Butterbeer

As I promised in my Harry Potter tribute post, I am posting the recipe for Butterbeer, the delicious drink straight from the Harry Potter books.  Whenever I read the books and Butterbeer was mentioned, I would work up such a craving for it! The fact that I managed to work up a craving for something I had never had always blew my mind, but hey, the name alone is just so intriguing!

Now, I know that many people have their own idea of what Butterbeer should taste like, but for me, I always imagined that it actually had butter and beer.  Not only that, but it is described as being a warm drink in the books, so I am an advocate of having hot Butterbeer (although I have tried it cold too).   Furthermore, even though the drink is not strong enough to get the students in the books tipsy, it did have quite an effect on the house elves, so I figure Butterbeer should have a little kick! After a lot of research and recipe trials, I was finally able to narrow it down to my two favorite recipes! Oh, and I also found out that Butterbeer was actually a real drink back in the days of King Henry VIII!

Butterbeer

The first recipe was my boyfriend's favorite and is not as sweet, while I think I like the second one best (it's a little sweeter), but I'm still sipping on both trying to decide! :) The second recipe can also be made kid friendly!

Recipe 1 (adapted from Hans Milieu - the recipe was in milliliters so I just converted)

Ingredients:
-13.5 tablespoons of lemon lime soda
-6 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons of Guinness
-2 tablespoons butterscotch schnapps (or butterscotch syrup if you prefer)
-2 tablespoons honey
-1 egg yolk
-1 tablespoon butter, unsalted
-A pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg
-Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream topping

Directions:
In a saucepan, bring the Guinness and lemon lime soda to a boil.  Once it boils, remove from heat and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolk, schnapps, honey, cinnamon, and nutmeg together.  Very slowly add in the Guinness and lemon lime soda mixture, whisking continuously so the egg does not cook.

Once everything is combined, return the mixture to the saucepan and let simmer on low heat for 5 minutes.  Add the tablespoon of butter and stir it in until it is completely melted.  Remove from heat and pour into glass mugs.  Add a scoop of vanilla or whipped cream if you like.  Drink it while it's warm and just enjoy!

Recipe #2 (adapted from Chica and Jo and can also be made kid friendly)

Ingredients:
-1 cup milk
-1/2cup powdered sugar
-2 tablespoons butterscotch schnapps (optional)
-1 teaspoon honey
-1 teaspoon cornstarch
-1 teaspoon vanilla (the original called for vanilla and nut flavoring, but I did not have that)
-Whipped cream
-Butterscotch topping

Directions:
In a saucepan, whisk together the milk, powdered sugar, honey, and cornstarch and bring the mixture to a boil.  Remove from heat and set aside.

In a mug or glass, pour in the vanilla and butterscotch schnapps (if using).  Pour the hot mixture over the vanilla and butterscotch schnapps in the glass and stir together.  Now, according to this recipe, when you pour the milk mixture over the flavoring in the glass, it will turn the drink into a light yellow color.  However, my mixture still looked pure white so I added a couple drops of yellow food coloring to get the full look of Butterbeer!

Place whipped cream on top and drizzle some butterscotch topping over it.  Serve warm and enjoy! I hope you love these recipes and would love to hear which one you like best!

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