Many years ago, when my youngest daughter was in middle school, she was given a very controversial book as required reading in school. As a loving mother who was very involved in my kids education, I was very concerned due to conflicting things I had heard about this book. However, I was also open-minded enough to not rely on the rumors, so I asked for the book and told my daughter that if I read it and thought it was appropriate, then I’d let her read it. If not, then I’d ask the teacher for an appropriate substitute.

It took less than a day to read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. I couldn’t put it down, and I was hooked! Ever since then I’ve stood in line for every book and movie release. I was so excited to go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Orlando and to see the shops of Hogsmead, ride the rides, buy a wand and other Hogwarts apparel, and to try the Butterbeer. Oh. My. Goodness! It was love at first sip! The taste was exactly as I had imagined from every description in the books.

Imagine my surprise and delight when I saw this pin for Butterbeer Frappuccino from the Starbucks Secret Menu. I thought this was a perfect opportunity to see if Starbucks could do some real magic.

I ordered the drink and even showed the barista the website so there would be no mistakes.

This is the results minus a few test sips. While it wasn’t exactly like the Butterbeer that I had at Universal or my imagination, it was pretty close and very good.

So the Pin Test results are:

Overall Rating: 5 Pins

Accuracy: While it lacked a bit of the buttery-ness that was in the WW of HP version, the caramel and toffeenut mixture was very close. The cream base of the Frappuccino was perfect without adding the extra flavor of vanilla. I’ve seen recipes for home made Butterbeer that call for cream soda and butterscotch with melted butter that might be a bit closer – maybe – but it would be a lot of work for a bit of uncertainty. Going to Starbucks is much quicker and easier. 5 Pins

Difficulty: Go to Starbucks (or other coffee shop) and order the beverage. 5 Pins

Time: There were several people in front of me in line, so it took several minutes to place and get my order. But since there was no work on my part, and I did get my drink in about 5 minutes – 5 Pins.

Cost: One grande custom Frappuccino was less than 5 dollars, which is quite a bit less expensive than the one at Universal (NOT counting the price of admission). 5 Pins

Practicality: Order drink, pay with the money you got from Gringots. Accio Butterbeer! 5 Pins