Cocktail Review - Swine Brine

"Swine Brine"

The 2025 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival is in full swing, and I’ve got no real must-drink beers. So let’s try a returning cocktail that I have skipped in the past.

“Swine Brine,” a name that I think may be a little scary to some, is a mix of Jim Beam Kentucky Straight Bourbon, Apple-Cinnamon Cider, Lemon Juice, and…Dijon Mustard! Yep mustard! I think that is another thing that may turn off some sippers. But should it? Oh, don’t forget it’s accompanied by a bone-in piece of smoked pork!

A Drink and a Snack

I found the “Swine Brine to start as a very pleasant apple cider, with cider and not juice being the keyword. Then the booze and the cider started to meld into a nice boozy combo that balanced whiskey tones with apple. It was a sweet boozieness. Finally, it finished with a nice tanginess from the mustard. I didn’t get the Dijon till the very end, but by gosh, it was there. It was weird to get a layered experience in a premixed cocktail. The pork was nice. It was not overly moist and could use some sauce. I did dip it into the cocktail a few times, and found the spices from the cider and lemon did give me a sauce substitute that improved the flavor.

I accompanied “Swine Brine” with the Smoked Corn Beef with house made chips. I like corned beef and the cheese mixed nicely with the chips and the beef. However, some of my chips were a bit bland and had a cardboard-like texture. So I don’t know if I would grab this again.

Smoked Corn Beef with Chip

Who Drinks This? Those who like their ribs smoked and seasoned! It is much more pleasant and less swiney than I thought it would be, with me imagining the cocktail as a solid marinade. My saucy fears were worries only, with the “Swine Brine” being a pleasant sweet spicy cocktail that felt fallish. I would drink it again, and I urge you not to be scared off by the mustard.

Venue Review - Tambu Lounge

The Tambu Lounge Sign...Hidden Behind a Check-In Desk, Lobby, and Confused Guests

We wanted to be fancy! We had guests, but they didn’t want to pay for a day at a Walt Disney World park. Yet we still wanted to be impressive and fun, so we took them out to the Polynesian Resort, thinking we could visit Trader Sam’s, have some fun, and have a nice cocktail.

It was early Saturday afternoon, and I thought, 'Yeah, it may take two hours, but we could get in by mid-evening.' Then I was told to check back at 9 p.m. to get on the list then.

The whole plan fell apart. But we still wanted a tropical drink, and we didn’t have any reservations.

Hello Tambu Lounge!

Right next to ‘Ohana on the second floor of the Poly is the Tambu Lounge. It is the bar lounge that serves the well-known meaty restaurant. In fact, it kinda oozed into ‘Ohana, with the check-in desk well in front of the sitting area in front ot the lounge and the restaurant. You can see a bar and a partition blocking the lounge seating area. When you get past the partition, you see a few tables (low and high) and bar seating. There’s also a large window where you can see out to the Seven Seas Lagoon and the Magic Kingdom. I don’t think that I would watch fireworks from here, but at least it’s a pleasant view. (No pictures were taken due to this being a time with friends). 

Polynesian Mai Tai

There are a number of tropical cocktails that are Disney fandom favorites. You can find both the “Backscratcher” and “Lapu Lapu” here. I had the “Polynesian Mai Tai” that mixed a nice fruity sweetness from the Orange Liqueur and the Lime Juice, but also made sure to show off the distinct Rum profile. It was nice, I enjoyed it, and it fit the mood. I won’t complain about it being well priced, well made, but also coming without a show. If you want beer, I mean, there’s the mix of Maui Brewing and Kona Brewing Hawaiian-inspired beers you can find throughout the resort. And there’s your old regular standby beers like Jai Aai and Yuengling. But if you’re drinking beer, it's because you are currently not messing with spirits. These are beers you can find pretty much anywhere, including my garage fridge right this very moment. The drink menu, obviously, is shared with ‘Ohana, but Kona Cafe shares most of the fun drinks on its menu too.

If you are heading to Tambu Lounge, it may be for a food hack. You can order the Pot Stickers, Peel-n-Eat Shrimp, and Honey-Coriander Chicken Wings found at ‘Ohana. I’ve heard tales of the off-the-menu bread pudding and noodles also being available. I mean, it’s literally right there next to ‘Ohana, so the request is reasonable. Therefore, those who have a small ‘Ohana craving can find relief at this lounge.

Who Drinks Here? Those who wanted something else drink here. Let’s be honest, it’s not the vibes and uniqueness of Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto, which can be hard to get into. It’s also not outside like Trader Sam’s Tiki Terrace, so you can get a respite from the heat while still enjoying tropical drinks. If you can’t get a convenient reservation to ‘Ohana, you can still order up some of this Disney favorite’s best grub. So if you’re drinking here, you likely wanted out of the heat and failed to grab another option. It’s not a bad option, but I’m guessing it’s very few drinkers’ first option.

Beer Review - Au Currant

 

"Au Currant"

Central Florida sipping is changing me, friends!  Maybe it’s wizarding magic.  I don’t like funky beers, I don’t like funky beers, I don’t like funky beers, and Epic Universe can’t change me.

Unless some magic happens, and it does!

