21st birthdays are widely known to be a big extravagant celebration that involves lots of getting drunk with friends, going a bit crazy, and living like there’s no tomorrow. I decided that I wanted to do the latter, but in a more controlled way with the people that are most important to me. I decided to go to Walt Disney World with my parents to do the widely known Drinks Around the World challenge!
I made the choice pretty early on in my adolescence that I did not want to drink before I was 21. So when it came to this trip, I had no tolerance for alcohol and did not have a clue what each of them tasted like. I was a complete wild card in that realm. Nevertheless, I was extremely excited about this trip and wanted to take it slowly so that I could really understand what I thought of alcohol. Now, onto the interesting part of the trip!
The Drinks Around the World that I tried:
- England
Drink: Magners Pear Cider → 9
Food: Fish and Chips → 6
My thoughts: The drink would have to be a solid 9 for me because ciders are some of my favorite types of alcohol, plus adding in the subtle sour pear to the taste was fantastic! It was one of my favorite drinks of the trip. I would rate the food a 6 because fish and chips aren’t my favorite type of food and it did come out a bit soggy, but the taste was good!
- France
Drink: Frozen Chocolate Martini → 10
Food: Classique Crêpe → 5
My thoughts: Again, this was one of my favorite drinks of the trip with a high rating of a 10. I actually ended up getting a second one on another day because of the incredible chocolate taste and how smoothly the Grey Goose mixed with the flavors. The crepe was a 5 because it was theoretically a great pairing, but didn’t melt together into what is characteristically raved over.
- Morocco
Drink: Frozen Citrus Pomegranate Slushy → 7
Food: Ghriba-Kourabiedes → 8
My thoughts: I would rate this drink a 7 because the flavors were very good and I love a sour drink! It was also great for a hot day with the slushy side, but the combination of the delightful pastry was a great experience. I would rate the food as an 8 because I love powdered pastries, and they made this one very light and smooth.
- Japan
Drink: Japanese Christmas Punch (Plum Wine) → 8
Food: Sushi Tree → 8
My thoughts: The combination of these two items was immaculate in my opinion and would be rated the highest in how they worked together. The punch and sushi have to be rated together with a solid 8 because of the fruity flavors coming from the plum wine and some of the best sushi I’ve ever had.
- United States
Drink: Playalinda Brewing Co Peppermint Chocolate Stout → 2
Food: Chocolate Crinkle Cookie → 8
My thoughts: I’m going to be honest, the stout in the U.S. was one of my least favorites with a generous rating of a 2. The flavors of the drink did not combine well together, and I realized I’m not a huge fan of beer or stouts in general. The cookie, however, was incredible, with melting chocolate in the center and a fantastic outer shell!
- Italy
Drink: Limoncello → 6
Food: Chocolate Gelati → 9
My thoughts: The limoncello was strong, but definitely a must try at least once in your life. And the gelati was incredible in the heat of the day! An odd combination that I would not suggest together if you have the chance to try it.
- Germany
Drink: Shine Sweet Dornfelder Wine → 10
Food: Linzer Cookie → 6
My thoughts: This wine was one of the best drinks I had, and jump-started my love of trying different wines! The dessert wine was sweet, tart, and not too strong, but the glass was extremely small. The cookie was a classic and was good, but I’m not a huge Linzer cookie fan!
- The Outpost
Drink: Stem Ciders Cocoa Caramel Hard Apple Cider → 1
Food: Raspberry Dole Whip → 8
My thoughts: I am a fan of hard cider as much as anyone else, but this specific one was not my favorite and turned out to be the lowest rating. There weren’t many options for drinks in The Outpost, so it was between this or something I had already tried, but I would not recommend this trip to anyone. The Dole Whip on the other hand is a refreshing snack for a hot day and is highly recommended!
- China
Drink: The Lucky Mo → 8
Food: Vegetable Spring Rolls → 8
My thoughts: The combination of these two was delicious and a great snack that day! The Lucky Mo was a delicious yellow mixed drink that tastes like sweet alcohol, while the spring rolls were wonderfully made and added a savory flavor into the mix.
- Norway
Drink: Kopparberg Pear Cider → 6
Food: Norwegian Kringla → 6
My thoughts: The pear cider was good, but not as good as the one in England because it was served in a can. However, I did like the combination of the Kringla with the cider—it was delicious!
- Mexico
Drink: Strawberry Margarita → 1
Food: Nachos → 6
My thoughts: I would like to preface this by saying that tequila is definitely not my choice of liquor, therefore the margarita was not my favorite. We have a theory that we may have gotten a bad batch, but the margarita tasted like a tequila slushy with no strawberry flavors. The nachos were good, but nothing special from what you could get elsewhere.
- Canada:
Drink: Regional Icewine → 8
Food: Snickers-Doodle Cookie → 7
My thoughts: I am beyond happy that I chose to end in Canada because the icewine was a beautiful cap to the end of our trip. It was a sweet, small drink that we enjoyed while watching the fireworks in Epcot. The cookie was a great combination with the icewine and added a bit of caramel, salty flavors to the sweetness of the wine.
Now onto the tips!
Tip #1: Split your visit into specific days ahead of time.
I went with my parents and we split the trip over the course of three days with a different park in the middle. We began with Drinks Around the World on Day 1 in Epcot, then Day 2 was in Magic Kingdom to recuperate, and Day 3 was back in Epcot for the rest of the drinks. So essentially we did 6 countries on Day 1 and 6 countries on Day 3. This plan worked very well for us as evidently both my mom and I are lightweights when it comes to our alcohol consumption. My dad was finishing off our drinks half the time because we didn’t care for the taste of that specific alcohol. At the end of each night, my mom and I were definitely a bit more than tipsy, which resulted in many restful sleeps. And having a designated rest day between our Epcot days was a great recuperation from all the drinks!
Tip #2: Always go with a group.
I would highly suggest going with a bigger group of people than I did because it will allow for more expanding and trying of different drinks. We could only try three drinks in each country, and there were so many fun looking drinks to try! They definitely had something for everyone and were attempting to allow you to try something new.
Tip #3: End near Mexico.
I am a strategy queen in how I like to plan out trips! Therefore, I planned out where I wanted to go on the first day and what I wanted to end on. I would highly recommend doing this as you don’t have to take time to discuss who wants to do what and when, but rather keep going with less stress. Definitely try to make Mexico near the end as that was the strongest drink of the trip. The margarita tasted purely like tequila and gave me a buzz after a few sips.
Tip #4: Buy a “Drinks Passport” for everyone.
In going with my parents for my birthday, I knew they were going to go all out in celebrating. They made t-shirts, informed Disney of my birthday, and printed out a variety of recommended drinks in each country to prepare. But by far the best piece they did was buying “Drink Passports” off of Etsy in order for me to write down all my drinks and food from every country. I highly, highly, highly recommend doing this because it helps keep track of all the drinks you’ve tried along the way and is a great souvenir! Honestly, this was probably one of my favorite keepsakes from the trip and I’ve shown it off to so many of my friends.
Tip #5: Pair a drink with a food item from that country.
Now, I knew I was going to be somewhat of a lightweight in going on this trip, but I was also prepared to get the famous food from each area. It was actually part of the “Drinks Passport” where you would write the food and drink from each country. I’m assuming it was to keep everyone relatively sober, but it also added to the fun! Having the two layers mixed together never left us hungry and allowed us to try different foods from around the world!
Drinks Around the World in Disney World was absolutely incredible! I would recommend this trip for anyone and doing it on your 21st birthday is a must in my book. I love traveling and Disney, so in my mind it was a win-win when it came to what I would love doing to celebrate!