Drinking Around the World at Epcot

Disney World. It’s the most magical place on Earth, right?

Damn right.

Little known fact: I actually worked a short stint at Disneyland in my college days. Yes, that’s right folks. I’m a Disney nerd. So it may come as a shock that before last month, I had never visited this magical place we call Disney WORLD.

Long story short, I was able to convince my man to tack on a few days hanging out with the mouse at the end of our Caribbean cruise in August. One of the incentives I used?

“Babe, not only are we going to Disney World…we’re going to DRINK AROUND THE WORLD at Epcot!”

That was all the convincing he needed, and soon we were on our way north from Fort Lauderdale to Orlando.

(Side note: When I was a kid I thought Orlando was this magical, special place because Disney World was there, PLUS it’s where all the old Nickelodeon shows were filmed in front of a live studio audience. In my little kid mind, Orlando sounded like THE SH*T! Turns out…it pretty meh and there are alligators and there are not live TV shows being filmed all around you. Go figure).

SO, what is DRINKING AROUND THE WORLD AT EPCOT, you ask? Well, if you’ve never been to Epcot, it features a magical land called the World Showcase. The Showcase is comprised of 11 different “countries,” all situated around a big lake. The countries feature facades, merchandise and food from each inspiration country, and of course…adult beverages from each country.

Naturally, humans have gotten creative with this concept and gave birth to a seriously brilliant brain child: Let’s make it a challenge to have an adult beverage in EVERY. FAKE. COUNTRY.

Thus, “Drinking Around the World” was born.

I could spend time walking you through what we drank in each country, but honestly, I could never do the experience justice with the written word.

So here it is — “Drinking Around the World at Epcot.” AKA “Tami and JT get tipsy at Disney World and get a little feisty.”

Since this is a challenge, we got all strategic and went into it with a game plan. (This shouldn’t shock anybody…I don’t even go to Starbucks without a game plan!).

All eleven countries are arranged in a circle around the lake, so it’s best to pick one side or the other and work your way around the lake. We HIGHLY recommend ending on the East side in Mexico for one big reason: The San Angel Inn. 

What’s better after a long day of drinking than Mexican food? And what’s better when you’re eating Mexican food, than to eat it in front of a Mayan Temple and an erupting volcano? That’s exactly the experience you’ll get at the San Angel Inn. It was recommended to me by other bloggers as the “Blue Bayou” of Disney World, because it’s low-lit, romantic, and situated INSIDE a ride. So there are little boats constantly floating by as stuff your face with their delicious food.

Another reason to end in Mexico? Tequila. It’s simply not acceptable to select any other libation for this challenge stop, and let’s be serious — if you drink tequila shots first thing in the morning, you run the risk of not finishing the challenge. Start easy with the beers in Canada and the UK, and then save the best (tequila, of course!) for last.