Drinking Around the World at EPCOT

Exploring the World Showcase at Walt Disney World, one beverage at a time

I’ve just returned from a week at Walt Disney World Resort, where we made EPCOT a priority, spending two days there and one day at each of the three other parks. With two days to work with, I was excited to make a relaxed attempt at the “drink around the world” challenge (have one or more drinks at each of the eleven World Showcase country pavilions), which I’ve been told is no small feat to attempt in a single day. It turned out to be a fun way to explore the park and survey the food and drink offerings of each pavilion.

What follows is my experience drinking around the world, together with some possible drink suggestions for each country.

Mexico

Featured drink: Hercules Lágermaiz
Drink rating: 10/10

Mexico was our first stop, and ended up being my favorite pavilion overall. It has a beautiful indoor market area with a tequila bar, and boasts multiple excellent food options. The highlight here was Hercules Lágermaiz ($13), a beer brewed with Mexican corn, which was so good I ordered it twice. The first time was at Choza de Margarita, paired with a deliciously crispy and decadent Pastor Quesadilla ($13.25). The second time was at La Cantina de San Angel, accompanying a dockside dinner of Nachos with Guacamole ($18.50) and Empanadas con Queso ($14.75).

After dinner, we indulged in Spiked Horchata ($20.24), also from Choza de Margarita. This seasonal special had a surprisingly strong kick of smoky agave, thanks to what must be a generous amount of Ilegal Mezcal Reposado, blended together with rum, horchata, and cinnamon. I’ve also heard that the tequila bar (La Cava del Tequila) is excellent and usually has a barrel-aged cocktail available, but we didn’t make it there this trip.

Norway

Featured drink: Viking Coffee
Drink rating: 3/10

Next up was Norway, the land of vikings and Frozen. While charming, this pavilion felt a bit thin compared to the others, with the only real option for food and drink being the Kingla Bakeri Og Kafe bakery. We tried the Viking Coffee ($15.50), a mix of Bailey’s Irish Cream and Kamora Mexican Coffee Liqueur, together with Lefse ($3.79), a bread wrap with cinnamon and butter.

While the Viking Coffee was nice and hot, and a welcome alternative to more beer, it had zero real connection to Norway. I regretted not trying one of the more authentic draft beer options, which included Norsk Jordbærkrem Strawberry Cream Ale, Kornøl Farmhouse Ale, and Juniper Pilsner. In fact, throughout the World Showcase I found that the beer options were consistently the most reliably high-quality and authentic, while the cocktails were often pretty questionable (and also more expensive). It makes sense that regionally appropriate craft beer is easier to execute at Disney parks scale than craft cocktails, but it still seems like a missed opportunity.

China

Featured drink: Plum Wine
Drink rating: 5/10

After Norway, the China pavilion certainly felt deeper, with multiple dining options and the endearingly dated Reflections of China Circle-Vision show — apparently due to be replaced soon with an updated film. We tried the Plum Wine ($9.75) with Pork Egg Rolls ($5.75) from the Lotus Blossom Café, which were both fine, albeit nothing special. As my 21-year-old grocery store liquor buying past self can confirm, it’s hard to mess up plum wine — even the cheapest stuff tastes good, and perhaps the same could be said of egg rolls.

Germany

Featured drink: German Beer Flight
Drink rating: 8/10

Ah, Germany! We have reached a land of abundant food, drink, and drinking food. When it comes to immersion in the World Showcase, the Biergarten Restaurant is hard to beat. While it requires either a reservation or some waiting time for a walk-up, it’s well worth it. We were treated to a musical revue in an indoor fake-outdoor biergarten with impeccable ambience, delicious sausages, and tasty German beers.

If you end up dining at Biergarten ($49 per person), I can recommend the German Beer Flight ($17.75) along with your buffet. Our flight included Beck’s Pilsner, Warsteiner Dunkel, König Ludwig Weissbier, and Schöfferhofer Grapefruit Hefeweizen. The menu implies you’re supposed to work your way from the Pilsner to the Hefeweizen, but our waiter suggested starting with the (rather sweet and fruity) Hefeweizen and working our way from there, which was the right call. The Dunkel was the best of the flight, but all four were enjoyable to sample along with bratwurst and sauerkraut.

Italy

Featured drink: Massolino Langhe Nebbiolo
Drink rating: 7/10

Next up is Italy, which was mostly centered around il vino. To accompany the nightly EPCOT fireworks show, we sipped Gaja Promis Toscana ($15) from Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar. The Cellar boasts a surprisingly large selection with 200+ bottles of Italian wine, although sipping a tiny 4oz pour of wine out of a miniature plastic cup wasn’t the ideal tasting experience. We had dinner later in the trip at Tutto Italia Ristorante, where we paired a Massolino Langhe Nebbiolo ($22) in a real wine glass with Lasagne alla Bolognese ($29) to great success, before moving on to a decadent Limoncello Flight ($24) with Tiramisù ($14).

