Skip the trip to the Three Broomsticks Bar and make your own Alcoholic Butterbeer cocktail at home. See for yourself why Harry Potter fans are raving about this popular boozy beverage recipe on Pinterest with thousands of 5 star reviews on social media.
Harry Potter Boozy Butterbeer
Our Alcoholic Butterbeer Cocktail recipe may be unfit for the underage Harry Potter fan, but for the over 21 crowd, it turns the bona fide beverage into a creamy, sweet treat with a kick! With the same buttery taste as the classic butter beer found at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, this boozy Butterbeer recipe is even better because each sip is spiked!
If you’ve ever visited Universal Studios Orlando and are familiar with the Harry Potter movies, you’re also well aware of the most famous drink in all the books and movies – Harry Potter Butterbeer! Like the original Harry Potter drink, this adult butterbeer recipe has a cold, fizzy base with a thick, creamy head. However, I’ve worked my “magic” to enhance the amusement for adult wizards with a little added alcohol!
While I still love the kid friendly Harry Potter drinks prepared without alcohol (like my frozen Butterbeer), boozy Butterbeer is a great way to start a grown-up party!
What is Butterbeer
Butterbeer is a well-known beverage mentioned throughout the Harry Potter books series. It is a delicious drink served to the students of Hogwarts in the town of Hogsmeade at the pub, The Three Broomsticks Inn. When the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened at Universal Orlando, it became an immediate sensation!
Alcoholic Butterbeer Ingredients
- Cream soda: Serves as the base liquid and provides a sweet, vanilla-like flavor that mimics the classic butterbeer taste.
- Butterscotch schnapps: Adds a rich, buttery, and caramel-like flavor, reinforcing the “butter” aspect of butterbeer. It also contributes to the alcohol content, giving the drink a warm, comforting kick.
- Vanilla vodka: You can use any brand of vanilla-flavored vodka, like Absolut, Smirnoff, Grey Goose, etc. If you already have an unflavored vodka at home, feel free to use it and add a few drops of vanilla extract to your liquids.
- Butterscotch syrup: Makes the drink sweeter, richer, and adds a thicker, more indulgent texture.
- Vanilla: Boosts the vanilla flavor even further!
- Heavy whipping cream: Adds a rich, velvety texture to the top of the drink, creating a creamy layer that mimics the frothy head of traditional butterbeer. This topping enhances the drink’s mouthfeel, making it more indulgent and dessert-like.
- Butter extract: Enhances the “butter” aspect of butterbeer.
- Salted caramel topping or butterscotch syrup: Use either a store-bought bottle of caramel or butterscotch sauce or make a homemade salted caramel sauce to drizzle on top of your drink. A delicious finishing touch that ties together the flavors!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Alcoholic Butterbeer
- Make The Butterbeer Mixture: Stir together the cream soda, alcohol, butterscotch syrup, and vanilla. Place the pitcher in the fridge.
- Create The Whipped Cream: Beat together the heavy cream and butter extract until soft peaks form.
- Serve: Pour into cocktail glasses and top with whipped topping and a drizzle of syrup. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
To enhance the butterbeer experience, garnish your glass with a drizzle of salted caramel or butterscotch sauce or make your own chocolate frogs.
Spiked Butterbeer is perfect for sipping at a Harry Potter-themed cocktail party, a movie marathon, a book club meeting, or a Halloween party!
Tips & Variations
- Make It A MockTail: To make this a mocktail, simply remove the vanilla vodka and butterscotch schnapps, and replace them with a splash of vanilla extract and butter extract. The flavor will be similar, but won’t have the boozy effects.
- Make Other Butterbeer Mixtures: Try my other delicious Butterbeer recipes, from Butterbeer Jell-O Shots, Harry Potter Butterbeer Ice Cream, to Harry Potter Butterbeer Fudge.
Proper Storage
- To Store: This Butterbeer cocktail should be consumed right away.
Frequently Asked Questions
At Universal Harry Potter World, Butterbeer is an alcohol-free, foam-topped soft drink with a creamy butterscotch flavor. Looking to recreate the theme park treat? Try my Homemade Butterbeer recipe, made with vanilla ice cream, cream soda, imitation butter extract, rum extract, butterscotch topping, salt, and whipped cream. Or check out my Hot Butterbeer recipe that you can make in your crockpot!
Butterbeer tastes like a delicious combination of cream soda and butterscotch with a sweet, frothy topping. It doesn’t actually contain or taste like beer; it is a sweet treat, more like a milkshake.
This alcoholic Butterbeer recipe makes 2 12-ounce servings. But there’s no reason to stop at 2 drinks because it takes mere minutes to make another batch.
More Recipes for a Harry Potter Party
If you tried this Alcoholic Butterbeer Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!!!
Alcoholic Butterbeer Cocktail
Ingredients
- 2 cups cream soda chilled
- ½ cup butterscotch schnapps
- ¼ cup vanilla vodka
- 4 tablespoons butterscotch syrup
- 1 tablespoon artificial vanilla
Topping:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon butter extract
Garnish:
- 2 tablespoons salted caramel topping (or butterscotch syrup)
Instructions
- Carefully pour 2 cups chilled cream soda into a medium pitcher, followed by the remaining ingredients, and slowly stir to dissolve butterscotch syrup.
- Store in the fridge while making the topping by combining the heavy whipping cream and butter extract into a large bowl and beating with a hand mixer until a whipped cream is created.
- Pour 2 glasses of your cocktail leaving room for your topping.
- Spoon as much topping as you desire on top, and drizzle with syrup!
Jenn’s Notes
- Any brand of vanilla vodka will work for this recipe.
- You can garnish your glass with either a drizzle of salted caramel or butterscotch syrup.
- Make sure to chill the cream soda ahead of time.
- If you don’t have vanilla vodka, you can add a few drops of vanilla extract to the cream soda and stir to substitute.
This was delicious! After years of wanting to try butter beer tonight was the night! I chose the butter beer recipe that looked the most tasty and that also had alcohol.. because why not! Did not disappoint. Thank you!
I love to make drinks and want to try to make this one