“Au Currant” by Crooked Can is the newest Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Ministry of Magic brew in Epic Universe.  I decided to choke down this beer, since I don’t like Farmhouse Ales at all.  Adding blackcurrants to this saison is only going to make it worse for this dark beer fan who sees this as adding fruit to bleh.  But hey, I need to drink all the potions to be fair and provide a proper sorting.  I went into this thinking it would clearly be as horrible as Polyjuice Potion when I ordered it at Bar Moonshine.  And instead, I found this to be a very pleasant, slightly funky, somewhat sweet 5.2% ABV, no-IBU, easy-to-drink experience.  The berry flavor is not overwhelming; you are not drinking a shandy, and it helps manage the funk.  I thought the non-beer drinker in my group might like the slight berry tang, but they found it to be too funky and undrinkable.  Yeah, it’s not my favorite beer at Epic, I see you Stoick!  It’s likely not my favorite Wizarding beer either.  But it was really nice and refreshing when it's super hot in Paris or other parts of Epic.

I don’t talk about Farmhouse Ales or Saisons very often.  Mostly because I dislike them, they are not my brew, or haven’t been.  But as a style, it very much fits within the Paris vibe of the Ministry of Magic.  It’s very much a popular, homemade, traditional, Western European beer that fits Paris.  If anything to be me it feels more peasant than aristocrat, as it’s a working person brew.  For some reason, I see Wizards being more landowners than those who till the ground.  But it does fit the vibe better than an English ale style that we would find over in the other two parks.  

Who Drinks This? Wizards who need to check off all the Wizard beers grab this.  Fans of slightly funky beers would enjoy this one.  “Au Currant” is not my go-to potion, but it could give me future change-of-pace sips.  

Brewery Review - Park Pizza and Brewing Company

Park Pizza and Brewing Company

We had just picked up our weekend guests at MCO and one said, “Is there anywhere to eat?”  

And I was like…”well, I think there is a brewery nearby.”  And off to Park Pizza and Brewing Company, just five minutes away in Lake Nona we went!

We’ve not spent a lot of time at Lake Nona.  We have raced past Lake Nona to the airport or other locations like the beach, but never stopped.  And I had no idea what to expect when I remembered that Park Pizza & Brewing Company was nearby.  I worried I was lost when I took an exit near the giant medical complex, a spot where I thought there was no dining or beer in sight.  But as we drove past the hospitals and clinics, an oasis of dining soon appeared.  It was not a large dining zone, but one that was somewhat secluded and cozy, and super new.  There were restaurants and dining parks nearby that I would like to explore at a later date.  Right on the corner of this little Lake Nona Town Center was the promised drink and food after our guests’ long flight.  

 

Giant Soft Baked Pretzel

 

Let's start with the pizza, as it’s the first part of Park Pizza & Brewing Company’s name.  They were really good.  Actually, let’s start with the “Giant Soft Baked Pretzel” which was nice and soft, filling up our hungry travelers.  I didn’t really notice that the beer cheese was jalapeno-hefeweizen cheese, which is a good thing as a member of my party does not like overly spicy food.  Our table grabbed The Margherita and Chicken Parm to Table personal pies, and hungry flyers dove in, loving every minute of it.  We also got a Truffle Shuffle full size, which those of us who love mushrooms dove in on with its garlic cream and cremini mushrooms.  So so good!  

 

Truffle Shuffle

Of course, to go with lunch, I needed a flight consisting of:

The Flight

 

• “”IPA”: A 6.8% ABU and 60 IBU IPA, that is honestly the flagship IPA that all breweries need.  It's what I expected with no surprise.  They do call out that it’s a Gold Metal Winner (not misspelled).  I can see how it could win contests where judges are very much rating style conformity.   

• Cielo Azul”: A 5% ABV with 10 IBU Mexican Lager advertising itself as the essence of a sunny afternoon.  To me it was a beer that tasted like beer with a very welcome light sweetness.  I could see this as a beach beer.    

• “POG Wheat”: And the Disney Adults entered the chat.  “POG Wheat” offers a drinkable 5% ABV and 10 IBUs for a hot day.  The style is listed on Untappd as a Fruit Beer, while the name hints at a Wheat, so popular in Florida.  I believe Fruit Beer is a better label since the beer does not have an unfiltered hazy look and lacks a banana backbone.  But honestly this is nice and refreshing.  

• “Coconut Ranger”: Okay, I see some interesting pairing here.  “Coconut Ranger” is a 6.8% ABV with 40 IPU IPA, that is not your typical offerings.  It has very clear IPA bitterness and coconut tones swirling around in the glass.  It was definitely the beer that caught my attention and was a little divisive as the coconut fan at the table ran away from the IPA bitterness.    

Overall this was a mix for me.  There was the beer that you expect that tastes like beer.  But we also had a beer that clearly calls out to theme park fans coming in for a vacation and a beer that I think is just “odd” to many and was my favorite of the flight.  

For those that don’t like beer, there is a menu of your cocktails with Mules, Espresso Martinis, and Aperol Spritz (which I think someone in my party ordered).  If you want a cocktail, they likely can help.    

 

Inside, was open and sunny. There was plenty of seating for a lot of family types. But it was a bit loud, feeling like a party atmosphere.  

 

The Brewhouse

Who Drinks Here?  At this point, the reasons I will return are the food and the location!  I liked the pizza and appetizer options we had quite a bit.  I in fact, have other pizzas I would love to sample.  The beer is a bonus, with a mix of the expected and some risks that I am up to sample.  The location, minutes from the airport, places it well for those drinkers flying in and out from the Central Florida area.