The American Adventure

Featured drink: Joffrey’s Coffee
Drink rating: 3/10

Our stop in The American Adventure was, I’ll admit, a bit of a cop-out. It’s important to pace yourself when drinking around the world, and that includes staying caffeinated when necessary. Thus, America’s bounty provided in the form of Walt Disney World Resort Blend Coffee ($3.69) from Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Company. The Joffrey’s brand is odd in that it appears to exist primarily to serve the needs of Walt Disney World Resort and Disney fans, but it’s not owned or operated by Disney. Regardless, Joffrey’s is a Florida-based coffee roaster, so it serves as a passable American Adventure drink. While I’m sure Joffey’s is capable of producing decent coffee, the blend they serve as drip coffee in the park is not very good, lacking much flavor beyond a mild bitterness. At least some coffee is better than no coffee.

Japan

Featured drink: Hot Sake
Drink rating: 7/10

Japan was one of the pavilions we visited on the second day, by which point the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts was in full swing. We tried the Yuzu IPA ($9.75) and Wagyu Bun ($9.75) from the Goshiki festival cart, both of which were solid, although the Wagyu Bun was pretty expensive for a single bao bun. The prize overall here went to Hot Sake ($9) from Kabuki Cafe, a simple but enjoyable drink on a cold, peaceful morning watching the plants and koi in the Japanese water garden.

Morocco

Featured drink: Moroccan Hot Tea Service
Drink rating: 7/10

Morocco was one of the last pavilions we drank at, and given it’s not a country known for its alcohol production or consumption I thought tea would be a more fitting choice. The Spice Road Table has a full bar with plenty of cocktail options, but I went with the Moroccan Hot Tea Service ($4.79), a mint tea garnished with a fresh mint leaf. While a bit overly sweet, it was quite tasty and an ideal option given the freezing temperatures on the restaurant’s patio at night. It paired well with the Spiced Lamb Kefta ($13), a trio of juicy and delicious lamb kebabs. I left wishing I’d spent more time here and explored the bar options a bit more, perhaps in less freezing weather.

France

Featured drink: Kir Royal
Drink rating: 8/10

Like Italy, the France pavilion includes a wine shop (Les Vins de France) with tasting and by-the-glass options, but I opted for a Kir Royal ($22.95). Traditionally a Kir would be made with sparkling white wine and cassis (blackcurrant liqueur), but the Walt Disney World versions of both the Kir Royal and the non-sparkling Kir are made with Chambord, a French raspberry/blackberry liqueur. Fortunately the Cast Member making it asked whether I’d prefer it on the dry or sweet side, and offered to reduce the amount of Chambord to keep it drier, which I appreciated. The result was a refreshing sparkling cocktail, and an ideal palate cleanser.

United Kingdom

Featured drink: Guinness Stout
Drink rating: 7/10

The UK pavilion hosts perhaps the most legitimate drinking establishment in all of EPCOT: the Rose & Crown Pub. It’s very much a full bar, with everything from UK & Ireland beers on tap to neat pours of whisky — yes, neat pours in a Disney park! It also has no line, no reservations, and no wait list; you just walk in and work your way through the crowd to order at the bar. Unfortunately this format does attract some guests who seem to be mostly interested in consuming alcohol as efficiently as possible, but I commend Disney for putting up with this in order to offer a more realistic pub experience.

The Rose & Crown was absolutely slammed each time we visited, so I kept things simple and ordered a Strongbow Hard Cider and Guinness Stout ($11.50 each). Both were poured as proper 20oz imperial pints and the Guinness even had a perfect shamrock shape indented into the foam head. While the cider and beer were great, after listening to Erick Castro’s podcast interview with Rose & Crown bartender Pete Hannah, I’d really like to come back on a less busy day and order some cocktails.

Canada

Featured drink: Whole Hog Brewery Raspberry Chéret Double Radler
Drink rating: 6/10

Last up is the Canada pavilion, home to the gorgeously scenic Canada Far and Wide Circle-Vision presentation, as well as a popcorn cart that makes the entire area smell like maple syrup. The drinking options here are a bit limited, although I did enjoy finding a hidden refreshment stand at the back of a gift shop that sells Canadian beer. Fortunately the Festival of the Arts brought with it the Gourmet Landscapes cart, where we ordered a Whole Hog Brewery Raspberry Chéret Double Radler ($9.75) and Wild Mushroom Risotto ($9.75). The Radler wasn’t actually Canadian (it’s brewed in Wisconsin), but it was darkly fruity and hearty, making it feel at home against the backdrop of a Canadian mountain landscape.

Closing thoughts

Whether it’s your first time or you’re a regular, drinking around the world is a fun way to experience EPCOT, but I recommend keeping things flexible and not attempting to do every country in order or in the same day. If you’re prioritizing completing the challenge over having a fun day in the park, you’re doing it wrong.

Overall, my highlight was discovering Hercules Lágermaiz (Mexico), which I am absolutely going to seek out a case of. My lowlight was probably Viking Coffee (Norway), which was neither a viking drink nor a coffee drink. I wish good cocktails were an option in more of the pavilions, but the plentiful availability of high-quality beer and wine was still very impressive. I’m sure I’ll come back again, and I can’t wait to take another tour around the world when I do.