Drinks: Harry Potter House Mixology

Hello, everyone! I mentioned my Harry Potter birthday and I promised cocktails and crafty things. We'll start with cocktails.

Well, we stayed up late last night testing the cocktails and perfecting them. My testers were myself and Erik, as well as my brother and parents. My brother and my mom seemed to agree on everything, even when we didn't like their opinion. It took five tries to get a working Ravenclaw. I followed a recipe for something online, but it turned out a little too green (it went into lemonade). Then OH MY LORD the next three were horrible. Then, eureka! Sweet and Sour! And it was perfect.

Full credit to The Little Pink Blog for their butterbeer recipe. You should read and try all of their amazing creations, I just have a tight budget, small crowd, and too little patience for their amazing, but complex recipes.

NEXT DAY EDIT: I had one cup of Ravenclaw, one cup of Hufflepuff, and a beer and I was completely sloshed. No one else had as much trouble as me, and I'm not a lightweight, so maybe Brooke just slipped me something (kidding?). However, you may want to consider weakening these. Only the Gryffindor and Butterbeer are probably going to not need edits.

The Gryffindor
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart.

A tart red drink highlights the rich scarlet color and boldness that defines Gryffindor.

Ingredients:

3 parts Northland cranberry-pomegranate juice
1 part rum
Splash of energy drink

Directions:

Serve over ice.

I used regular cranberry juice and Monster due to availability and price and it was delicious. However, you might try Red Bull. The cranberry-pomegranate juice is the way I make any vodka-rum or vodka-cranberry now that I've had it and Northland has the best non-cocktail brand. I can't explain what it does, but it's epic. And instead of the traditional lime juice, we also always use sour mix. I had everyone blind taste test, though, and they picked the Monster version, which I thought was way more Gryffindor, anyway. (As is rum over vodka.) If you're making a large quantity, I recommend maybe 1/4 part energy. (So, 12 parts cranberry, 4 parts rum, 1 part energy.) Experiment and share your thoughts!

(Please ignore the slightly less sharp picture and the drops on the glass. We did Gryffindor last and, obviously, I had lost the ability to care by then.)

The Hufflepuff

You might belong in Hufflepuff, 

Where they are just and loyal, 

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true 

And unafraid of toil.

A sweet sunshine-yellow drink is best for this kind house.

Ingredients:

1 part orange juice

2 parts pineapple juice

1 part vodka

Directions:

Serve over ice.

I have absolutely no idea where this came from. I really don't. I'm convinced I did not come up with it myself because I don't think I would have thought of pineapple juice, but I can't find it. Maybe I did come up with it. Well, this was originally written down as 1 part each, and the vodka was citrus vodka. To save a buck, my mom convinced me to buy plain vodka. Well, I don't know if that was the cause, but the drink was far too strong. I'm convinced that citrus vodka would have done the trick. It was still delicious and we just decided to double the pineapple juice. Voila!

NEXT DAY EDIT: This was my personal favorite and the top of a lot of people's lists. It is very strong, but deceptively so. With how sweet it is, be careful with this one! Especially if you use citrus vodka instead, which will be even harder to taste.

The Ravenclaw

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, 

if you've a ready mind, 

Where those of wit and learning, 

Will always find their kind.

A effervescent blue cocktail is a smart drink for a clever House.

Ingredients:

1 part vodka

2 parts curacao

5 parts Sprite

1 part sour mix

Directions:

Serve over ice.

I mean it when I say this took five tries. I began with this recipe from the UV website (note: must be 21 to enter). If you ever need a flavored vodka, they are the way to go. UV Blue in pink lemonade? Genius! Please note that we had to use the Burnett's, which is a worthy second place for a better price and higher availability. Then the lemonade made it just a little too aqua, not blue. So we tried Sprite and holy BALLS, Batman! Cough syrup! (We're convinced UV would have mixed better.)

So my mom eventually suggested curacao. Genius! And the blue! But then we had to add vodka because curacao is weak. We went with plain vodka now. HORRIBLE. I added sour! Eureka! It made it a little less electric blue, but it was still a brilliant color. If you're making one drink, just add a splash or two until the taste is right, but the proportions above should help with pre-making for a party.

Who knew it would be so hard to get a blue alcoholic beverage?

The Slytherin

Or perhaps in Slytherin 

You'll make your real friends, 

Those cunning folks use any means 

To achieve their ends. 

This bitter green potion goes well with this prideful house.

Ingredients:

1 part UV Blue

3 parts orange juice

Splash of sour mix

Directions:

Serve chilled. Ice only if necessary.

This was so easy. We knew we liked UV Blue in orange juice. We've always eyeballed it, but finalized this as a good proportion, but mix according to your taste and color preferences. I prefer it a little weaker, at least to start, but this made a great green, and it was cloudy, but with a more transparent top, because of the orange juice. In the right cup and with the right orange juice, it looks like slime. It's also a bit bitter, but strangely addictive (seductive, perhaps?). Perfect Slytherin drink.

The splash of sour is similar to the energy in the Gryffindor. I'd use 1/4 part when making for a large crowd. It's to taste, and remember it will add a tiny bit of yellow color.

NEXT DAY EDIT: I want to let everyone know that when made in bulk, the color was quite off for me and instead of the sour, I used curacao to fix it and did not measure, but instead just poured it in to get the right color. It was still at the top of almost everyone's list.

The Butterbeer

Butterbeer is a very popular drink served cold in bottles or hot by the mug at the Three Broomsticks or The Hog's Head in Hogsmeade. It appears to have the ability to instantly warm up a wizard on a cold day, but is also popular cold in the summer. House-elves can get drunk on butterbeer, but it doesn't have that effect on humans. How is butterbeer made and what does it taste like? When asked about this by "Bon Appetit" magazine, JKR responded: "I made it up. I imagine it to taste a little bit like less-sickly butterscotch."

Enjoy this version for Muggles, created by The Little Pink Blog.

Ingredients:

5 parts cream soda

1 part butterscotch schnapps

Whipped cream

Directions:

Serve chilled without ice. Top with whipped cream.

This was the favorite sample, with and without whipped cream. It's the lowest in alcohol content and tastes just like a nice, smooth butterscotch, but more caramel-y. Like JKR had said, "less-sickly butterscotch." Yum!