The Ultimate Guide to Drinking Around Epic Universe

The highly anticipated Epic Universe theme park is about to open at Universal Orlando Resort in Florida, and if you’re anything like me, you’re already plotting what you’d like to eat and drink on your next trip. With that being said, there’s so much going on in Epic Universe that it’s hard to know what to taste first. To help you plan accordingly, I’ve compiled a list of the drinks you absolutely can’t miss when you step through the portals into each new world.

The five worlds that make up Epic Universe include Celestial Park, Dark Universe, Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, Super Nintendo World, and How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk. This list includes both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages from each area, and incorporates drinks I’ve tried firsthand while visiting the new park. I also mention recommendations from the Universal Orlando Resort food and beverage team, and drinks that those who have previewed the new park can’t get enough of. Consider this your ultimate guide to drinking around Epic Universe.

Since Celestial Park is essentially the central hub of Epic Universe, with more than 15 restaurants and bars, this is where you’re going to find the bulk of your beverages throughout the day. Beginning at the Atlantic restaurant, which overlooks the central water features of the park, you’ll find the Northern Lights cocktail — and it’s a show-stopper.

The cocktail itself is made with vodka, limoncello, dry Curaçao (not the blue kind), lemon juice, and simple syrup, and served in a delicate coupe glass. In the center of the drink is a floating blue ice orb made with butterfly pea blossom and shimmering with golden luster dust. I noticed while tasting this cocktail in Universal’s test kitchen that, once the orb begins to melt into the cocktail, the drink’s color slowly begins to transform into a cosmic purple-ish hue. The ice-cold cocktail is loosely based on a classic lemon drop cocktail, and dangerously easy to drink.

Not to be outshone, the Melon and Herb Highball takes refreshment in a different direction. Mixed with gin, watermelon syrup, basil, and cucumber, you could almost get away with convincing yourself that this particular pale-pink cocktail is more hydrating than most. The herbal notes and slightly sweet watermelon flavor of this cocktail pair nicely with so many of the seafood dishes on the menu. 

Even though a mocktail version of it isn’t explicitly listed on the menu, this is one I’d gladly ask for with tonic or San Pellegrino in place of the gin. Cocktails at the Atlantic restaurant in Epic Universe don’t come cheap, averaging about $17 each. Luckily, it’s clear that each of the beverages is hand-crafted with high-quality ingredients to make each one feel like a special indulgence.

It’s hard to miss The Blue Dragon Pan-Asian Restaurant thanks to the large stylized Asian dragon out front. At first glance, you might think this restaurant leans a little into the kitsch, but don’t be fooled — this restaurant’s cocktail and drink menu looks like it has some of the most creative and unique drinks in all of Epic Universe.

The Chengdu Dream is one of the centerpiece cocktails on the menu, made with Sichuan baijiu, blue Curaçao, falernum, grapefruit juice, and pineapple juice. Baiju is a Chinese grain alcohol made with sorghum grain, and falernum is a Caribbean liqueur, which typically has lime and warm spice notes. This bright blue cocktail drinks more like a rum punch or tiki drink, but Sichuan baijiu is a rarity on many drink menus, and a cocktail made with it might be a first for many.

It seems like an eternity since the TikTok Dalgona coffee craze of 2020 sent everyone to buy frothers and instant coffee. But the foamy coffee treat has not been forgotten, only evolved. On the cocktail menu at The Blue Dragon Pan-Asian Restaurant, you’ll find the Dalgona Khaosan Road, a drink that includes Mekhong Thai liqueur, black sugar syrup, Hokkaido milk tea powder, vanilla almond milk, coffee boba, and the dalgona coffee foam we all know and love.

Not only does this drink blend both coffee and tea ingredients, but it’s truly a pan-Asian drink, bringing together elements from Thai, Taiwanese, Chinese, South Korean, and Japanese beverages. The drink is also available in mocktail form as the Khaosan Thai Boba, and includes everything but the Mekhong Thai liqueur.

Bar Zenith is a smaller walk-up pavilion bar in Celestial Park, located near the entrance to the Stardust Racers roller coaster. Whether you’re looking for a little liquid courage or sitting the thrill-coaster out altogether and are passing the time with a cool beverage, the small but stellar menu should not be missed.

Did I mention that this drink isn’t actually on the menu yet? That’s right, the Meteor Strike is on the “secret” drink menu, so you’ll have to ask for it by name. Made with light rum, triple sec, lime and pineapple juices, lemon-lime soda, and a sprinkle of edible gold glitter, the final touch to this cosmic cocktail is a flaming lemon extract-infused raw sugar cube meteor. What could be more appropriate to celebrate hurtling yourself through space and coming out safely on the other side?

The Oak & Star Tavern is primarily a quick-service restaurant, serving up a full spread of barbecue dishes, sandwiches, and sides, along with a pleasing selection of drinks to wash it all down with. But if you’re bypassing the BBQ, head straight to The Plastered Owl bar, just to the right of the restaurant’s main entrance.

