Make The Delicious Drinks, Cocktails, and Mocktails from Disney’s U.S. Parks
By Ashley CraftLeFou’s Brew at Magic Kingdom, Peanut Butter and Jelly Milkshakes at Disney's Hollywood Studios, Frozen Sunshine from Beaches & Cream at Disney's Beach Club—Disney certainly knows how to make drinks truly special, with over-the-top garnishes and out-of-this-world colors and flavors.
For many, visiting a Disney park to enjoy these treats is an experience that only comes once a year, decade, or even lifetime. Luckily, you can bring the magic of Disneyland, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney California Adventure, and the Disney resorts and entertainment districts right to your kitchen.
In 2020, I published the best-selling The Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbook. Now my new book, The Unofficial Disney Parks Drink Recipe Book, includes over one hundred recipes for Disney’s most delicious, easy-to-make beverages.
Read on for a few of my favorite recipes for fruity drinks, slushes, hot beverages, mocktails, cocktails, and dessert drinks—all inspired by the classic and modern sips at Disney’s six U.S. theme parks and their surrounding hotels and attractions. Each recipe was lovingly created by me (with the exception of the cocktails, which were concocted by the talented Thea Engst), so you can have a taste of Disney magic right at home.
Ashley Craft is the author of The Unofficial Disney Parks Drink Recipe Book, available now from Simon & Schuster, Inc.
If you could trap sunshine and put it in a glass, this drink from Beaches & Cream Soda Shop at Disney’s Beach Club resort would be it. Highlighting the orange flavors of the Sunshine State (Florida!), this recipe, which serves two, will have you believing you are sipping a Creamsicle right through a straw. The candy orange slice garnish adds a bit of whimsy to this recipe. Have your sunglasses nearby while you drink this one.
1⁄2 cup orange soda
1 cup orange sherbet
1 cup vanilla ice cream
1⁄2 cup whipped cream
4 orange slice candies
In a blender, combine the orange soda, orange sherbet, and ice cream until well-mixed. Pour into two tall drinking glasses and top each with 1⁄4 cup whipped cream. Place 2 orange slice candies gently on top of each scoop of whipped cream. Serve immediately.
The combination of raspberry and pineapple in this smoothie from Leaping Horse Libations at Disney’s BoardWalk Villas, by Epcot, is a delightful surprise. Both of those flavors are known for their tartness, and blending them together with coconut flavors creates a super-refreshing beverage. Imagine you are sitting next to the incredible Disney’s BoardWalk Inn roller coaster water slide while sipping this drink.
1⁄2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
8 ounces nonalcoholic piña colada mix
2 ounces pineapple juice
3 cups crushed ice
2 pineapple wedges
Mash raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once the mixture just begins to boil, remove from heat. Strain into a small sealable container, discarding solids, and chill for one hour.
In a blender, combine piña colada mix, pineapple juice, and ice. Blend until slushy. Split between two 16-ounce drinking glasses or plastic cups. Divide chilled raspberry puree evenly between glasses, pouring on top of the piña colada slush. Gently blend with a spoon, while keeping visible swirls. Serves two.
The Night Blossom from Pongu Pongu in Disney’s Animal Kingdom has quietly risen in the ranks to become one of the most beloved beverages in all of the Disney parks. Guests make their way to the tiny window at Pongu Pongu in Pandora—The World of Avatar just to taste one. Lines for the shop tend to get exceptionally long, and a cast member has to manage the queue with an “End of Line” sign, just as they do popular attractions. One nice thing about making this recipe, which serves two, at home? No line! Strawberry watermelon juice can be found in the juice section of most grocery stores.
2 cups limeade
1⁄2 cup frozen apple juice concentrate
1 cup strawberry watermelon juice
2 drops pink gel food coloring
1 drop purple gel food coloring
1 cup lime sherbet
1⁄4 cup lemon-lime soda
1⁄2 cup passion fruit popping pearls, drained
Mix together limeade, apple juice concentrate, and strawberry watermelon juice in a pitcher or large mixing bowl. Pour mixture into an ice cream machine and run according to manufacturer’s instructions 8 minutes or until slushy. Drop in pink and purple food coloring and run machine 1 more minute.
