Just In Case You Missed It…

Another double week of posts in the JICYMI review this week.  (This will probably be the case in a couple weeks as well because we’ll be out of town next weekend for the holiday.)

On to what you might have missed:

The folks over at Eating WDW have been busy visiting some of our favorite spots at Walt Disney World these past couple of weeks, enjoying a Harambe Cooler at the Dawa Bar, checking out the new appetizer menu at the Territory Lounge, and stopping by the Uzima Springs Pool Bar for a Caribbean Limeade.

Next up, Eating (and Drinking) Around the World spent a day at Epcot filled with food, wine, fireworks, and more.  Looks like it was a fantastic day.

Finally, WDW for Grownups showcased the Canada Beer Cart and also Germany’s  Biergarten Restaurant, where you can enjoy a liter of  German beer!

 

 

Drink Report: Around the World in Three Days

It has been two weeks since my wife and I returned from Walt Disney World, and I wanted to share the fun that we had being at Disney World, and having just some of the magnificent cocktails they offer. Disney World is “our place” there is no other place I want to go on vacation with my wife.  Is it sensory overload? Sure. But who does not want some excitement in their vacation?  To me sitting on a beach for a week sounds boring as boring can be.  We have been coming here for years and during our last trip I discovered the side adventure of “drinking around the world” which is to have a cocktail in each country represented in EPCOT, which include:

• Mexico
• Norway
• China
• Germany
• Italy
• United States
• Japan
• Morocco
• France
• United Kingdom
• Canada

Our “drinking around the world” adventure took us to the Biergarten at the Germany Pavilion for our first stop the evening before we began on the rest of the countries.  We were seated at a long table with three other couples, where we talked with the folks across from us, a couple in their late 50′s who were celebrating their honeymoon from New Orleans.  She is a nurse and he works as an engine manufacturer for NASA. Very nice folks.  After being in Walt Disney World for four days you see people who are miserable because their kids are whining constantly and being brats. It was nice to meet and talk with a couple who seemed to be enjoying their vacation as we were. I had in mind to order the beer flight, but the Weizen called out to me.  A wheat beer that makes Blue Moon taste like sewer water.

After dinner we headed back to the resort, and ready to hit the bulk of the countries on day two.

We made the decision to skip the United States Pavilion, one because I am not a fan of it, and two the only beer that is served there is Bud Light and Sam Adams.  Both items I can get by driving to Kroger and picking up.  Not that I would drink Bud Light voluntarily as it is the foulest of beers (or maybe it isn’t, more on that later).  We did drink two Little Kings before leaving for EPCOT, so we did have an American Experience.

We needed a way to get our adventure moving, so we decided to let play the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure, and let that choose our first destination.

Disney’s Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure is an ultra-interactive quest at Epcot theme park based on the Disney Channel animated series, Kim Possible. Transform into secret agents, join Team Possible and help save the world from super-villains with the help of a high-tech “Kimmunicator”. http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/attractions/kim-possible/

Our Kimmunicator took us first to Italy, where we began with the goodness that is the Bellini.  This cocktail is made with Peach Puree and Prosecco. This started the Drinking Around the World Adventure off strong.   A tasty, easy drinking light cocktail.  Think of peach juice with white sparkling wine.  Italy gets a passing grade.

Continuing with the Kim Possible game, our next country was Japan, and here is where we made our first not so great decision.  Cold Sake.  I am still kicking myself for not ordering the Plum Wine, but hey you live and learn.

France was up next, now we both love Champagne but the cart we stopped at had what can only be described as savory wonder lust for your tongue.  The Grand Marnier Slush is a frozen drink made with Grand Marnier and Grey Goose Vodka, all mixed in an orange slush.

From France we took a small bridge to the neighboring pavilion, United Kingdom.  In all of our visits we had never stepped inside the Rose and Crown, so we got to experience something completely new.  Our bartender was a fella from Wales, very nice guy who Melissa loved to hear talk.  (Sad for me that the Scottish girl who was bartending did not wait on us.   As the Sake taught me, not everything goes your way.)  The drink menu was obnoxiously long, after a couple of minutes I decided on a Black and Tan.

We began at about 11:00 a.m. when the World Showcase opened, and it was now about 2:00 p.m. and we had lunch reservations at our favorite restaurant in all of Disney, Le Cellier (Canadian Pavilion), but we had about a half an hour until our reservation so we took in the Circle Vision 360 movie O’Canada.

