I tried making Butterbeer, and I already know how I'd make the 'Harry Potter'-inspired drink better next time

With fall in full swing, it's about time for my annual "Harry Potter" movie marathon.

I decided to try whipping up my own batch of Butterbeer, which appears many times throughout the fantasy series, to enjoy while watching the films.

I chose to follow a simple recipe from Delish and turned my kitchen into my very own Potions class to make this unique drink. 

This particular recipe only called for six ingredients: cream soda, butterscotch syrup, double cream (the closest alternative in the US is heavy whipping cream), sugar, vanilla extract, and butter. 

I tend to keep many of these ingredients on hand or can find them easily at the grocery store. But I had trouble tracking down the butterscotch syrup.

There were butterscotch ice-cream sauces available, but I had to order the syrup online because it wasn't at any of the six stores I went to.

I started by pouring the heavy whipping cream into the bowl of my stand mixer and running the appliance on high until it got light and fluffy.

Once the whipped cream formed stiff peaks, I added sugar and vanilla and folded them in carefully.

I microwaved the butter for about 40 seconds, let it cool for another minute or so, and also folded it in.

At first, the vanilla and melted butter started thinning out the whipped cream. But as the butter cooled, the mixture became really thick.

While the cream was whipping, I poured the cream soda into a bowl and stirred in the butterscotch syrup.

I was left with my stand mixer, a mixing bowl, several measuring cups, and a few other dishes to clean up after making this single drink.

When it was time to serve, I ladled the soda mixture into a couple of tall glasses before spooning a generous amount of the sweet whipped cream on top.

I loved this whipped cream, which was a little sweet but also super rich and thick.

I've never added butter into homemade whipped cream before, but it was a really nice and indulgent touch.

The soda couldn't get through the whipped cream, so I had to eat some of the topping and use a spoon to kind of clear the way to get to some of the drink.

As I mixed the whipped cream into the soda, it started tasting like an even sweeter version of a cream-soda float.

The butterscotch syrup made the cream soda super sweet without adding a lot of actual butterscotch flavor. I realized a thicker butterscotch sauce might have actually tasted better and eased my earlier grocery-store troubles. 

All in all, I liked this recipe. It was a fun, easy drink to make and definitely a sweet, rich treat to enjoy while watching the movies.

In the future, I'd swap the highball glasses I used for larger steins so there's more room to stir.

I also noticed that some Butterbeer recipes have an "adult version" with a splash of rum, which I might try next time as well.

Beyond my tweaks, I enjoyed the process of making and drinking Butterbeer at home.