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| "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!
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| 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.
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| 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.
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