Canada was penciled in to be a beer because this was our lunch stop.  And as much as I love sweet cocktails it is hard to have one with a meal.  Ahhh…but the EPCOT gods would throw us a curveball.   The day before we were treated to a glass of champagne by our server at Sanaa.  While waiting to be seated, Melissa and her eagle eye saw a sign for Champagne.  Not just Champagne, but a flight of it.

How in the world could we cheat ourselves out of this?   Three offerings.  Domaine Ste.  Michelle Blanc de Blancs,  Columbia Valley Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial Rose and finally, the coup de gras, the Epernay Champagne Pommery Brut Royal.  Oh yeah the food was perfect as always. Pretzel bread FOR THE WIN!

Our next stop would be Morocco, so we left Canada took a right, waved to the United Kingdom and France as we passed them and made our way to the North African Kingdom of Morocco.  We settled on the Habibi Daiquiri, which is made with Rum (obviously), and was blended with strawberries and Orange Blossom Water.

Since it was getting warm this hit the spot nicely.  This was the point where we decided to hit some of the rides at EPCOT.   We waiting an hour for Soarin’ and then did Spaceship Earth which is one of my favorites at Walt Disney World.  It was about six o’clock and we would wrap the drinking up for the day and finish off tomorrow, after all tonight was extra magic hours at the Magic Kingdom until 2:oo a.m. and I was not about to get drunk and miss that.

Day two of our Drinking Around the World Adventure left us with three countries to do, and as luck would have it, and with no planning at all, the three remaining countries were all in a row. Mexico, Norway, and China awaited us.  The World Showcase opens at 11:00 a.m., and we arrived just as the rope was dropping, the first rope drop we had ever made at Walt Disney World. Melissa and I made our way to China to start off, where we ordered a Green Tea Plum Slush, but they were out.  I am not sure exactly how you are out of something 5 minutes after opening, but there was nothing I could do about it.  I decided on the Mango Gingerita, made with mango puree, ginger, rum and vodka blended with ice.

After seeing Reflections of China,  a Circle Vision 360 film much like O’ Canada, it was on to Norway.  Norway has a serious lack of alcohol offerings, and in fact the only thing that we found was Carlsberg Beer.  As I mentioned earlier I am not fan of Bud Light, and to me Carlsberg is just as bad if not worse than the light version of the “King of Beers”

It was onto our final country, Mexico.  Since the Carlsberg debacle was so horrendous we wanted to be sure that the last drink on our adventure needed to be awesome.  A drinks that would make us forget about Carlsberg.  And then there it was.  The clouds opened up and trumpets sounded from the heavens as we gazed upon the Fiesta Margarita.  Lime on the bottom, mango on the middle topped off with Strawberry.  The perfect way to end our Drinking Around the World Adventure.

I would suggest giving this a try if you go to EPCOT, but please be responsible.  Know your limits. We did this over three days and shared most of the drinks.  The last thing you want is to be sick while in Disney World.

========================================

Thadd writes at his site: Mister Bitters

Adventures in Drinking: Drinking Around the World – Norway Pavilion

Next stop on our Drinking Around the World adventure is the Norway Pavilion.

If you follow along on Twitter, you probably noticed that in recent weeks I’ve been wondering what happened to the beer cart in Norway. Well, it appears the cart has returned!  This is good news, as it makes acquiring your Norway drink a bit easier.  So let’s take a look at the options in Norway.

You have the Akershus Restaurant, where you’ll be paying a premium to dine with the princesses.  You have the Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe, which often has a line out the door and a limited selection.  And you have the beer cart, where you’ll find some wine, Linie Aquavit, and beer.

We should talk about that beer.

The beer served at the Norway Pavilion isn’t actually Norwegian.  They used to sell a Norwegian beer a number of years back, Ringnes.  But now they serve Carlsberg, which is a Danish beer.  I do not know why this change was made, and Ringnes wasn’t the greatest beer in the world, but at least it was from Norway.  They also have Bud Light. ( Pretty sure that’s not Norwegian either.)

So what is one to do at the Norway Pavilion?  Well, if you’d like to dine at Akershus, you’ll have a lot more options as evidenced by their menu, which includes several Norway “inspired” cocktails, as well as several wines, although, like the beer, none of those appear to be Norwegian.  However, I suspect most of you are going to have to choose from the slim pickings available outside of the restaurant.

