When I first encountered the famous butterbeer recipe from the Harry Potter novels, it was nothing short of magic. I grew up reading the Harry Potter books and then watching the following films, so I can’t wait to visit the wizarding world of Harry Potter for myself. Not only was I impressed with the immersive theme of Universal Orlando, but getting to enjoy the same food and drinks as my favorite characters was the icing on the cake.
Raising my own “Potterheads” (the affectionate nickname for Harry Potter fans) helped me fall back in love with the series and encouraged me to recreate some of the magic at home. Although we are annual ticket holders at Universal Orlando, we can’t go there very often and therefore need to have some fun at home.
When I heard about The Unofficial Hogwarts Children’s Cookbook, a collection of Harry Potter-inspired recipes, I couldn’t wait to try out the recipes inside with my fellow novice chefs. All the recipes were inspired by the “Harry Potter” books or the classic British dishes that Harry and his friends ate growing up. As a family, we were drawn to the book’s recipe for “Butterscotch beer” because it was easy to make at home and didn’t require a trip to the grocery store for extra ingredients.
“Recipe development is a bit like potions class,” says Alana al-Hatlani, author of The Informal Hogwarts Cookbook for Kids.
“You have a lot of different ingredients and you need to find the right amount of each ingredient to make a perfect recipe,” she told Yahoo Life. “There was a lot of trial and error, but it was an interesting process.”
While the exact recipe for butterbeer in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter remains proprietary information, many recipes have attempted to replicate the beloved drink. Guests visiting the wizarding world can enjoy hot, cold, or frozen butterbeer, but al-Hatlani’s recipe calls for the drink to be cold (or frozen, if one wants to mix it up before drinking it).
After gathering the necessary ingredients, my daughter and I began to melt the butter in a small saucepan. Once it’s melted, we add the brown sugar, vanilla extract, salt and heavy cream. Because we didn’t want anything to burn, it took us less than five minutes to stir all the ingredients until they dissolved.
Waiting for the mixture to cool is the hard part. We are eager to savor our hard work every chance we get. After about 15 minutes, the butterscotch mixture is cool enough to be added to our ice-filled glass and topped with lemon-lime soda.
Froth, created by pouring soda water over a glass filled with ice, is an easily recognizable part of traditional butterbeer. We tried putting them all in a blender with a little ice and got a frozen version that tasted better.
Want to make your own version of butterbeer? Al-hatlani shares her recipes for kids (and adults) to try when they miss out on the wizarding world.
Butterscotch “Beer”
goodness whenever you’d like, even if you aren’t at a wizarding bar.
Yield 4 glasses
Cook time 25 minutes
Ingredients:
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 20 ounces lemon-lime soda
- ice
Instructions:
1. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter.
2. When the butter is melted, add the brown sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine.
3. Cook the mixture for 5 minutes, until the brown sugar is completely dissolved.
4. Whisk in the heavy whipping cream and continue to cook for 1 minute.
5. Allow this mixture to cool to room temperature, 15 minutes.
6. When cool, divide between 4 large glasses filled halfway up with ice.
7. Slowly top with soda, but be careful not to overfill, as the mixture will bubble and foam. Stir to blend and enjoy.