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Rich, buttery and sweet BUTTERBEER inspired by Harry Potter! I’ve been meaning to make a version of this for a long time. I wanted to do something different with a more medieval bend to it. I was inspired by old timey butterbeer (with actual ale) and the Harry Potter Land versions of the drink. This one is non-alcoholic, that doesn’t mean I won’t come up with a boozy one later.
When I saw they had cold and warm versions I had trouble deciding which one to make… So I made both! Duh bro.
Butterscotch from scratch is super delicious, I need to come up with more reasons to make this in the future. I mean, I had no trouble eating it with a spoon, but I want to at least pretend to be more than an animal.
The “Base”
For the base of both of these drinks I made a sort of nog or drinkable custard. Not as thick as regular custard.
The hot butterbeer is about 85% base and the rest is made up of room temperature cream soda. You could heat up the soda as well if you want, but I wouldn’t heat it with the custard nog. It will curdle the mixture because there is citrus in cream soda. I know from experience….Oops.
Cold butterbeer is the flip, 80% cream soda and 20% base. If you wanna get extra EXTRA fancy, drizzle butterscotch inside a chilled glass before pouring the drink.
Top both types with whipped cream mixed with butterscotch. These rich drinks are a dessert in and of themselves. You don’t need a large cup for these, I’d recommend a small glass or you may face an epic sugar rush.
Hot & Cold Butterbeer
Ingredients
BUTTERSCOTCH SYRUP
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp corn syrup
- 2 tbsp water
- 3 tbsp butter salted
- ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tbsp cider vinegar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
WHIPPED CREAM
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 ½ tbsp butterscotch syrup
BUTTERBEER BASE
- 2 cups milk
- 1 ½ tbsp brown sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 3 tbsp butterscotch syrup
- 1 tbsp butter optional
- 2 liter cream soda
Instructions
BUTTERSCOTCH SYRUP
- In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, water, and corn syrup.
- Cook on medium high heat till bubbling. Turn to medium heat.
- Candy mixture should reach 230 F or thread stage.
- Turn off heat and add butter, stir till melted and add cream.
- Heat back up to a rolling boil and cook 1 minute more.
- Take off heat, let cool for 5 minutes—add vanilla and vinegar.
WHIPPED CREAM
- Whip heavy cream until it starts to thicken.
- Add powdered sugar and keep whipping till it forms a loose whip or half whip.
- Mix in the butterscotch and vanilla. Whip until stiff peaks.
BUTTERBEER BASE
- Add milk, brown sugar, egg yolks, butterscotch, and cinnamon to a saucepan.
- Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly, until milk starts to simmer. Turn to low heat and cook for 1 minute. Keep stirring.
- Run through a sieve into a large measuring cup for easy pouring.
- Add butter here if using and stir until melted. (Optional)
ASSEMBLY: WARM BUTTERBEER
- Add a splash(about 3 tbsp) warm, unrefridgerated, cream soda to a heat safe cup.
- Pour the hot butterbeer base into the cup.
- Top with whipped cream and drizzle leftover butterscotch.
ASSEMBLE: COLD BUTTERBEER
- Add ice to a cup, bonus points for a chilled glass.
- For every 1 cup of cream soda, add 2 or 3 tbsp butterbeer base.
- Top with whipped cream and drizzle with butterscotch.