In a blender, blend together lime sherbet and lemon-lime soda.
Set aside half of the pink limeade mix, and divide the other half evenly into the bottoms of two tall drinking glasses. Divide green sherbet mix evenly and layer on top of the pink mix in the glasses, then layer on the remaining pink mix. Top with popping pearls and add large gauge straws.
The Round ‘Em Up Latte from Joffrey’s at Walt Disney World Resort is seriously so delicious. Who knew cookie butter syrup was a thing? It’s worth getting your hands on, because you’re going to want to have this drink every morning (and maybe afternoon and evening too). The Joffrey’s location where this is sold is on the pathway out of Toy Story Land at Disney's Hollywood Studios—but even if you miss it on your next visit, now you can make the drink at home.
If you aren’t partial to coffee (or if you have kids who would like this fun-looking beverage), sub the coffee for whole milk.
10 ounces hot coffee or coffee substitute
1 1⁄2 ounces cookie butter syrup
1 1⁄2 ounces sea salt caramel toffee sauce, divided
1 cup ice cubes
4 ounces whole milk
1⁄4 cup whipped cream
1 tablespoon rainbow sprinkles
2 animal crackers
Add coffee or coffee substitute to a medium bowl with cookie butter syrup and 1 ounce caramel toffee sauce. Stir until syrup and sauce are dissolved. Cover and refrigerate about 10 minutes.
Pour ice into a plastic cup or glass. Add coffee mix and milk and stir. Top with whipped cream, remaining 1⁄2 ounce caramel sauce, sprinkles, and animal crackers. Insert a straw and serve immediately.
The oft-repeated line “Punch it!” is first uttered by Han Solo in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. This two-word exclamation is now one of the most recognizable lines in the movies. Similarly, the Hyperdrive (Punch It!) is one of the most recognizable drinks at Disneyland’s and Disney’s Hollywood Studios’ Oga’s Cantina, with an eye-catching blue-and-white blend and spacey-looking red ooze dripping between the ice. The unexpected “punch” in this drink is the black cherry purée, which makes it shine with a pop of flavor. The Hyperdrive (Punch It!) is nonalcoholic, so it’s the perfect refreshment for the younger smugglers and bounty hunters in your crew.
1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
1⁄2 cup pitted and quartered black cherries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 cups crushed ice
1 cup lemon-lime soda
1⁄2 cup white cranberry juice
1 cup Mountain Berry Blast Powerade
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, black cherries, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat.
Using an immersion blender or regular blender, purée cherry mixture. The texture should be like a soupy jam. Cover and chill at least 1 hour up to overnight.
When ready to assemble the drink, divide ice evenly into two tall drinking glasses. Add ingredients split evenly into each glass in this order: lemon-lime soda, white cranberry juice, and Powerade. Do not stir!
Scoop 1 tablespoon black cherry purée gently onto top of ice in each glass. Serve immediately. Serves two.
The Jedi Mind Trick, also from Oga’s Cantina in Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, certainly is the drink you are looking for—no mind tricks necessary. The grapefruity sipper was named after the mystical protectors and practitioners of the Force, whose one great desire was to balance the powers of the galaxy. If you are looking for an out-of-this-world glass for this drink, try checking your local thrift stores. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure—and what was one person’s 1990s cup might be your new Jedi Mind Trick glass.
2 ounces grapefruit-rose vodka
1 1⁄2 ounces falernum syrup liqueur (see recipe below)
1 ounce white grape juice
1⁄2 ounce blue curacao
1⁄4 ounce lime juice
1⁄8 teaspoon grapefruit bitters
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Seal and shake, then strain over crushed ice in a large martini glass.
Falernum syrup liqueur:
1 cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons whole cloves
2 tablespoons ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons minced ginger
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup water
1⁄2 teaspoon almond extract
In a small saucepan over medium heat, toast cinnamon stick, cloves, and allspice until aromatic, about 5 minutes. Place in a blender and blend until ground.
