What is Butterbeer?

“Butterbeer is a popular wizarding beverage described as tasting “a little bit like less-sickly

butterscotch.” Butterbeer is served cold in bottles and hot in “foaming tankards”. In Hogsmeade, it’s sold at The Three Broomsticks and The Hog’s Head, although the fact that the latter pub’s stock was

described as “very dusty” suggests that it was

not sold there very often. In Diagon Alley, the drink has been known to be sold at the Leaky Cauldron.

Sounds familiar?

Butterbeer has appeared in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Alcoholic

It may have a very slight alcohol content, which could get house-elves in a drunk-like state,though an antidote to this exists. It seems to have aless pronounced effect on humans than smaller creatures such as house-elves, but humans can still fall “under the influence” of it.

Where to get some?

Butterbeer can be found at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida, Universal Studios. It can be served either cold with a taste similar to cream soda or frozen as a slush with a butterscotch-like foam on top. Butterbeer is also served at The Warner Brothers Studio Tour in London, England.

Roots?

Butterbeer may be based on Buttered Beer, which was a real drink. The earliest reference to Buttered Beer is from, ‘The Good Huswifes Handmaide for the Kitchin’ published in London in 1588 A.D., made from beer, sugar, eggs, nutmeg, cloves and butter back in Tudor times. Another old recipe for Buttered Beer, published by Robert May in 1664 A.D., from his recipe book, ‘The Accomplisht Cook’ calls for liquorish root and anniseeds to be added. British celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal recreated it for his Tudor Feast.”*

*Adapted from Harry Potter Wiki

Can’t make to the pub?

No worries, sometimes it’s just too cold to make the trek.

Here’s how you can make your own butterbeer at home!

Butterbeer

Ingredients:

1-355 ml bottle of old fashioned cream soda (I used Stewarts)

1/4 tsp of vanilla butter or vanilla extract

2 tbls. Butterscotch (sundae topping words great)

1 tbls. water

Topping:

1 heaping tbls. of whipped topping

1 tsp icing sugar

Directions:

Add vanilla, butterscotch and water at the bottom of a glass and stir until dissolved. Pour in a little cream soda stir well, and then top off with the remaining cream soda. Mix whipped topping and icing sugar until smooth. Spoon over top of the butterbeer and enjoy!

I hope you enjoy a little bit of the Three Broomsticks come to life! Until next time…

Cheers,

Nahren

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Tagged: Beverage, Butterbeer, Drink, Harry Potter, Recipe, The Hogs Head, Three Broomsticks