Recipe: Hot Alcoholic Butter Beer to Warm up Your Winter

Disappointed with the coloured cream soda served at official Harry Potter locations, I designed this alcoholic alternative. Sweet, spicy and completely vegan, my recipe attempts to recreate the warming butter beer of the books I’ve loved since I was a kid. The perfect magical drink for a witchy Winter ritual.

For 6 medium-sized servings, you’ll need:

For the butterscotch sauce:

• 100g of light brown sugar
• 50g of vegan margarine (Flora, Vitalite, Pure are all great)
• 70ml of soy milk (this is what I use but I’m sure oat, almond etc would work fine)
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1. Melt the margarine in a medium-sized pan.
2. Add the brown sugar and salt, and heat over a low heat.
3. Once the mixture starts to bubble, stir slowly for 3 minutes.
4. Add the soy milk and stir into the mixture.
5. Bring to a low boil, then stir slowly for 3 more minutes.
6. Take the pan off the heat, and stir in the vanilla extract.
7. Leave the mixture to cool. It will thicken and separate, but don’t worry. You can recombine the ingredients by whisking the mixture with a fork.

For the butter beer

• 600ml apple cider
• 300ml ginger beer
• 150ml cream sherry (doesn’t sound vegan, but there are varieties available)
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 4 star anise
• 6 cloves

For the ‘foam' on top:

• 100ml vegan double cream

Method:

1. Pour the apple cider, ginger beer and cream sherry into a saucepan and stir well.
2. Add the cinnamon sticks, star anise and cloves.
3. Turn on the stove at a low heat, warming the mixture slowly. Keep an eye on the temperature of the liquid, and stir whenever bubbles start to appear. Try not to let the mixture boil.
4. In the meantime, pour the double cream into a mixing bowl. Whisk it with an electric whisk until very soft peaks form.
5. Pour a small amount of butterscotch sauce into a drinking glass, just enough to cover the base of the glass.
6. Once the butterbeer is hot, remove the spices and pour into the glass.
7. To create a beer-like head of foam, cover the top of your butterbeer with a tablespoon or two of the whipped double cream.
8. Drizzle a little butterscotch sauce over the cream, and serve while it’s still hot.

This took some experimentation but, as my housemates will tell you, it was definitely worth it. Impress the mulled-wine-avoiding scrooges in your family this winter with a warming (and still alcoholic) alternative!