Rowena's Butter Beer

 Rowena's Butter Beer
(aka Cream Soda Float with Salted Caramel Sauce and Butter Pecan Ice Cream)

I've started planning on my son's Harry Potter birthday party, and one of the things I was thinking about was how to make the Butter Beer.

So when I found my salted caramel recipe yesterday I thought I'd try out the idea I was kicking around in my old noggin.

So I stopped at the corner store to grab a small bottle of cream soda, and a carton of butter pecan icecream, and when I got home, I threw it all together to see what would happen-- if it would taste good as I suspected or if it would be overwhelmingly sweet and not something I'd want to serve anyone. It's pretty simple, once you make the caramel sauce.

 One or two scoops butter pecan icecream.

 One teaspoon (more or less to taste) of salted caramel sauce.

 Fill the glass with cream soda. Woah, watch the foam bubble up.

 Woah. That looks pretty good.

 Woah. Woah. That is really good. Oh ma gah. Who the heck thought this up? Oh yeah, me. Get away from me little boy, this is mine. Go grow up and create your own super yummy Harry Potter inspired summer drinks.

OMG. Look at that foamy goodness all swirled with buttery caramel.

Just so you know I did actually let the boy finish it. I wasn't quite the piggy mom that I wanted to be and  I let him taste test his new butter beer recipe. I was gratified by that icecream soda slurp that the straw makes when it gets to the bottom of the yumminess.

And all the worries about the salted caramel sauce being too salty all disappeared, because with the sweetness of the cream soda and the butter pecan icecream, the salty sauce just adds a flavorful layer of depth and actually cuts what could have been a cloying and overly sweet drink.

But, I must say that when I make it for the party, I will use smaller glasses, because it was pretty darn sweet. A dessert all by itself, and if I am going to get a dozen kids out of my house after the party without going into sugar shock, I'm going to have to make the portions smaller.