Guide to Disney’s Drinking Around the World – Cohiba and Sahara style

I realize that, while I’ve talked about Drinking Around the World in EPCOT, but I haven’t actually written a blog post about the fairly thought-out way in which we do it. Before I begin, I would like to give credit to these two blog posts: here and here

Before I get into the specific beverages, lets lay down some ground rules, a way to maximize the likelihood of “Drinking Around the World” success:

1. First, eat a big breakfast. Prepare your stomach.
2. Over the course of the day, be aware of the time.  The Showcase is large and usually open from 11 am to 9 pm. That’s 11 countries in 10 hours, or 11 drinks in 10 hours, so less than an hour in each country. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
3. Speaking of time, make time for food. There are restaurants and snack stands all the way around you can stop in, and if you’re like us, you can have a drink with your meal and maximize the time.
4. It counts if you share a drink with a friend. (At least, it does according to our rules. But you do you.)
5. Drink water, too. You can buy a water and refill it or bring in your own and fill it periodically.
6. Remember to watch your behavior – this is a family place. I have to work hard to curb my gutter mouth later in the day, because there are Wee Ones around. Now, down to business.

Drinking Around The World

Canada

Cohiba and I like to start on the Canada side.  You can start in Mexico, but after you read through the whole post, you’ll understand. This is a very nice showcase – be sure to climb the steps and see the mountains and waterfall on the back terrace.  That’s where my wedding was. 🙂 You can get a beer at the cart (we like Le Fin du Mond). You can also get some ice wine or other drinks at Le Cellier Steakhouse (where Cohiba proposed.) I don’t love beer, so I usually just share with Cohiba.

This was from our wedding to give you an idea of how it looks back there.

United Kingdom

I love the UK. The hedge garden is beautiful, and there’s often a little street play you can try to get into or just watch. Stop at the Rose and Crown pub, and get a different kind of beer or other cocktail, or my one of my favorite drinks on this route: the Welsh Dragon. Some peach Schnapps, melon liqueur, green crème de menthe and a spot of OJ and pineapple juice. Delicious. In fact, get one for me.

France

Cohiba loves French cooking, and we usually have a meal (dinner) at Monsieur Paul. If fancy, though, so Les Chefs de France may be a better option if you don’t want to be as formal. The wine and champagne are excellent. There’s also a sweet little patisserie if you want a snack. If you’re not drinking at a restaurant, there is also a drink cart on the patio that serves beverages. I have heard magical things about the Grey Goose Cintron Lemon Slush (which I actually may have had and really liked) or the Grand Marnier Orange Slush.

Morocco

This is a nice country to explore while sipping on something. At the Tangerine Café, you can get beer or sangria, which Cohiba and I usually do. The Marrakesh restaurant is also pretty good if you want to pop in to eat there.

Japan

This is where Cohiba and I usually eat lunch, at Tappan Edo, an hibatchi grill, and have sake with our lunch. If you’re not eating there, you can also try sake in the shop below.

The American Adventure

This part pisses me off, just on principle.  This park is located IN America.  Why, oh why, does it need to be showcased in the park, when the minute you leave the park you’re actually in the country.  Show us places we don’t know.  If people come from abroad, they will get their American Experienceon the way to the park.  It’s not all Betsy Ross, you know.

I usually skip a drink this country, myself, because I can drink Sam Adams all the time. I don’t think it counts. And to be safe, I’ll have a sip of Cohiba’s. We also just walk through it, saving some time.

Italy

All the more reason to breeze quickly through the preceding section: the Limoncello.  I mean, Italy, and you get Limoncello. Delicious.  Sometimes we get a wine flight as well. Outside of the wine shop, there are nice places to sit and people watch.

Germany

Surprisingly (to me, anyway) there are some really good wines in Germany, and I like to get a flight of them, depending on how I feel. If I don’t think it’s a good idea given my sobriety level, I buy a beer from the stand and a pretzel. In fact, a pretzel is generally a good idea.

China

And this is why you might want to watch your drinking in Germany. The Joy of Tea stand just outside the China pavilion has a selection of different beverages and a few snacks, but I would just save myself the trouble and get the Mango Gingerita.  Booze, mango and ginger. Perfect. Last time I tried to Drink Around the World, this was the straw that broke the camel’s back, so maybe get a snack there, too.

Norway

I haven’t done this yet, but in Norway you can get some Viking Coffee – coffee with whiskey and bourbon.  Hard to see what can go wrong there. If you want a snack in Norway, you can get School Bread – a vanilla custard stuffed pastry that is sprinkled with coconut and out of this world. To drink, you can also just get a beer from the cart outside, which I usually do and share with Cohiba.

Mexico

Because Mexico is next. Oh, Mexico. Inside La Cava Del Tequila (which isn’t as easy to get into as it used to be) you can get a flight of really good tequilas you can’t normally have in the U.S. If you’re sitting at the bar and not drinking fast enough, the bartenders will top off your drink until it’s done.  Same goes for margarita’s.  I’ve had the avocado and coffee margaritas, and prefer the coffee.

Mexico can get you very very drunk, which is why you save it for the end.  Don’t wanna blow your wad too early.

And that’s how we do it! We usually go on days when there are extra magic hours for those staying on property, so we watch the fireworks from the restaurant and walk some more around EPCOT, taking advantage of the low-lighting and good spirits. If you’ve had these drinks, what do you think of them?  Do you have other favorite drinks people should try?