The Year-Round Guide To Drinking Around Epcot's World Showcase
Walt Disney World serves incredible food and drinks that set it apart from your average theme park. The cuisine at Epcot — particularly at World Showcase — is on a whole other level than the other three theme parks on Walt Disney World Resort property. World Showcase is a section of the park with 11 pavilions circling the World Showcase Lagoon that portray different countries. Each pavilion was constructed to reflect the cultural representation of each country in distinct detail, from architectural design to carefully curated menus.
Many adult Disney-goers love to drink around the world when they visit Epcot, trying one signature drink from each country. The pavilions have plenty of options to quench your thirst year-round, whether your go-to is a pint of beer or a colorful cocktail. Just remember to drink responsibly, pace yourself, hydrate often, and pair your drinks with some of the tasty snacks you may find along the way. As an annual passholder with 20 years of Disney visits in the books, I will be your tour guide today on a grand culinary tour of World Showcase. Let's embark on our journey and discover the seriously delicious sips you can enjoy all year.
Which side should you start on?
Upon passing through the main entrance at Epcot, make your way through the park toward World Showcase. Here, you will face an important decision. The Mexico pavilion lies to your left, while the path to the Canada pavilion is to your right. Which way do you start? This is a highly debated topic among frequent Disney-goers. It helps to narrow down your priorities for the day and base your decision for entering World Showcase on those.
The Mexico pavilion is one of the most popular sections of World Showcase for the margaritas, shopping, and the Grand Fiesta Tour attraction inside the massive Aztec-inspired temple; walking inside the temple feels like meandering around a market in Mexico. Heading toward the Canada side of World Showcase is a great option for cold beer since the Canada and United Kingdom pavilions have some delicious beer options. France is also the third pavilion you come across if you choose to head right, housing the Remy's Ratatouille Adventure attraction that can reach some fairly long wait times. Either way is a great option, and regardless of which direction you choose, you are in for a great adventure for your day in Epcot. For this article, we will start our journey in the Mexico pavilion.
Find the perfect margarita in Mexico
The Mexico pavilion is known as the definitive place to get the perfect margarita in Walt Disney World. The outdoor margarita bar Choza de Margarita is a great choice for a cocktail on the go. This kiosk offers signature margaritas served over ice, frozen margaritas in strawberry, mango, and lime flavors, Dos Equis lager, and Hercules Lágermaiz, a Mexican beer made from corn. A refreshing non-alcoholic option is the Conga, a Mexican fruit punch with a combination of orange, pineapple, and lemon flavors.
To embrace the full Mexico pavilion experience, venture inside the temple into the Plaza de los Amigos and make your way over to La Cava del Tequila. With more than 200 tequila, cocktail, beer, and wine varieties, this margarita spot is not to be missed. The La Cava Avocado margarita is a popular choice, made with Tromba Blanco tequila, melon liqueur, avocado, lime juice, and a hibiscus salt rim. Negroni fans will not want to skip the El Negroni, an Oaxacan-style negroni with Gracias a Dios gin, Ojo de Tigre mezcal, vermouth, Aperol, Ancho Reyes liquor, applejack, and coffee liquor. For tequila connoisseurs, the La Cava Experience takes a deeper dive into the history of tequila paired with a tasting session, all hosted by a "certified Tequila Ambassador."
Sample Scandinavian sips in Norway
The Norway pavilion is home to a robust boozy coffee cocktail called Viking Coffee, perfect for an early morning libation. You can find this cocktail at the Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe quick service restaurant and it is available in hot or frozen varieties. It is a sweet combination of Bailey's Irish cream and Kamora coffee liqueurs, and the frozen version is topped with coffee-chocolate sauce and a coffee-chocolate crunch garnish. A zero-proof version of this drink called the Kristoff Kaffe, is made with frozen coffee instead of alcohol. Pair these coffee drinks with one of the Norwegian pastries Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe serves like Kringla, a sweet pretzel-shaped pastry topped with almonds or chocolate, and Norwegian school bread, a sweet pastry filled with custard and rolled in toasted coconut flakes. If you are not in the mood for a sweet coffee drink, there are also a few varieties of Norwegian draft beers available that are sure to satisfy.
The Akershus Royal Banquet Hall is a great option for a relaxing meal and libation in the Norway pavilion. Perfect for the Disney princess fans in your life, this family-style dining experience offers traditional Norwegian fare while classic Disney princesses roam the dining room for photos and autographs with guests. There are many delicious signature cocktails available to pair with your meal, like the Oslo, a frosty mix of vodka, LINIE Aquavit liqueur, banana liqueur, and strawberries, named after Norway's capital city.
Spend some time tasting tea in China
Continuing around World Showcase, next up on the tour is the China pavilion. Tea has played an important part in China's history for centuries, and the Joy of Tea quick service kiosk spotlights this popular drink. This is a great spot for a refreshing cup of bubble tea or iced tea to keep you cool in the Florida heat. Joy of Tea also serves tea-based cocktails. The Tipsy Ducks in Love features bourbon, black tea, coffee, cream, and chocolate for a complex yet smooth cocktail. The Kung Fu Punch is fruity and refreshing with mango and orange juices combined with triple sec and vodka.