With both indoor and outdoor seating, as well as a walk-up window outside for those who’d like to keep it moving, the cocktail and wine-focused menu includes drink options that you won’t find at the restaurant counter inside. Given that the location specializes in BBQ, nearly half of the cocktails on the opening menu are understandably made with whiskey or bourbon, including the bar’s namesake cocktail, The Plastered Owl. Even though it’s made with dark rye whiskey, The Plastered Owl goes down smoothly, and is mixed with simple syrup, cherry syrup, and lemon juice, and is garnished with lemon wedges and muddled cherries.

It’s almost the punchline to a dad joke: What kind of bar would you go to in space? A Celestiki bar. (Ahem, Moving on.) Whether you find the name to be corny or clever, you’ll want to stop at Celestiki for a drink. Located near the entrance of Dark Universe, the loosely-themed walk-up bar currently offers two rum punch-style cocktails, two mocktails (one of which can also be turned into a cocktail with the addition of aged light rum), three frozen cocktails, two wines, and a small selection of canned beers.

Even if you aren’t into the clever-corny names, you will be after drinking a Waturi (pronounced “watery”) Punch. Made with navy-strength overproof Planteray O.F.T.D. rum, white rum, orange juice, lime juice, passion fruit purée, honey syrup, and Angostura bitters, this juicy rum punch is far from watered-down and might just have you floating off into space.

Once you enter the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic area, follow the avenue that turns right, past the K. Rammelle confectionery, to the very end where you’ll find Bar Moonshine. Touted as a bar for expat American wizards in Paris and offering a taste of home, there are several drinks on the short-and-sweet cocktail menu that look familiar, but with some clearly magical flourishes.

The Fleur 75 caught my attention, in part because it’s the first drink on the menu, and in part because I’m already a fan of the French 75 cocktail. This version has all of the ingredients you’ll find in a classic French 75, including gin, sparkling wine, simple syrup, and lemon juice. Additionally, it includes elderflower liqueur, making this already easy-to-drink cocktail even more fragrant and romantic.

The Lobe Blaster cocktail makes its debut in “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” the iteration of the Wizarding World for which the Ministry of Magic area of Epic Universe is modeled after. While the cocktail isn’t clearly defined in “Fantastic Beasts,” apart from being popular with American wizards in New York in the 1920s, it is clear that it’s the kind of cocktail that will blow your mind.

It’s the most vibrant cocktail on the menu, thanks to the emerald green elixir poured over the finished cocktail. The menu describes the Lobe Blaster as a “potent mix of moonshine, limoncello, absinthe, lemon juice, club soda, and simple syrup garnished with a rosemary sprig and layered with an émulsion verte” — so you’ve been warned, it’s strong. This intense cocktail is garnering a lot of attention, thanks in part to its creative coloring, with many people saying it’s one of their favorite drinks in the park. 

Go to Café L’air De La Sirène for the Bièrauberre Crêpes, stay for the Dirigible Plum Juice Mocktail. Made with apple, peach, dragonfruit, passionfruit, and mixed citrus punch, the bright red mocktail is garnished with a dried apricot for a little extra flair. 

Whether or not alcoholic drinks are part of your park plans, this is one of those beverages that you won’t want to miss, if only for the impressive color and fruity pick-me-up it offers when you’re running low on electrolytes. It also has the added benefit of being less expensive than many of the other cocktails available. The Dirigible Plum Juice Mocktail currently costs $7.49, whereas the cocktails over at Bar Moonshine are in the ballpark of $17.99 per drink.

There’s no lack of brightly-hued beverages across Epic Universe, and while all of those unnaturally colorful concoctions might give you pause back in the real world, they seem completely fitting in this truly magical setting. The Lavender Lemonade isn’t specifically a mocktail, but this non-alcoholic summer sipper is the refreshing antidote to the absolutely unforgiving summer sun (even if you’ve completely forgotten that you’re actually in Florida).

Lavender can be a bit of a divisive flavor. That said, the lavender in this lemonade is so mild that some people can hardly even taste it. The drink is flavored with lavender extract, which would also taste slightly different than fresh lavender blossoms. But the more mild flavor is likely to appeal to more people, and the dreamy lavender hue is nearly impossible to resist.

If you associate the term “mead” with the golden and amber-hued Nordic alcoholic beverages made from fermented honey, it’s understandable that you might be somewhat confused when a glass of what looks like wine, so deep red it’s on the verge of black, shows up in front of you. It turns out that Gobber’s Mead isn’t the honey-based drink you may be familiar with, but a similarly fermented beverage made from boysenberry, black currant, citrus, and cardamom.

Even if this isn’t the kind of drink you’d normally sip on regularly at home, it pairs so well with all of the Nordic and Scandinavian-inspired foods served at Mead Hall in the How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk part of Epic Universe.

Perhaps “Yaknog” doesn’t sound all that appetizing to you, but for the adventurous Vikings in your group, it’s a treat that anyone can easily enjoy. And for the record, no yaks were milked to create this drink. It’s essentially a malted chocolate and cinnamon milk drink that’s topped with whipped cream. It’s rich, but not overly sweet, and the cinnamon is pleasantly subtle. I was also told by Universal’s Food & Beverage team that the Yaknog comes in an exclusive dishwasher-safe (top rack) souvenir cup, which is a cute touch.

