Is butterbeer simply a delicious invention of the imagination of Ms. Rowling, or is it a beverage to be found in history? It so happens that currently I am reading "Imbibe!" - a history of the cocktail in America during the 19th century. Lo and behold! Here is what I discovered quite accidentally in the section for Hot Spiced or Buttered Rum:
"The addition of butter to hot drinks goes back at least to the days of Henry VIII, when we find one Andrew Boorde recommending buttered beer or ale as a remedy for hoarseness. By Samuel Pepys's day, buttered ale, with sugar and cinnamon, had made the transition from medicinal drink to recreational one." (page 163)
I have never had a warm, let alone a hot, beer, and I don't intend to soon, but I must admit that the possibility is somewhat intriguing with the addition of such sweetness and spice. Also, having never had a Butterbeer from Harry Potter World (which is not a hot drink, nor alcoholic), I cannot compare this current interpretation with the imagined flavors on my mind's palate. I suppose I will eventually persuade some fellow adult Potter Heads to make this leap with me at some future gathering that involves lowered standards and unchained judgement. I will certainly let you know!
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