If you have dinner plans at the Nine Dragons Restaurant, there are various wine and beer options to choose from. The Dragon Blossom draft is a delicious choice, with flavors of green tea and orange blossom honey, making for a light, floral lager. As for cocktails, many of them are fresh and fruity, perfectly complementing the restaurant's dishes. One standout is the Ginger Zinger, combining ginger and citrus flavors with rum. The Lychee Blossom showcases perfect floral notes from rose syrup and fruity lychee liqueur with effervescent sparkling water.
Enjoy a taste of the tropics at the Outpost
Tucked away between the China and Germany pavilions is the Outpost, inspired by several countries in Equatorial Africa. While this section of World Showcase may seem like a transitional area between pavilions, there is more to the Outpost than meets the eye. The quick service kiosk in this area of World Showcase is the Refreshment Outpost, specializing in soft-serve ice cream, fountain drinks, and slushies. This kiosk also has a must-try cocktail on the menu that you should add to your bucket list. This hidden gem is called the Mango Starr, made with mango puree and Starr African rum. It is smooth, flavorful, and tropical — a perfect combination.
The Refreshment Outpost also has one of the best frozen cocktails to help you beat the heat. The Outpost Lemonade is a boozy slushie that blends Minute Maid lemonade and Absolut vodka. For a break from the booze, the Coca-Cola and lemonade frozen slushes are also delicious ways to stay cool. While you enjoy your drink, shop around the Village Traders shop for African-inspired musical instruments, jewelry, and souvenir carvings.
Raise a glass for Oktoberfest in Germany
A trip to Germany is not complete without beer, and a trip to the Germany pavilion in World Showcase is no different. The Schöfferhofer Pink Grapefruit Hefeweizen is a favorite of frequent Disney-goers. It is light and fruity with a refreshing grapefruit flavor that might even get a thumbs-up from non-beer drinkers. This drink can be found at the Sommerfest kiosk, along with jumbo pretzels and traditional German bratwurst for a perfect lunchtime pairing.
Celebrate Oktoberfest in Germany all year round at the Biergarten Restaurant, the Germany pavilion's signature table service restaurant. A buffet of traditional German cuisine awaits you inside, along with live entertainers singing, dancing, and playing traditional polka music. The Biergarten serves beer by the ½ liter and full liter, or order a beer flight to sample each beer the restaurant has on tap. If wine is more your fancy, there are plenty of rieslings and other white and red varietals for sipping while you are serenaded by the sounds of German folk music. Prost!
Unwind with a glass of wine in Italy
Italy makes some of the best wines in the world, so wine is always a good choice in the Italy pavilion. The Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar is a great place to unwind from your day in the theme park. Paying homage to traditional Italian wine cellars, this wine bar has a cozy atmosphere, serving pours from more than 200 bottles of Italian wine, along with beer, cocktails, and food; many Disney-goers agree that the Italy pavilion has the best food in Epcot, so be sure to pair a wine flight with a few bites. The Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar also offers a limoncello flight with three sampling varieties of the light and citrusy spirit.
For a cocktail, make a stop over to the Gelateria Toscana. Not only does this kiosk serve scoops of sweet Italian gelato, but it also serves a popular cocktail, the Italian Margarita. This frozen concoction of limoncello and tequila is light and refreshing on a hot Florida afternoon. It is the perfect drink to sip as you wander around the Italy pavilion and take in the beautiful architecture and views of the World Showcase Lagoon. When you are in the mood for dessert, the gelato floats at this kiosk are a perfect sweet treat. Mix vanilla gelato with root beer or Coca-Cola for an Italian take on a classic ice cream float.
Taste the flavors of the U.S.A. at the American Adventure
You have officially made it halfway around World Showcase, and the next stop is the American Adventure pavilion where you will find some of the best American barbecue available across the Walt Disney World Resort. The Regal Eagle Smokehouse is one of the newest quick service restaurants in World Showcase and is named after the most patriotic eagle around, Sam Eagle from the Muppets. Some of the best drinks in this pavilion can be found here, like the Tennessee Lemonade. This cocktail combines Minute Maid lemonade and peach with Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey over ice. It is tangy, refreshing, and a great way to wash down the barbecue.
For a booze-free beverage, the American Dream at the Fife & Drum Tavern can help you keep cool. This colorful drink is made of layers of blue raspberry slush, vanilla soft serve, and cherry slush, for a colorful red, white, and blue treat. It is creamy with a perfect balance of sweet and tart. At this point in your Epcot day, this frosty drink is a surefire way to keep cool in the sun.
Sip on some sake in Japan
Speaking of slushies, the Japan pavilion has some seriously delicious boozy slushies for adults. After the American Adventure pavilion, the Kabuki Cafe is one of the first stops in the Japan pavilion. This kiosk is well-known for serving a colorful array of shaved ice and offers a spiked version with Japanese sake called the Sake Slushy in blackberry, coconut pineapple, and blood orange flavors. This cocktail is perfectly icy and so different from the other slushes around World Showcase; this is one drink you will want to add to your bucket list.