Even though Yaknog is very much a drink, you’ll find it on the dessert menu, along with Stormfly’s Catch of the Day, which is one of Epic Universe’s must-try foods. It’s also not the most bizarrely named menu option — that title goes to Barf & Belch’s Duo Plate, which you’ll find on the “Little Dragon Rider’s” portion of the menu.

You currently won’t find any alcoholic beverages on the menu at any of the dining locations in Super Nintendo World, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t several exciting Nintendo-themed beverages to choose from. After a leisurely ride on Yoshi’s Adventure, pull up to Toadstool Cafe or Yoshi’s Snack Island for an apple-melon smoothie.

Yoshi’s Smoothie is made with green apple and honeydew melon, milk for creaminess, and topped with whipped cream, honeydew melon syrup, and a sprig of mint. While not identical, the Universal Food & Beverage team told me that this smoothie is based on the green-colored melon smoothie served at Super Nintendo World in Japan, which is made with melon and mint. There’s no denying that this smoothie is sweet, and probably more of a dessert smoothie than a normal beverage. But the icy cold treat is just the right amount of stimulating for this particular park, and a tasty way to cool off. If green apple isn’t exactly your favorite, a mango version of the smoothie is also available exclusively at Yoshi’s Snack Island.

Among the other beverages served at Toadstool Cafe is the Super Star Lemon Squash, which is a little lighter than Yoshi’s Smoothie, and just as appealing. The bright yellow drink consists of a honey lemon soda with mango stars and tropical boba in different colors for a little extra power-up.

The Super Star Lemon Squash comes in a cup adorned with starry notes on sheet music that wraps around the cup. One clever Redditor took the time to transcribe the music and found that it’s the actual score for the music that plays when Mario uses a Super Star in the games, making it possible for him to effortlessly squash all enemies he encounters while temporarily invincible. Try drinking one of these before getting on the Mario Kart ride, and see if it helps squash the competition.

Heading into Dark Universe, there are three locations available to order drinks, including The Burning Blade Tavern, Das Stakehaus, and De Lacey’s Cottage. The Burning Blade Tavern serves the largest selection of adult beverages in Dark Universe’s Darkmoor Village, with a menu that includes specialty cocktails, a small wine selection, non-alcoholic options, as well as draft and canned beers.

The Lagoon’ita, based on the 1954 monster flick, “Creature from the Black Lagoon,” is made with white rum, limoncello, green color, lime, blackberries, and a mint sprig garnish. The mint is appropriately wilted, looking like something that just barely survived a trip to the swap, and the muddled blackberries make for a dark purple drink that’s aptly muddy. It doesn’t taste anything like a margarita, but it’s cool and berry-forward without being especially sweet.

“Do you like gin? It is my only weakness,” says Doctor Pretorius in the 1935 film, “The Bride of Frankenstein.” Things are predictably dark in Dark Universe, but it’s possible to get something a little less intense at The Burning Blade Tavern. My Only Weakness is a delicately pink gin-based cocktail, made with Aperol, cherry brandy, lemon juice, simple syrup, Angostura aromatic bitters, Angostura orange bitters, and soda water.

The cocktail has similarities to the cherry Gin Rickey and Singapore Sling cocktails, but it has a taste and lightness similar to a Paloma. Feel free to get it made to go, so you don’t miss meeting the Bride of Frankenstein herself (who just might even be accompanied by her husband) over on the monster-heavy side of the village.

Beer enthusiasts usually have a lot to look forward to when visiting the Universal Orlando Resort parks, since the beers are often selected to closely match the theming of each park area, are regularly produced by notable craft breweries, and are sometimes even created especially for Universal. Reaper’s Reserve is one of the newest additions to that unique selection of beers, produced by Crooked Can Brewing Company out of Winter Park, Florida, exclusively for Epic Universe.

Available at both The Burning Blade Tavern and Das Stakehaus, Reaper’s Reserve is described as a classic brown ale with nutmeg, clove, and cinnamon, and an ABV of 5%. You can expect sweeter caramel notes, mingling with warm, earthy spices. Paired with some of the heavier snacks at The Burning Blade Tavern, the sweetness of the beer holds its own and provides a nice balance to the hearty tavern fare.

One of the most entertaining drinks in Epic Universe’s Dark Universe is, coincidentally, the non-alcoholic specialty beverage on the menu. The Monocane Mocktail is based on the ill-fated drug named “Monocane” in the 1933 film “The Invisible Man,” which permanently renders doctor Jack Griffin invisible and turns him into a homicidal maniac. So, the lack of alcohol is the least of your worries with this drink.

Made with pineapple syrup, blue raspberry syrup, passion fruit syrup, emerald prism powder, and Sprite, this fruity soda is a swirling and bubbling sight to behold — especially in the optional souvenir beaker it’s served in. The mocktail currently costs $7 without the souvenir beaker, and $12 with it, and absolutely seems worth the upgrade for the playful laboratory effect alone.