Butterbeer

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Cocktail History

Butterbeer is the iconic drink served at The Three Broomsticks Inn in Hogsmeade from the Harry Potter series. This boozy version of Butterbeer, based on the recipe served at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida, was created by author Cassandra Reeder and published in her book The Geeky Bartender Drinks: Real-Life Recipes for Fantasy Cocktails Drinks. It pairs spiced rum with dry stout beer, milk, butter, baking spices, and whipped cream to up the alcohol content of the beloved beverage.

Cocktail Ingredients

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Dry Stout Beer: This is a type of dark beer made with hops, malted barley, yeast, and water. I used Guinness Draught Stout.

Spiced Rum: This is a type of rum made with sugarcane, spices, and water that has been barrel aged for a long period of time and flavored with spices. I used The Kraken Original Black Spiced Rum.

Evaporated Milk: This is an unsweetened condensed cow’s milk. I used Prairie Farms Evaporated Milk.

Butter: This is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components in churned cream. I used Westby Cooperative Creamery Sweet Cream Butter.

Vanilla Extract: This is a flavoring made with vanilla beans, ethyl alcohol, and water. I used Simply Organic Pure Madagascar Vanilla Extract.

Brown Sugar: This is white sugar that has been processed, crystallized, dried, and flavored with molasses. I used C&H Pure Cane Dark Brown Sugar.

Whole Cloves: This is the flower bud from the clove tree. I used Simply Organic Whole Cloves.

Whole Allspice Berries: This the dried unripe berry of the Pimenta dioica tree. I used The Spice Way Whole Allspice Berries.

Cinnamon Stick: This is a dried spice that has been rolled into a stick. I used Simply Organic Cinnamon Sticks.

Whipped Cream: This is heavy cream that has been whipped and beaten until it is light and fluffy. I used Reddi-Wip Original Dairy Whipped Topping.

Grated Nutmeg: This is a spice made from the seed of a nutmeg tree. I used Frontier Co-op Whole Nutmeg.

Bartending Tools

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:

Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. I used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Chef’s Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. I used the OXO Good Grips 8-Inch Chef’s Knife.

Saucepan: This is used to warm the ingredients. I used the Cuisinart 3-Quart Stainless Steel Saucepan with Cover.

Spoon: This is used to stir the ingredients. I used the OXO Good Grips Silicone Spoon.

Ladle: This is used to transfer the drink to cups. I used the OXO Good Grips Silicone Everyday Ladle.

Grater: This is used to grate spices or citrus peel. I used the OXO Good Grips Grater.

Tasting Notes

This cocktail has the following flavor profile:

• Appearance: Bright red-pink hue with an ombré effect

• Aroma: Nutmeg, cream, malt, and spices

• Taste: Sweet yet slightly bitter stout beer flavor mixed with frothy cream, warm rum, and loads of baking spices

• Finish: Hint of vanilla, spices, and more malty beer

Kendall’s Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Kendall’s Take: “I have yet to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter to try their famous Butterbeer, but I can’t imagine it’s much different from this incredibly decadent boozy version. I found it to be rich, warm, and exceptionally flavorful and would absolutely make another batch for friends for a movie marathon even though I’m not big on heavy stout beers.”

Recipe

This cocktail recipe was adapted from The Geeky Bartender Drinks: Real-Life Recipes for Fantasy Cocktails by Cassandra Reeder.