By Shaun Thompson
One of the most popular things to do at Epcot’s World Showcase, you know aside from all that pesky learning and culture, is what’s called Drinking Around The World. A challenge where guests aim to have a drink at every one of World Showcase’s eleven countries in one day. A few of us from The DIS Unplugged took on this arduous task and set out to do Drinks Around The World (DATW)!
Take a look at our overview from our DIS Unplugged Drinks Around The World adventure! The full segment documenting our day is also available on YouTube and is embedded at the bottom of this post.
Without further ado, here is a breakdown of each stop and our tips and recommendations for completing DATW. Obviously there are multiple ways to accomplish this task, but here’s how we did it!
It’s your first stop! You have many options at this point: start with a Dos Equis beer, a frozen margarita, a tequila shot? Most people will start with one of the frozen margaritas available at the San Angel quick service location or the dedicated cart on the left side of the pavilion. These are great for beating the heat and getting in the Epcot drinking mood!
However if you’re feeling adventurous, I cannot recommend La Cava del Tequila enough. It’s located inside the pavilion itself, near the San Angel Inn and is one of the most unique experiences in Epcot. If you’re not wanting to start your tour off with tequila shots (no judging if you are), Cava offers a large menu of specialty margaritas, with both on the rocks and frozen varieties. The guacamole, chips and salsa are fantastic too and it’s probably a good idea to eat something to start you off.
After one of the best stops of the day, Norway unfortunately pales in comparison. There is an alcoholic coffee available inside Kringla Bakery called the Viking Coffee – a bit on the nose if you ask me – but unless you’re visiting in the winter, that’s not going to be ideal for the Florida heat.
I’d recommend hitting the cart outside, right in front of the restrooms (convenient!). They offer the Danish Carlsberg beer, a couple non-Norwegian wines, and a Scandanavian liquor called Linie Aquavit Glacier, which is served by the shot. We were instructed that if you took the shot and didn’t grimace within five seconds, you were true vikings. We were true vikings.
The China pavilion has a few options for drinks, but probably the best and easiest to access will be the Joy of Tea booth set up on the lagoon side of the pavilion, right near the main path. The kiosk offers specialty cocktails, which are all pretty much on the sweet side. The Peach Snap and the Canto Loopy are made with a pre-mixed juice and a shot added by the Cast Member.
Depending on the season, they might also be featuring a specialty drink. When we did our DATW, the “Tipsy Ducks In Love” was being offered, which I decided tasted like chocolate cake. You know, the kind with shots of bourbon in it.
Most people won’t consider the African Trading Post a true stop on the DATW mission - but if you’re up for the task, why not tack on a 12th drink to the measly 11 you’re already drinking? Seems like a no-brainer to me!
The Refreshment Cool Post features a handful of draft beers, some of which can only be found at this location. None are necessarily “authentic” to the theming of the stop, but that shouldn’t stop you. If it does, they offer a smoothie with Starr African Rum. So there.
Germany
The Germany pavilion is one of the most festive stops along the DATW journey and as we all know, Disney resort TV Stacey loves her “pretzels und bier.” If it’s beer you’re looking for, there are a few solid German beers to choose from. There’s a cart on the lagoon side of the path, the Somerfest Imbiß in the far back, and the aptly named “Bier” cart set up in the front right of the pavilion.
Germany has a lot more than beer to offer though if that’s not really your thing. The carts offer a few shots, Jägermeister included, and the Wine Cellar shop features a nice selection of German wines with the option of doing flights as well. Just take it easy - a wine flight still only counts for “one stop,” you cheater.
While there are quite a few options at the Italy pavilion, one of the best quiet places in all of World Showcase is the Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar, which is attached to Tutto Italia restaurant. Multiple Italian wines and beers are available, and you can even get a flight if you like. (Just remember the flight rule: ONE STOP!) There is a lot of seating here and it’s a great place to cool off from the heat. You can even order small dishes if you care to eat anything while you’re killing your liver.
If you’d like to be more casual about your drinking, you can always grab a glass of wine in the shop in the very front, right of the pavilion, Enoteca Castilla. They offer wines by the glass that you can walk around with and spill on your shirt.
If you did DATW over a year ago, the America Pavilion would have been tough if you didn’t care for Sam Adams or a few other standard stock beers. But good news! A new booth has opened in the past year or so and it’s called Block & Hans - and it features craft beers from several breweries across the country.
Bell’s Oberon Ale, Victory’s Golden Monkey, and Napa’s Hopageddon Imperial IPA are just a few of the beers available by the bottle. Plus, they sell Jalapeño and Cheese Stuffed Pretzels. It’s like my own personal heaven.
There are a couple options when you reach the Japan pavilion. If you’re up for it, I strongly recommend the Sake Bar in the very back of the pavilion, inside the merchandise shop. There are a handful of different varieties available, and it’s a really unique experience.
If you’re looking for something a little lighter, the quick service location and the cart out front sell different varieties of beer – even ice cold Kirin with a frozen “beer foam” on top if that’s your thing. It’s not mine. Beer should never be sucked through a straw.
Morocco used to be very limited in terms of choices for drinks; that all changed this past spring when Spice Road Table opened up along the water. With a walk-up bar inside, Spice Road has a small menu of specialty cocktails to order. However with a full bar, they can make you anything you’d like. I would recommend one of the sangrias - less sweet than some of the cocktails and it’s like drinking juice, which is healthy right?
You might be thinking wine would be the perfect drink to have while in France and there is plenty there for you to choose from. Go for it, drink your wine. I just won’t tell you that you’re missing out one of the most refreshing and popular drinks in Epcot. Eh, you probably know about them already.
The Grey Goose Citron and Grand Marnier Orange slushes are the France pavilion’s gift to hot, sweaty, drunk people. They are ice cold, refreshing, and will rejuvenate you to finish your DATW challenge. If you’re really thirsty, you can get the double which is served in a colored glass and an extra shot on top.
CanadaNow if you’re at all familiar with World Showcase’s layout, you’re probably thinking I’m drunk and switched the last two countries around. It’s for good reason. The switching, not me being drunk. I’d 100% recommend heading to Canada before the UK pavilion – it’ll ensure you end your DATW on a high note. And that pains me to say, because if there’s one thing I love more than beer, it’s Canada. Maybe.
Canada really only offers one cart that sells drinks, beer to be exact, and the ones available are not all that great. Moosehead and Moosehead Lite are pretty standard but compared to what you’ve had so far during your day, they just won’t live up. They occasionally have a seasonal keg or two, but the Fin du Monde that was available for us wasn’t all that great either.
United KingdomNow it’s time to backtrack and finish your DATW day the way it began – at a true World Showcase treasure: Rose & Crown Pub! With a wonderful selection of authentic British beers, as well as a full bar, there is something for everyone at this cozy English pub. Don’t forget to check out the menu of mixed pints, drinks that are made by mixing different beers and ciders togethers. If you’re lucky, you can even catch a live musical performance inside.
Of course there are other options in the UK as well. The cart outside Rose & Crown has a limited selection, as does the Yorkshire County fish and chips location. You can always get a drink at one of these spots and go sit in the gardens behind the shops. Or grab a spot for IllumiNations if you can still stand. Kidding!
Now obviously this post is pretty tongue-in-cheek, but Drinking Around The World is serious business! There’s nothing worse than making a fool of yourself in a public theme park, or worse, getting asked to leave. Here are some tips to avoid having either or both of those things happen:
If you have any tips or advice for Drinking Around The World, let us know in the comments below! We’d love to hear them.
Finally, here is our full DIS Unplugged segment on Drinks Around The World: Epcot so take a look for all of our perspectives:
