Vegan Butterbeer

Shiloh Adlar
Columnist, Ravenclaw

This is the third round of Whispy Quiddy Concoctions, and you know what they say about three. “Third time’s a charm.” In this case, it most definitely is. I spent a couple months researching and testing to come up with an amazing recipe that anyone of us who lives in the magical world will instantly recognize. Butterbeer! That’s right. Raw Vegan Butterbeer!

I am currently sipping on this sweet drink while typing up this article, and I am in Harry Potter Heaven right now. First, I do want to say that I have never tried butterbeer from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, whereas many of you have. The butterbeer there is unfortunately not vegan (though I certainly would try it if it were even if it’s not raw), which means I had to come up with my own special recipe to try this magical drink.

Are you ready to go? I know I am! Jump on the brooms and fly with me into the kitchen!

This recipe consists of three parts, but don’t worry, they’re very simple though the first couple take a while to complete due to the need to soak.

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Part One: Raw Almond Mylk (Yes, I do mean Mylk with a ‘y’)

What you need:
1 cup raw almonds
3 cups water
Pinch of pink himalayan salt
High-speed blender
Nut mylk bag (optional)

You need to soak your almonds in water before you use them. This is not only to soften them up but to “activate” them. What this means is that soaking neutralizes the enzyme inhibitors that nuts contain. These enzyme inhibitors do exactly what their name implies, inhibit the enzymes in our digestive system that help us digest proteins, carbs and fats.

Almonds should be soaked for at least 12 hours, though I recommend longer if you’re willing to wait for a creamier mylk once blended. Soak the almonds in a large, glass jar and cover them with warm water. Add about ½-1 teaspoon of pink himalayan salt, and then take a breathable towel (or simply a paper towel) and cover the jar. They should stay at room temperature.

When the time is up, strain out the water so you are left with only your almonds. Rinse the almonds extremely well to remove the aforementioned stuff then add them to your blender. Pour in three cups of water and add a pinch of pink himalayan salt, and finally blend it up on high for about a minute.

Once your mixture is blended, I recommend straining about 1 cup of the mylk in a nut mylk bag to use in the butterbeer recipe. The rest is best if left as a whole mylk as it contains more nutritional value this way. Pour your strained mylk and your whole mylk into glass containers and get ready to make the butterbeer syrup.

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Part Two: Butterbeer Syrup Base

What you need:
8 medjool dates (soaked and pitted)
¼ cup raw cashews (soaked for at 2 hours - see above on how to soak)
1 cup raw almond mylk
3 inches vanilla bean
¼ tsp pink Himalayan salt
¼ tsp cinnamon
⅛ tsp nutmeg
1/16 tsp cloves
High-speed blender

After soaking your dates and cashews and then rinsing them both off really well, toss them into your blender. Go ahead and add your strained almond mylk, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. For the vanilla bean, you are going to split it down the middle then use a paring knife to scoop out the tiny black seeds inside. This helps spread the flavor better than simply tossing in the vanilla bean on its own. Once you have scooped out as much as possible, go ahead and toss in the pod (the hard part of the bean). Yes! We are using the whole bean!

Turn on your blender, starting at a slower speed and increasing as the ingredients break down. When the ingredients are thoroughly blended, you should have a syrup/paste base that looks like this. 
Go ahead and take a spoon and try some because it is so good! Just remember to save some for your drink! (I almost forgot to!)

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Part Three: Let’s Make This Butterbeer Reality!

What you need:
Butterbeer base
¼ cup filtered water
1 cup sparkling water

Scoop out four large spoonfuls of the base into the blender. Add about ¼ cup of filtered water and blend until the mixture is more of a liquid. Go ahead and pour that into a mug. Now take your sparkling water and pour over the liquid base.

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Last Step: CHUG!

Go ahead and take a sip and enjoy the deliciousness that is raw vegan butterbeer! I bet it won’t last long. Mine sure didn’t!
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