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How to drink like a wizard this Halloween

by Maddie Vincent
Aspen Times Weekly
Homemade alcoholic butterbeer sure to make any Halloween activity that much better.
Maddie Vincent/Aspen Times Weekl

There is a small part of my soul that is still waiting for an owl to come swooping down to my doorstep with an invitation to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Nerdy and 100% unrealistic, I know. But like millions of other millennials, the “Harry Potter” series resonated with me on a deeper level than most fictional heroes’ journeys, especially now in my mid-20s.

Why? Probably because I’m just now reading the books for the first time (yes, to some I’ve been a fake fan up until this point). For the past four months, I’ve devoured each book and wondered why I hadn’t read them all before. There is so much detail, wit and humor with every page turn that the films don’t come close to capturing. All of the real HP fans know this, but I’m late to the game and now even more attached to Hogwarts than before.



Because of my newfound love for the Harry Potter series and because it’s spooky season, I decided to concoct an alcoholic butterbeer.

Naturally, I started with a Google search and a few clicks on websites like Liquor.com and TopSecretRecipes.com for the perfect potion. A trip to both the grocery store and the liquor store later, I came up with a hodge-podge recipe sure to turn Harry Potter fans on a budget into the witches and wizards they’ve always known they were (if they drink enough, of course).




“YOU’RE A WIZARD!” BUTTERBEER RECIPE (16-ounce serving, takes five minutes to make)

• First, pour two shots of spiced rum (I used Sailor Jerry because it’s cheap) into your glass of choice. Stick it in the freezer first to make it frosty if you’re feeling fancy.

• Fill the rest of the glass with cream soda, leaving about an inch and a half at the top for the cream topping. (I used IBC Cream Soda, again, ‘cause it’s cheap).

• In a separate glass, pour about 1/3 cup of heavy whipping cream, two drops of vanilla extract and one drop of almond extract. Whip it until it looks like whipped cream. I used a handheld milk frother I bought at Target and it worked like a dream, but if you have another method, that’s great. Just turn it into whipped cream.

• Pour your whipped cream into the glass with the cream soda and rum. Take a sip. Then five big gulps or however many until it’s gone. Then repeat with another glass.

Ta-da! You’re a wizard!

Aspen Times Weekly

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