For the Linie Aquavit uninitiated, here’s a quick description:

Linie is a potato based spirit distilled with multiple botanicals somewhat like gin. Carraway is the most important flavor in aquavit, but Linie also uses dill, anise seed, sweet fennel and coriander.

Short version:  It’s not for everyone. Also, these responses to our question on Facebook “Yay or Nay to Aquavit?” might be best taken under consideration as well:

“Liquid Fire!”

“Nay to the shot. Unless you need to strip paint off some old furniture.”

However, I can say for just about every person I’ve encountered who has an “Are you crazy?” response to the Aquavit question, there has been an “Oh, that stuff is awesome!”  So, there you go.

Final thoughts:

The Authentic Choice: Linie Aquavit Glacier Shot.

The Hard Alcohol Choice: Linie Aquavit Glacier Shot (If you do go to Akershus, perhaps one of those “Norwegian” cocktails should be taken under consideration.)

The Beer Choice: Carlsberg.

The Lightweight’s Choice: Just go on preference.

Our Choice: Linie Aquavit Glacier Shot. (It’s over quickly.)

Side note: I believe they still serve “Viking Coffee” at the bakery, which is coffee, Kamora Coffee Liqueur, and Bailey’s Irish Cream. I don’t drink coffee, so I don’t have an opinion on it, but it’s an option for those of you who do.

Next stop: China Pavilion.

_______

Norway Beer Cart sign photo courtesy of E. O’Connor

Norway Pavilion, Epcot by Bill Barber used via Creative Commons.

Adventures in Drinking – Drinking Around the World

I had originally started writing what would probably have been an overlong explanation of  “Drinking Around the World.”   But then I realized that it was highly doubtful that anyone reading this blog wouldn’t already know what that means.  Instead, we’ll pretty much get right to a country by country exploration of World Showcase, including the options available and suggestions for your adventure. (Just because you know what it is, doesn’t mean you’ve done it yet, right?)

Here are three basic tips to keep in mind before you get started:

1. Pace yourself.  Take your time, and enjoy World Showcase along the way.  No need to rush.
2. Eat something.  You’ll at least need a little something along the way, and having a meal before starting is a probably a good idea.
3. Water is your friend.  In the Florida heat, you will be amazed at how quickly you can become dehydrated.  Add all that alcohol in there… Well, just drink it. You’ll thank me later.

If you’re going to be drinking all beer, our suggestion is that you start in Canada. If you’re more of a liquor person, or a mix of the two, start in Mexico.  If you’re planning to drink mostly wine, I don’t think it really matters where you start, and to be honest, I probably won’t talk too much about that.  (I suppose all that probably counts as a fourth, maybe even fifth or sixth tip, but it just didn’t fit as nicely with the others.)

We will provide suggestions in the following categories for each pavilion:

• The Authentic Choice – Something that is from the actual country itself, not a made up cocktail, etc.
• The Hard Alcohol Choice – What we feel to be the best of the hard alcohol options
• The Beer Choice – What we feel to be the best of the beer options
• The Lightweight’s Choice – What we feel would be the best option for someone who has a lower alcohol tolerance
• Our Choice – What our personal choice would be from the above options

Some of our choices will obviously overlap, but those are the categories we figured would be most helpful.

First stop: Mexico Pavilion.

Snacking Around the World: A Review of the Disney Food Blog Mini-Guide to Epcot Snacks

If you’ve ever looked for information on the internet about Disney food or Disney dining, you’ve undoubtedly come across the work of AJ Wolfe, owner of the Disney Food Blog.  In the past few years, she’s not only written many informative articles on her blog, but has also authored several e-Books, including The Disney Food Blog Guide to Walt Disney World Dining.   Her most recent endeavor is the Disney Food Blog Mini-Guide to Epcot Snacks, and I had the pleasure of checking out this new guide last week.

The Mini-Guide to Epcot Snacks comes in PDF form.  The great thing about that is that regardless of the platform you’re using – Windows, Apple, Android, even Linux – as long as you have a PDF reader downloaded, you can access this guide.  As someone who has lamented the inability to download some cool apps because of my Android phone status, this is especially appreciated.  The PDF form also allows you to do a key word search that will easily take you to exactly what you’re looking for, so that is nice as well.

