Harvey's

Tis the season for hot, soothing libations. We had our first snowfall today and I thought it would be a perfect day to have one of my favorite winter drinks, a hot buttered rum. Luckily for me I picked up the last carton of Harvey's Butter Rum Batter at the local "Pop Shop" (my father's name for the liquor store) yesterday.

A brief history on Harvey's Butter Rum Batter, if you will indulge me. Harvey Hudson was the father of one of my school chums. Jill and I went from kindergarten through college together and I had many happy times at her house. Her mother was our Campfire leader and we were always doing fun and unusual crafts such as learning to decorate cakes, making Christmas decorations, and going on fun field trips to name a few. Her father, Harvey, appeared to be your average business man who worked at our local newspaper. But his second job was the purveyor of this wonderful mix called Harvey's Butter Rum Batter which they made first out of the basement and then later from a small factory in town.

Not being a "drinker" in my youth I had no idea how good this stuff was with some rum mixed in but I did know that it was divine licked by the spoonful right out of the tub. Jill's mother also used to make delightful cookies with it but I'm not sure what they consisted of. Over the years here in Oregon, I have been able to find it every now and then and always grab some when found. When I fix a hot buttered rum, I think of Harvey and his wonderful daughter Jill and the fun youth we experienced growing up in our little town in Washington.

Harvey's Hot Buttered Rum

1 heaping tsp of Harvey's Hot Buttered Rum batter

1 jigger of the liquor of your choice (Rum, brandy, or whiskey work best)

6 oz. boiling water

Put batter in bottom of a mug. Pour a bit of hot water in it and muddle the batter together with the water until combined. Put in liquor then fill rest of mug up with hot water and stir to combine. Careful, these go down very easily!