You don’t have to be a fan of Harry Potter to know of butterbeer – the beloved fictional drink mentioned throughout the saga. This delicious cream ale is hyped up by characters in the series so often than us regular humans had to join in on the fun. Fortunately, you don’t have to know magic to get ahold of a real-life butterbeer, and we’re hear to help you get your hands on a mug(gle) of it from none other than your local Starbucks. In fact, Butterbeer is the heartbeat of the Starbucks Secret Menu, an underground menu of drinks that aren’t listed alongside the coffee shop’s regular lattes, Frappuccinos, and teas.
What is Butterbeer?
If you’re less familiar with Harrypotter and the butterbeer obsession, you’re probably wondering what it is and what it tastes like. Imagine cream soda, but sweeter with hints of caramel, toffee, and butterscotch. It’s as sugary as it is indulgent, only meant for those with an undeniable sweet tooth. While butterbeer once lived exclusively in Diagon Alley, fans of the series have come up with their own recipes and variations of the soda with ingredients like cream soda, brown sugar, and heavy cream. And somewhere along the road, someone came up with the Starbucks version, and it was added to the secret menu. Like much of what’s in Harry Potter – we’ll leave the origins of Starbucks’ butterbeer up to your imagination.
Starbucks Butterbeer Frappuccino
The most popular version of Starbucks butterbeer comes in the form of a frappuccino. Combining the mortal world’s favorite dessert drink with the wizarding world’s? There’s never been a better idea. Fortunately, the Butterbeer Frap is crafted out of ingredients that Starbucks already has on hand for other drinks on their menu, so you can rest assured that your barista will be able to make it for you.
How To Order At Starbucks
If you ask your barista for the beverage that Harry Potter drinks, you may get some odd looks. Since the Butterbeer Frapuccino is one of the most popular secret menu items, most baristas you encounter will have heard of it, but not all of them will know how to make it. Your safest bet is to explain what you want first, and Instagram all about it later.
Start by ordering a Creme Frappuccino with:
- Caramel-drizzle-lined cup
- 3 pumps of caramel syrup
- 3 pumps of toffee nut syrup
- Caramel drizzle on top
If you’re not a big frappuccino fan, you can try the butterbeer latte with this formula:
- Whole milk steamer (ask for this part first)
- Caramel syrup
- Toffee nut syrup
- Cinnamon Dolce syrup
- Whipped topping
- Salted caramel bits on top
As a general rule of thumb, two pumps of syrup go into a tall drink, three pumps go into a grande, and four go into a venti, but you can customize this however you’d like.
Starbucks Butterbeer Recipe
While we highly encourage you to try the secret menu butterbeer at Starbucks, sometimes spending $6 on a beverage doesn’t sound all that appealing. We get it – that’s why we’re sharing a version of Starbucks butterbeer that you can make at home with a few simple ingredients. You’ll notice it’s quite similar.
- 1 cup milk 2% milk
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- pinch of salt
- 16 ice cubes
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup
- 1½ Tablespoon Caramel Syrup
- 1½ Tablespoon Toffee Nut Syrup
For more Starbucks secret menu recipes, check out the refreshing Pink Drink recipe.