In the same saucepan over medium-high heat, combine blended spices, nutmeg, lime juice, ginger, sugar, and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer 1 minute.
Remove from heat, strain into a small sealable container, discarding solids, and allow to cool about 1 hour. Once cooled, squeeze through a cheesecloth into a separate medium sealable container.
Add almond extract to mixture. Store in refrigerator up to 2 weeks. Yields 2 cups.
Black Tap Craft Burgers & Shakes at Disneyland Resort's Downtown Disney is known for its over-the-top CrazyShakes, and the Bam Bam Shake is no exception. The original Fruity Pebbles cereal had the Flintstones as its mascots. Since this shake has Fruity Pebbles on the inside and outside, what name could be a better throwback to the Stone Age Family that started it all?
For Fruity Pebbles bars:
1 (10-ounce) bag mini marshmallows
3 tablespoons salted butter
3 cups Fruity Pebbles cereal
3 cups crisp rice cereal
1 cup powdered sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
11⁄2 tablespoons whole milk
For shake:
1⁄2 cup Fruity Pebbles cereal
3 cups vanilla ice cream
1⁄4 cup whole milk
For topping:
2 tablespoons vanilla frosting
1⁄2 cup Fruity Pebbles cereal, divided
1⁄2 cup whipped cream
1⁄2 untoasted strawberry Pop-Tart
1 Laffy Taffy candy
1 maraschino cherry
Make Fruity Pebbles bars: Line a 9" × 13" cake pan with parchment paper. Combine marshmallows and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high 2 minutes. Stir, then microwave an additional 1 minute. Stir well. Add Fruity Pebbles cereal and rice cereal and stir well. Scrape into prepared pan and flatten with a greased spatula. Allow to set 2 hours at room temperature.
Once set, cut into 2" × 4" bars. Place sugar, vanilla, and milk in a small dish and mix well. Use a spoon to drizzle icing over bars. Allow to set 30 minutes at room temperature.
Make shake: Pour Fruity Pebbles cereal into a blender and pulse until consistency is a fine powder. Add ice cream and milk to blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
Assemble: Coat top outer 1" of a tall milkshake glass in vanilla frosting and press 1⁄4 cup Fruity Pebbles cereal into frosting. Pour milkshake into prepared glass. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle on remaining 1⁄4 cup Fruity Pebbles. Place one Fruity Pebbles bar, Pop-Tart, and Laffy Taffy in glass. Garnish with maraschino cherry.
The debate rages on: Dole Whip cup, or Dole Whip Float from Magic Kingdom’s Aloha Isle? The only difference between the two is the addition of liquid pineapple juice to make the float. Some people find this refreshing and an added bonus on a hot day. Others think the juice makes the Dole Whip too sweet, too acidic, or too watered-down. Give both a try and see which camp you are going to pitch your tent in.
For Dole Whip:
1 cup water
1 1⁄2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups chilled pineapple juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
For float:
1 cup chilled pineapple juice
Make Dole Whip: In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine water and sugar. Microwave 1 minute, stir, then microwave 1 more minute and stir to create a syrup. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours up to overnight.
Pour pineapple juice into a medium bowl and add 1⁄2 cup chilled syrup. Refrigerate remaining syrup up to 2 weeks. Add lime juice and stir. Pour into an ice cream machine. Follow manufacturer’s instructions and run about 20 minutes or until creamy. Scoop mixture into a medium sealable container and chill in freezer about 30 minutes or until slightly firm.
Make Float: Pour pineapple juice into a float glass and top with piped Dole Whip. Serve immediately.
The full, 224-page book contains more than 100 recipes, including the Peanut Butter and Jelly Milkshake from 50's Prime Time Café at Disney's Hollywood Studios, the Sparkling No-Jito from the Tambu Lounge at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort, and the La Cava Avocado from Mexico in Epcot.
This feature was adapted from The Unofficial Disney Parks Drink Recipe Book by Ashley Craft. Copyright © 2021 by Ashley Craft. Photography by Harper Point Photography. Used with permission of the publisher, Adams Media, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
You may also like: Ashley Craft's best-selling cookbook of recipes for Disney snacks and food.
