Between the books and the movies the Harry Potter franchise has built a huge fan base that loves to not only enjoy the content but to live in it as well. We frequently see fans show off the colors of their favorite Hogwarts house and brandish their own wands. But if you want to truly inhabit the Wizarding World you need to eat and drink like they do, and for many that means one thing, Butterbeer. Butterbeer is probably the most well known item that Harry, Ron, Hermione and others consumed throughout the books and movies, and according to one Harry Potter actor, Tom Felton, it's actually pretty good.
If you're a serious fan of Harry Potter than there are a few places you probably need to check out, but the newest is Harry Potter New York, the flagship store of the Wizarding World where visitors can buy all sorts of Harry Potter themed gear. They can also enjoy a drink as the store actually has Butterbeer on tap, and Tom Felton recently admitted to Extra that he's had several glasses of the stuff and he legitimately likes it. Felton says...
Oh I have sunk a few in my time, yes I have. I do like it!
If you're a fan of Butterbeer there are actually a few places one can find it. In addition to Harry Potter New York, Butterbeer is available at the Universal theme parks that include the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It can be found there in hot, cold, or frozen varieties, in fact. It can also be found bottled as part of the Harry Potter Studio Tour online store in the UK. Since the studio tour and Harry Potter New York use the same online shop, it would seem likely that the two use the same Butterbeer recipe. It's likely different than what you'll find at Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood.
Whether everybody who was part of the Harry Potter films feels the same as Tom Felton is unclear, but Butterbeer has proven to be quite popular at places like the Universal theme parks, so there are a lot of people who truly love it. At Universal you're more likely to get into a heated debate over which version of the stuff is better, not over whether or not Butterbeer is good.
Still anything on tap is better than drinking the same stuff out of a bottle, so if I ever the chance, I will for sure be checking out the Butterbeer at Harry Potter New York. The stuff at Universal is good, as long as you like cream soda,(it's basically cream soda and whipped cream) so the flagship store will have work to do. But if the Butterbeer is better on tap, it's going to make just one more reason fans are going to want to make the pilgrimage to Harry Potter New York.
