If you were to step onto the outdoor patio for the Three Broomsticks & the Hog's Head Tavern and then discover three Butterbeers just sitting out there in the hot Florida sun, don't assume that the Bloody Baron, the Grey Lady and Nearly Headless Nick have slipped out of Hogwarts Castle for a quick drink. It's far more likely that Ric Florell -- the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Resort Revenue Operations for the Universal Orlando Resorts -- has poured those drinks as part of a quality control check within The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
"You have to understand that -- when the team here at Universal initially developed Butterbeer for The Wizarding World -- we all agreed that Butterbeer should have a certain color," Florell explained. "That's why -- when I'm doing this test -- I always pour a few glasses and then take them out into the direct sun. Just so I can then gauge if the machine that we use to pour the Butterbeer is properly calibrated."
"And what sort of machine is that?" you ask. Ric won't reveal that. In fact, Florell and the folks in charge of Universal Orlando's Food & Beverage Department have gone to great lengths to keep the exact ingredients & preparation methods for Butterbeer secret.
"There's no one person or company that makes all of the ingredients for Butterbeer. The base is made in one particular place. The top is made in a different place and it's put together here. And only here," Ric continued. "Butterbeer's not pre-poured. It can't be packaged. There are three separate steps to the preparation of Butterbeer. And the guy who makes the base doesn't have a clue about the topping. And the guy who makes the topping doesn't have a clue about the base. And the guy who puts those two things together doesn't have a clue about either ingredient."
As you might have already guessed, Florell is fiercely protective of Butterbeer, and he’s making sure that this hugely popular recreation of the signature beverage from the Harry Potter books & films is only served with the confines of The Wizarding World.
"I regularly have managers from CityWalk come to me and ask if they could please serve Butterbeer in their restaurants because the Guests constantly ask for it. I even had Universal's PR team ask if they could serve Butterbeer as a one-time-thing at this huge media event in Cincinnati. In both of those cases, I had to say 'No' because I sincerely believe that we have to stay authentic to the fiction. That the only place on the planet where people can get Butterbeer is at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter," Ric stated
Mind you, Florell has made the occasional exception. Take -- for example -- the December 2011 announcement that Universal Studios Hollywood would be getting its very own Wizarding World.
"When we made the announcement, they wanted to have Butterbeer to serve to the Governor and the other celebrities & dignitaries attending this presentation," Ric said. "So in order to make that happen, I personally flew the Butterbeer out there. I personally prepared each & every glass that was served at this event. And once this event was over, I personally poured every Butterbeer that wasn't drunk down the drain."
Which -- I know -- sounds a touch obsessive. But given that it took the folks at Universal Orlando 2 & 1/2 years to perfect the formula for Butterbeer (More importantly, given how hugely popular this beverage has become with visitors to Central Florida,) it's easy to understand why they might then become extremely protective when it came to the finished product.
"And we've taken the exact same attitude toward the new beverages that we've created for Diagon Alley," Florell continued. "So if you want an Otters Fizzy Orange Juice or a Peachtree Fizzing Tea, there are only three places within the walls of this theme park where you can get those drinks. And that's at the Leaky Cauldron, the Hopping Pot and Eternelle's Elixir of Refreshment."
And the same attitude applies to Fast Food Boulevard, the Simpsons-themed street that was added to Universal Studios Florida as part of this theme park's "Springfield USA" expansion which opened in 2013.
"Every fan of the 'Simpsons' TV show knows Moe's Tavern. So we just had to have a Moe's Tavern as part of Fast Food Boulevard," Ric enthused. "And if we had Moe's Tavern, then we had to have a real-life version of the Flaming Moe to serve there, likewise Duff Beer. And since we were now brewing Duff Beer, we decided to create Duff Gardens, which is this outdoor beer garden that overlooks Universal Studios Lagoon. And Moe's Tavern and Duff Gardens are the only places in the country where you can get Duff Beer right now."
Speaking of adult beverages, the Wizarding World actually has three of those: Hog's Head Brew, a Scottish ale that made its debut at the Hog's Head Tavern back in 2010;
Wizard's Brew, a sweet stout; and Dragon's Scale Red Ale, a light beer.
"We're really proud of the beers that we serve here in The Wizarding World. More to the point, we put in the time to get them right. With Wizard's Brew, we went through 12 different formulas before we finally came up with one that we really liked," Florell concluded.
So as you can see, Universal Orlando's attention to detail just didn't extend to the highly themed rides, stores and facades that you'll find in and around The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley. It also made its way onto the menus of all the restaurants that you'll find populating this part of Universal Studios Florida.
"And just wait 'til you try the Butterbeer ice cream that we serve at Florian Fortescue's Ice Cream Palour. That's another park exclusive. And -- no -- I can't tell you how we make that one either," Florell laughed.
Orlando, FL – 08/08/14
By: Jim Hill
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