Chilled Butterbeer

I am a huge fan of the Harry Potter series. I was one of the people who stormed the bookstores at 12:01 a.m. when a new HP book was released. My son's middle name is James, and one of my friends asked me, "James, as in Harry James Potter?" As much of a fan as I am, this was not so.


I am lucky to have the Universal Studios theme parks practically in my backyard. I'm even luckier that back in June, when the Wizarding World of Harry Potter was getting ready for its grand opening, Universal decided to hire the local orchestra to play a private event a few days prior to the official opening. And I was the luckiest person ever, because Hubs and I got to play in that orchestra! This video is one of the pieces we performed that evening. You can see the back of my head and the scroll of my bass frequently during the performance.


The gig was fantastic - especially for a Potter-phile like myself. We got to wander around Hogsmeade when no one was there. We went on all the rides, were conducted by legendary composer John Williams, saw lots of stars from the movies, and tasted butterbeer (the chilled version and the frozen version.) I can't decide which one of those experiences I treasured more.

I found an awesome frozen butterbeer recipe on Cook Like A Champion. She used butterscotch schnapps and cream soda to create that delicious buttery taste. I thought that was ingenious! I got the ingredients the very next day. It tasted exactly like the butterbeer I tried at the park. I thought that the ice in the frozen drink diluted the flavor a little too much, so I actually preferred it chilled.

I've been trying to think of a way to make a non-alcoholic version. I'm thinking that substituting butterscotch syrup (the kind you use to flavor coffee) for the schnapps would work. I'm not sure how hard it is to get a hold of that flavor. Bakingdom uses butter extract in her version. I'll have to experiment further on that.

Butterbeer

adapted from Cook Like a Champion

12 oz cream soda

4 Tbs butterscotch schnapps
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 c whipping cream
1 Tbs butterscotch schnapps

Combine cream soda, the 4 Tbs of butterscotch schnapps, and vanilla in a pitcher with ice. Stir to mix. In a small bowl, whip the cream (with a whisk or a hand mixer) until it has thickened but has not yet turned to whipped cream. You want it to be pretty soft. Add the 1 Tbs of schnapps and stir to combine.

Pour butterbeer into glasses. Top with cream. Enjoy!