My Tried and True, Absolute Favorite Cocktails in Disney World
If you’re an adult over the age of 21 and enjoy having a drink or two while you’re at Disney World, this post is for you! There are a ton of alcohol options around the theme parks, so it can be difficult to know what’s worth your money (those drinks are expensive, after all!).
So, I am here to help! As someone who has been to the parks more times than I can count since turning 21, I consider myself to be well versed in the good, the bad, and the overrated drinks around Disney World.
Photo: Brook Geiger McDonald
Let’s talk about it!
My Tried and True Favorite Cocktails in Disney World
These are my tried and true, go-to, always delicious, and never disappointing alcoholic drinks to get in the parks. And sorry Magic Kingdom, you’re sitting this one out because alcohol is only sold at table service spots and I rarely sit down for a meal in Magic Kingdom (although if I do, it’s at Skipper Canteen and I get a Tusker Lager).
A little info for reference before we get started — I’m going to talk about what kind of drinks I like in general so you can see if your preferences match up at all and know if you’ll like them too!
As far as liquor goes, I am a big fan of gin, especially in a dirty martini (with blue cheese olives, preferably) and I am also into tequila. I think there’s definitely a time and place for rum, I’ve never been mad at something tasting *too much* like rum.
Photo: Disney || La Cava del Tequila
I like vodka drinks if I can’t really taste the vodka (most good vodkas shouldn’t have a flavor, anyway). I HATE whiskey. Like, absolutely despise it. Even just thinking of the smell turns my stomach.
I do not like when drinks are overly sweet, because even if they taste amazing I know I’ll be paying for it later. That sugar is what leads to the worst hangovers, people!
For beer, my favorites are light and/or fruity, I love a good sour if it’s doing something unique, and you can’t go wrong with beer flavored beers! I hate IPAs, pale ales are situational, and dark beers depend on the season.
I’m also a big champagne fan but I don’t drink it often because it makes me sleepy — that’s the most uncool, old person thing you’ve ever heard, right? I’m not even 30 but I’ve lived enough life to know I shouldn’t drink champagne if I want to stay awake the rest of the day.
Rainbow Beer Flight
EPCOT
We obviously have to start in the park that’s known for its drinks! First stop, Mexico.
Cucumber Margarita — La Cava del Tequila
Inside the Mexico pavilion is La Cava del Tequila, AKA the tequila cave. It’s a great spot to sit out of the sun and enjoy a drink, or get one to go!
La Cava del Tequila
This is where you’ll find the first drink on my list — The Cucumber margarita. It’s Arette blanco tequila, fresh cucumber and lime juice, orange liqueur, agave, with a Tajin Chile-lime powder rim.
This is like a classic margarita, but with some cucumber flavor. So, if you like cucumber, you will love this!
The Cucumber margarita is my go to when I want a drink and it’s 100 degrees outside. It’s light and easy to drink, refreshing but it still has some zest from the chile-lime rim.
It’s also served on the rocks, which is my preferred way to drink a marg because it doesn’t feel as heavy or as sugary.
Moonshine Sour — Regal Eagle Bar
My next favorite drink is over at Regal Eagle Bar, which is located outside Regal Eagle Smokehouse in the American Adventure pavilion. It’s a walk-up bar that has a variety of beers, wine, and cocktails.
Regal Eagle Smokehouse
The Moonshine Sour is Ole Smoky Blackberry Moonshine, blood orange, blackberry, and lemon. This drink is definitely sour, but it’s not overwhelming and it’s not too sweet, which I love!
If you like sour beers and berry flavors, I think you’ll love this cocktail. It’s very well balanced between the berry flavor and the citrus from the blood orange and lemon.
Medina Mixer — Spice Road Table
Let’s move over to the Morocco pavilion for the Medina Mixer! This can be found at Spice Road Table and has Starr African Rum, Van der Hum Tangerine Liqueur, and cranberry juice.
This is another drink that isn’t overly sweet but is still fruity and has a lot of flavor. The cranberry adds a tinge of bitterness (in a good way) and the tangerine liqueur is unique, making this drink stand out!
Also, Spice Road Table is ridiculously underrated — the food and drinks are incredible, you can almost always walk up and get a table, you’re waited on, there are nice bathrooms, the decor is beautiful, there’s a great view of the lagoon…What more could you ask for?!
Put some more respect on the Morocco pavilion, it’s still struggling post-pandemic but it’ll get back to what it was (I really hope). It’s the prettiest pavilion and it deserves love and attention, thank you!
Stop in here for a snack and a sit down break while you’re traveling around the world.
Snake Bite — Rose & Crown Pub
Okay, so this one isn’t technically a cocktail but it’s still a mixed drink, so I’m counting it. A Snake Bite is a drink you can find variations of in a lot of different pubs, but at Rose & Crown Pub it’s half cider and half Harp Lager.
This is a perfect drink to me because you still get to enjoy the apple flavor and some sweetness from the cider, but it’s not overwhelmingly sweet since it’s cut with the lager, which makes it lighter. It’s very well balanced!
Rose & Crown Pub
It’s also a happy medium between wanting a simple drink, but not something boring. Also, these drinks are huge, so make sure to pace yourself!