Another popular sake cocktail in the Japan pavilion is the Violet Sake from the Garden House. This Instagram-worthy cocktail features fruity and thirst-quenching purple pear and lime flavors and a stunning deep purple hue. The Frozen Kirin draft is a great choice for beer lovers. The foam on top of the beer is frozen, light, and airy — essentially keeping the liquid beer beneath it at a colder temperature for longer, making it a unique way to cool off with a brew.
Indulge in a fruity mimosa or sangria in Morocco
The Morocco pavilion has some of the most beautiful photo spots in World Showcase and some seriously tasty sips to try. Relax and rest your feet for a moment at the Spice Road Table, where the bar serves up refreshing fruity cocktails like your choice of house-made white, red, rosé, and sparkling sangria. The sweet and flavorful sparkling mimosas are also a great option paired with the Moroccan-style small plates and tapas.
When your sweet tooth starts to hit, venture next door to Oasis Sweets & Sips to satisfy your snacktime cravings. This kiosk sells a variety of eye-catching Moroccan pastries and refreshing beverages. Along with white and red sangria, Oasis Sweets & Sips offers slushes that are sure to cool you off. The Frozen Citrus-Pomegranate Slushy is sweet and tangy and can be spiked with Absolut Mandarin vodka to put an adult-oriented twist on the citrus flavors. The Frozen Mint Tea is the perfect drink for a hot Florida day. The cooling mint flavor mixed with the natural taste of the tea is heavenly. Make it boozy with Bombay Sapphire gin.
Kick back with sweet and boozy options in France
The France pavilion has so many drink options that it's hard to choose which to try first. A good starting point is one of the most popular drinks in the pavilion, the Orange Slush. The cocktail can be found at Les Vins des Chefs de France. Made with Grand Marnier, rum, Grey Goose orange vodka, and orange juice, this drink is a frosty and citrusy cup of sunshine, perfect for Florida. You can also order a variety of French beer, wine, and bubbly champagne at this outdoor stall.
As if the alluring scent of freshly baked bread is not enough to entice you inside, Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie is a must-stop spot for a caffeine boost. Here, you can find freshly brewed cappuccinos, lattes, espresso, coffee, tea, and hot chocolate, along with delectable French pastries, quiche, and sandwiches. On a rare cold day in Orlando, sipping a hot coffee and strolling through the theme park is perfection.
Martini and ice cream lovers alike cannot pass up the sweet treat known as the ice cream martini from L'Artisan des Glaces. This cocktail is a drink and dessert all in one cup. Two scoops of ice cream or sorbet in any flavor are served with a shot of Grand Marnier, whipped cream vodka, or rum. The cinnamon caramel apple ice cream with whipped cream vodka or the piña colada sorbet with rum are excellent combinations to try.
Pause for a pint in the United Kingdom
The next stop on the World Showcase Tour is the United Kingdom pavilion, home to one of the liveliest public houses on this side of the pond, the Rose and Crown Pub. There's a drink on the menu for everyone to enjoy, including a wide array of beer, wine, whiskey, scotch, and themed cocktails like the fruit-forward Welsh Dragon with peach, melon, orange, and pineapple flavors and a stunning dragon-green hue. Another popular cocktail is the Cider and Fireball, made with Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey, Fireball cinnamon whiskey, and Strongbow Cider, topped with ginger ale. This cocktail is strong on the cinnamon flavor, which pairs perfectly with the apple flavor in the cider.
The Rose and Crown Pub also offers a variety of pub blends, two different half-pours of beer or cider combined into one cup, including combinations of Harp lager, Guinness stout, cider, Bombardier amber ale, and Old Speckled Hen pale ale. Whiskey sampling flights are also available with three pours per flight. On colder evenings, unwind with a hot cup of Twinings tea and wander across the street to The Tea Caddy shop to purchase some souvenir tea and biscuits to enjoy at home. If you pop in at the right time, you may be able to enjoy a pint with a platter of authentic fish and chips with live music performances or even a view of the Luminous fireworks show.
Finish strong with a cocktail in Canada
The last stop of your tour around World Showcase is the Canada pavilion. The must-try cocktail of this pavilion is the Ottawa Apple from the popcorn cart. The combination of Crown Royal Whiskey with maple, apple, and cranberry flavors makes for a truly delicious drink. It is perfect for sipping and strolling around the pavilion as you take in all the beautiful views of the gardens, rock faces, and a roaring waterfall. The popcorn cart also serves Canadian Moosehead on draft if you are in the mood for a beer at the end of the day.
The Canada pavilion also houses one of the best steakhouses at Walt Disney World Resort, Le Cellier. This restaurant is modeled after the cellar of a Canadian château, serving a variety of steak, seafood, and poutine. After dinner, unwind with a flight of Canadian icewines or a hot Canadian coffee with bourbon cream to end your journey around World Showcase on a sweet note.