Just about every place you might consider getting a snack from in Epcot is included in the guide.  You’ll find color photos and information, including prices, and for those of you on the Disney Dining Plan, whether or not the item is snack credit eligible.  She has even included some of my favorite “snacks” at Epcot, the drinks!   More than just a list of options at the park, the guide also includes a few “extras” such as some suggested “snack crawls” and snack pairings.  I can tell you that even as a veteran visitor to Epcot (countless times over the last 16+ years), I personally found there was plenty to discover in this new mini-guide.

One additional thing I wanted to make mention of is that if you are viewing the guide on an internet connected device, it will also allow you to access, via links within some of the snack descriptions, further information on the item(s) contained in articles on her blog.  For example, when I got to that legendary treat of the Norway Pavillion, “School Bread,” not only was I able to read AJ’s description in the guide, I was able to click on a link which took me to her full review of it on the blog.  I really enjoyed this feature.

If you’re interested in picking up this e-Book, or AJ’s other currently available e-Books, I have placed links for them on our home page.  Note that you will get access to five copies of whichever e-Book you purchase via the download link you receive, so you can easily download it to all your PDF-friendly devices.  All of AJ’s e-Books come with a 100% money back guarantee.  If you decide you are not satisfied with your purchase, you simply contact her and your purchase price will be refunded.

Finally, I’d like to thank AJ for not only providing me with a copy to review, but also for the additional copy she is providing for us to give away to one of our readers.  We will be including that with this month’s “25” giveaway prize pack.  I know whoever wins it, will love it.

Beers of the World – Éphémère Apple

Today’s Beer of the World is another one from the Unibroue Brewery in Quebec, Canada.  This one is their Éphémère Apple, and it is served at Le Cellier Steakhouse at the Canada Pavillion.

The Unibroue Brewery’s website is one of my favorites.  It’s filled with information about the brewery, their beers, and again, like the La Fin du Monde, there are videos of the story of this beer which you can find here and a description here.

The videos are interesting, and personally I enjoy watching them, but for a quick overview of this beer, you need look no further than the Le Cellier menu:

The story of a Fairy looking for love, and her dreams, this is a lighter beer with a fruity flavor, and draws its charms from a bountiful season’s harvest. A white ale with hints of apple, is delicate with its hint of sweetness.

This beer has a higher end of average ABV of  5.5%.  The folks at Beer Advocate gave this beer a score of 74, qualifying it for an “Average” rating.  Their readers, from 885 reviews, gave it a little higher score of 82, which qualifies it for a “Good” rating.

Now here’s where I am about to go against everything I have said about my not really caring for “fruit” beers.  I love this beer.  The apple taste isn’t overwhelming.  It’s light, it’s crisp, and I can tell you from personal experience it goes excellent with the mac and cheese at Le Cellier.  Some might be happier with a Maudite or a La Fin du Monde, but I think this is my favorite Unibroue I have tried so far.

Drinking Around the World – Japan Hospitality Kiosk

The newest addition to the “Drinking Around the World” options at Epcot opened earlier this year at the Japan Pavillion.  Since this location doesn’t have an actual name branded on it,  most have taken to referring to it as the  “Outdoor Sake Bar” or “Outdoor Sake Kiosk.”   But according to my receipt, its actual name is the  “Japan Hospitality Kiosk.”   That’s a bit of a mouthful, so we’ve taken to calling it the “Sake Shack” for short.

Here is a look at the menu:

As you can see, they have several types of Sake available here, but the best part is that they have Sake cocktails similar to those served at Tokyo Dining and Teppan Edo.

With a variety of favors to choose from, I decided to ask the cast member for a suggestion and was informed that the green tea cocktail is quite popular.   Unfortunately, I am not a big fan green tea fan, so I went with one that I thought I’d enjoy and ordered the orange flavor.

The texture and taste of this drink was interesting.  It was creamy from the orange mix they use, and tasted like what can best be described as orange sherbert.   I do like orange sherbert, and for my first few sips of drinking this, I loved it!  But after a while, orange sherbert in a liquid form started to seem like it wasn’t the best idea.   It wasn’t bad, but maybe just a bit too rich to be sipping on.  I think this particular flavor would have been more enjoyable in a shot form.