My recommendation would be to grab one of these and then head over to the back courtyard of the U.K. pavilion and listen to Command Performance. This is the British rock cover band that performs here throughout the late afternoon and evening, and they’re fantastic!
Hollywood Studios
I’ll be honest, not a lot of drinks have stood out to me at Hollywood Studios. There are definitely some tasty drinks here, but none that I absolutely HAVE to have almost every time I’m in the park…except for one.
The Outer Rim — Oga’s Cantina
Oga’s Cantina is the bar inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. You can’t just stop by this place, you have to have a reservation or get on the walk-up list (unless the parks really aren’t busy), but I promise it’s worth it!
My favorite drink here is The Outer Rim. It’s Patrón Silver Tequila, Stirrings Pomegranate Liqueur, lime juice, and pure cane sugar with black salt and exotic fruit purée.
I’ll let you in on a secret, the exotic fruit purée is passion fruit! It forms a kind of foam at the top of the drink — it’s like having a fruity dollop of thick whipped cream or sorbet.
The passion fruit combined with the pomegranate and lime along with the salt on the rim is delicious. It’s more interesting than a regular margarita, but still familiar enough for those who don’t want something too adventurous.
Animal Kingdom
Now, let’s talk about potentially the most underrated park when it comes to food and drinks. Animal Kingdom does unique drinks very well and there are a ton of great options!
Annapurna Zing — Nomad Lounge
Nomad Lounge is located on Discovery Island on your way toward Pandora. It’s the lounge connected to Tiffins Restaurant.
This is one of my favorite spots in all of Disney World. There’s a lovely covered porch outside with big comfy chairs and couches, and the same on the inside, but with air conditioning and a bar!
If you need a spot to get away from the crowds and a break from the heat, this is the spot. There are a ton of delicious drinks here to sip on while you relax.
My absolute favorite drink here (and maybe a top 5 of all time, anywhere) is the Annapurna Zing. It’s Bombay Sapphire Gin, passion fruit purée, mint, simple syrup, and lime juice topped with ginger beer and a glowing lotus flower.
Yeah, if you haven’t figured it out by now, I really like passion fruit. It can be sweet, but Disney does a great job yet again by offsetting the sweetness with other things like lime, mint, and ginger beer.
It’s zippy and fruity and fresh and it even comes with a glowing lotus flower that you get to keep! It’s plastic and changes colors, so you could totally reuse it in a drink at home if you wanted to.
Spice Trader Classic — Nomad Lounge
Another great gin drink here is the Spice Trader Classic. It has Hayman’s Old Tom Gin, Dolin Vermouth Blanc, lemon juice, and strawberries topped with soda water.
This drink is refreshing and not very sweet at all. But, you definitely have to like the taste of gin, because it’s prominent in this one!
I would call this a more gin-forward drink, so if you like drinks like gin and tonic/soda, this is an awesome twist on that! It’s simple, but delicious.
Snow Leopard Salvation — Nomad Lounge
Yeah, I KNOW this is the third drink from Nomad Lounge, but they are just that good.
So, if you want something refreshing that doesn’t taste like gin, check out one of my other favorites, the Snow Leopard Salvation. This has Vusa Vodka, Belle de Brillet Pear Liqueur, mint, lime juice, and ginger beer.
It’s like a Moscow Mule but with a little something extra due to that pear liqueur. It’s very refreshing because of the mint and the ginger beer adds some nice bubbles.
Drinking cocktails with ginger beer in Disney World make me feel like I’m doing something proactive. You can eat a wide variety of foods in the parks, from greasy to ingredients you’ve never tried before, so stomach aches can happen.
It probably isn’t true, but in my mind I feel like ginger beer is helping to stave off a stomach ache, even just a bit. So, it’s just an added bonus!
Rum Blossom — Pongu Pongu
The Rum Blossom at Pongu Pongu (located in Pandora) has Bacardi Superior Rum with layers of apple and desert pear limeade topped with boba balls. Do be aware that this drink just has the rum directly poured on top of it like a floater.
Hot tip though — take your Instagram pic of this drink before you stir in the rum on top. Stirring it all up completely blends the layers and you won’t see them anymore!
This is the only frozen drink on the list, but it’s still not too sweet to be refreshing. The limeade helps with that!
Pongu Pongu
The flavors are interesting and the boba balls are fun and fruity, plus the colors are gorgeous! There’s also a non-alcohol version of this drink here called the Night Blossom if you don’t want to imbibe.
And, that’s my list! You might be thinking “there’s not enough variety on here,” “the drinks are all in one place,” or “I like something different” and that’s totally fine, but I don’t care!
These are my faves and I love them with all of my heart. I haven’t tried every single drink in the parks (it would be a little concerning if I had) so there are probably still some great ones out there I’ve yet to try!
Everyone has different taste buds and preferences, for example — I absolutely do not like that Violet Sake from Japan everyone raves about. It’s WAY too sweet and it’s a one note drink to me. But if you love it, I love that for you!
This is also your reminder to please always drink responsibly when you’re at Disney World. Make sure you have a designated drive or reliable and safe transportation, that you’re drinking a lot of water, and don’t overdo it.
Stay tuned for more Disney World news and updates!
