating. The mixed cocktails are currently available at Joseph Leonard and The Spotted Pig in New York, but all you need is their batter, a mixture of brown sugar, butter, and 7 secret spices. It’s available in half-liter jars (and by the case!) through their website, hbrnyc.com. Mix a heaping tablespoon with a shot or two of rum (Andy recommends Sailor Jerry), and fill the rest of the mug with boiling water. The batter (and rum) also taste great mixed with ice cream, served over sweet potatoes, or pumpkin pie, or just about anything at all.

by Allegra Ben-Amotz