Along with all the options available on the menu, they had the following sign below for the Tokyo Sunset:

While it sounds delicious, this is the sort of thing you can have made at any bar.  Good plan though to make sales to the less adventurous out there who are strolling Epcot with a Sake fan.

The “Sake Shack”  is a nice addition to the Japan Pavillion.   For a straight shot of Sake, I’d still head inside of Mitsukoshi’s Sake bar as they have a little more variety I believe (not to mention you can get your name written in Japanese on the free souvenir cup), but the Sake cocktails here are a nice option and I do look forward to giving another flavor a try.

If you’d like to see more pictures from the “Sake Shack”, check out our gallery here.

The Wonderful World of Pub Blends

We stopped by the Rose and Crown Pub last weekend and had a chance to try another one of their pub blends so I thought we’d take a closer look at what they offer.

The various "pub blends" at the Rose and Crown

Undoubtedly, the most well known, and I suspect the most popular, is the “Black & Tan.”   Over the years, we’ve certainly had plenty of those.  Another one that makes our list often is the “Snake Bite.”   But on this visit, we decided to give the “Cider & Black” a try.

Pay no attention to the Welsh Dragon lurking on the right...

The Cider & Black is made from cider and black currant juice.   I regret that I was too busy chatting with a fellow bar patron (he was very much interested in that beauty known as the Welsh Dragon) to pay attention to which cider they used, but I suspect it was the Strongbow.  (If anyone knows for certain, I would love the clarification.)

The taste of this pub blend was quite good.  I was happy to find that it wasn’t too overly sweet from the black currant juice, or anything more sweet than the usual cider taste anyway.  There was just a hint of the black currant coming through and it made for a pleasant mix.  I do expect this drink will make another appearance in my Epcot drink rotation soon.

Do you enjoy the pub blends at the Rose and Crown?  What’s your favorite?

Spotlight – Rose and Crown Pub

A popular stop for those Drinking Around the World, and one of my favorite places on property to grab a drink, is the Rose and Crown Pub.  Connected to the Rose and Crown Restaurant,  there is something for everyone here.

When you first enter the pub, you’ll notice that it’s not very big.   Even more so than La Cava del Tequila, seating is at a premium here.   A few tables line the wall where the windows are and directly across the path lies the bar, which has no stools.   We stopped by at Christmas, thus the lovely garland.

While there are not a lot of tables and chairs, the bar is relatively comfortable to stand at. However, if you’d prefer to sit and enjoy a couple of drinks or a quick snack, your best bet is to go by early in the day.   We often make this one of our first stops at World Showcase when it opens and have had good luck with getting a table then.  There is some additional seating outside, but no respite from the Florida heat can be found there.

Most stop by the Rose and Crown for the beer and pub blends.

As you can see, there are some excellent choices, but for those who have a hard time deciding what to have, you might go with the Imperial Sampler which includes samples of Bass, Harp, Strongbow, Boddington’s and Guinness.

My personal choice for many years when we stopped by the Rose and Crown was to have a beer and fish and chips.  But this past Christmas, on the 12 Drinks of Christmas quest, I made it a point to give one of the cocktails a try.  It was hard to choose, but I ultimately went with the Welsh Dragon as listed below.

I am happy to say the Welsh Dragon is now one of my favorite drinks at Walt Disney World.   I know some might be put off by the creme de menthe, but it’s pretty subtle and the ingredients actually made for a delicious combination.   Not only tasty, this was a beautiful drink.

If you are  a scotch fan, there is a nice selection of it, including two scotch flights.  They also serve a limited menu of pub fare.   My favorite item on the menu is the fish and chips, which are a smaller portion to the ones sold in the restaurant, and similar in size to the ones served outside at the Yorkshire County Fish Shop.  While I have never tried one, I hear the Scotch Eggs are pretty good as well.

The Rose and Crown Pub opens around 11:30 a.m. each day, but its closing hours vary so check while you’re at the park.   If you find yourself in at Epcot in the early evening, the Rose and Crown has live entertainment as provided by the “Hat Lady”  so you might stop by for one of her shows.

The Rose and Crown Pub accepts Tables in Wonderland.  For a couple additional photos, please see our photo gallery.

_____

Rose and Crown Pub by SolGrundy used via Creative Commons.

Rose and Crown Gallery

Rose and Crown Pub Front

Bar

Close Up Behind Bar

Welsh Dragon

English Rose

Bass

Imperial Sampler