REVIEW & PHOTOS: Sip On Some Nostalgia at the New Annual Passholder Exclusive Lounge in Disneyland!
While you may already know that being an Annual Passholder comes with MANY perks…
©Disney
…now Disneyland is upping its game EVEN MORE! Forget the exclusive merch, like the latest Disneyland AP Phone case, and early access to Disneyland After Dark tickets. We’re talking about a new AP-only outdoor patio with its own signature cocktails!
Alfresco Tasting Terrace is now reserved exclusively for Annual Passholders and their guests. Located inside California Adventure Park, the Alfresco Tasting Terrace offers stunning views of Cars Land from the top of the Wine Country Trattoria building!
Alfresco Tasting Terrace
This unique dining and lounge experience, named Sunshine Plaza, features exclusive drinks that celebrate Disney California Adventure’s history.
Sunshine Plaza Menu
In addition to their excellent California wine list and delicious bites, like the Charcuterie and Cheese Board, guests can indulge in 5 tasty cocktails — and one secret menu drink!
Annual Passholder Eats and Drinks ©Disney
Drinks
Let’s check ’em out!
The Stinger is priced at $15.00 and features Dulce Vida Pineapple-Jalapeno Tequila, Cointreau, and House-Made Orange-Habanero Simple Syrup. The name is a salute to the Orange Stinger, one of the park’s opening day attractions. The ride has since been re-themed as the Silly Symphony Swings.
The Stinger
We found The Stinger to be very appropriately named! There is a very light scent of habanero before you take a sip – a preview of what’s to come! The drink is deceiving at first, hitting your sweet taste buds at first sip. But once the drink hits your throat, that sweetness immediately converts to a sting and it becomes pretty spicy!! VERY light notes of the orange peel were present while any of the taste of the mint leaf garnish was almost completely absent. If you don’t like spicy foods/drinks, you may want to move further down the drink menu!
The Stinger
Their take on a Manhattan features Buffalo Trace Bourbon, MacMurray Estate Pinot Noir, house-made simple syrup, and a charred cinnamon stick. This one is priced at $16.00. This cocktail doesn’t represent a piece of California Adventure’s history…yet. A Cast Member told us the “Manhattan” moniker is only temporary while they wait for the official undisclosed name to be announced!
Manhattan
This drink is very comparable to an Old Fashioned, and if you enjoy similar drinks to that, we think you’ll be a fan of this one! The drink was garnished with a charred cinnamon stick, which we thought enhanced the aroma of the drink more than the flavor. Also, kudos to the ice maker because our single large cube of ice was very crystal clear and dissolved nice and slow into all that bourbon!
Manhattan
We LOVE the name of this next one. The Drop In… If You Dare is an ode to the former Twilight Zone Tower of Terror that was reimagined to Guardians of the Galaxy- Mission: Breakout. Priced at $17.00 this one features Hendrick’s Gin, St. Germaine Elderflower Liqueur, Fresh Lemon Juice, and is served with Maraschino Cherry Mix.
Drop In… If You Dare
This one didn’t work so well for us. Based on the description, we were expecting a sweet, refreshing lemon cocktail like a classic Lemon Drop, and while the tanginess of lemon was there, the overall flavor of the drink was a bit unbalanced. The drink comes with a pipette filled with a cherry mix, which once we squeezed it into the drink helped to tame the overly zesty lemon flavor. But we aren’t sure if the cherry flavor really ever came through in the end. This one could really depend on the bartender and their proportions, so don’t completely count it out! You never know…yours may be mixed a little better!
Drop In… If You Dare
The days of Paradise Pier may be gone — but they are not forgotten! One of those relics of the past is the Fun Wheel! This colorful cocktail is a tribute to Pixar Pier’s giant ferris wheel, now named the Pixar-Pal-A-Round Wheel. The Fun Wheel is one of our favorite drinks so we had to sip on it again! Priced at $14.00, bask in the memories with Captain Morgan Spiced Rum, Bols Blue Curacao, Premium Vodka, and Pineapple Juice.
Fun Wheel
This Fun Wheel is a slight variation of the previous version. What makes this drink different from its previous release is it doesn’t have a top layer of “lime foam”. This drink is especially great for those who like tropical, sweet drinks. With no one flavor dominating the whole thing, it was just a subtly sweet drink that was fun to drink AND photograph before mixing it all together!
Fun Wheel
Not the first cocktail to have an affiliation to Neil Patrick Harris (We’re talking about the new NPH created margaritas at Epcot), the 5… 4… 3… 2…1 is a tribute to the original launch of the California Screamin’ Coaster voiced by the A-list celeb, which has since been re-themed to Incredicoaster. Priced at $15.00, it features Captain Morgan Spiced Rum, Bols Blue Curacao, House-made Simple Syrup, Fresh Lime Juice, and a Tropical Juice Blend.
5…4…3…2…1
This was another awesome drink with sweet, tropical flavors. There’s a slight creamy/milky flavor and consistency to it and the drink is very eye-catching, probably because of its garnishings and pretty blue and white layers before stirring. Ours was mixed pretty strong although it still tasted nice and sweet. If you’re already a fan of the Fun Wheel, give the 5…4…3…2…1 a shot!
5…4…3…2…1
But that’s not all! The Cast Member who was serving us today also told us about a secret menu drink named Nutmeg! This drink isn’t named after an old attraction, but rather a current resident, Nutmeg the cat! The long-haired orange cutie has been roaming the woodsy area by the Terrace for the past 5 years. Here’s the old rascal himself, caught in the act!
Nutmeg!
The drink consists of Baileys Irish Cream, Frangelico liqueur, rum, and freshly ground nutmeg! Typically, the Nutmeg is served in a martini glass but they were out of those glasses, so we ended up with this old-fashioned-looking version. We knew by the scent (which smelled A LOT like a gingerbread) that we were going to love the spiciness of this drink! Not only did it taste slightly like gingerbread, but there was also a subtle hint of coffee to it. The ground nutmeg on top added a nice burst of flavor to each sip. Why they made this one a SECRET, we’re not sure because we think people will LOVE it!
Nutmeg
Read about more secret menu items in Disneyland and Disney World here!
Getting Into Alfresco Tasting Terrace
While this lounge feels cozy and would be the perfect spot to spend the entire afternoon, they are limiting it to 2 alcoholic beverages per eligible guest. The Alfresco Tasting Terrace is currently open from 11:30 AM until one hour before park closing on a first-come, first-served basis.
Check-in is located at the station in front of Walt Disney Imagineering Blue Sky Cellar. And while we waited a really long time to be seated, your experience may vary. Once we were at our table, the drinks only took about 5-10 minutes to come out luckily!
Stairs to Alfresco Tasting Terrace
We’ll keep you posted on any additional AP perks we spot at Disneyland, but for now, we hope you enjoy a sip of the good life at the Annual Passholder-exclusive Alfresco Tasting Terrace!
Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!
Check out more Disneyland Food Reviews Here!!
Will you be trying these new cocktails from the Alfresco Tasting Terrace? Let us know!
from the disney food blog https://ift.tt/2FpKBEn
Post a Comment