I don’t know about you guys, but I love booze. I love to celebrate my accomplishments with a little cocktail or champagne. New job? Celebrate with a drink. Figure out how to program the DVR? Celebrate with a drink. Finish a half marathon? Celebrate with a drink. Or several. Over the course of a few weeks. Because, WOW, that’s a BIG accomplishment. Half Marathons are no joke, folks. Finish one and enjoy some major “treat yo’self” moments.
I consider Disneyland to be my second home and I’ve done a lot of drinking there. (Fun fact: I had my first, uhh, LEGAL alcoholic drink on my 21st birthday at Storytellers Cafe at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel. It was blue and it was yummy. We won’t talk about how long ago that was.) In my opinion, there’s no better way to celebrate the awesome accomplishment of completing a race – any race, no matter the distance – than with a special Disneyland cocktail. So after the 5k, 10k, half marathon, and my goodness, ESPECIALLY the kids races, I hope this article leads you to the perfect Disneyland adult beverage. Personally, after a race I enjoy lighter drinks, and drinks made with juices. So below I’m going to list some of my favorites and where you can find them.
DISCLAIMER: Remember to consume alcohol responsibly after running any race, and watch your sugar intake. After a race you need to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, and I mean with WATER. Also limit your alcoholic intake if you’re taking any ibuprofen for anti-inflammatory or pain management medication, because these two things mixed together make your liver unhappy. And no one wants an unhappy liver. Above all, be smart and listen to your body. If you’re already feeling faint, exhausted, or tired, alcohol may not be the best option for you. (I can’t believe those words are coming out of my fingers.)
Best Cocktails for Celebrating After the Disneyland Half Marathon
Inside Disney California Adventure
Sparkling Mare – This festive drink from Carthay Circle Restaurant lounge is made with sparkling wine, so it’s perfect for celebrating. It’s very light and sweet, and probably is my favorite drink in all of DCA!
Tropical Mojito – Quite refreshing and tropical, this drink from Cove Bar has rum, pineapple juice, and mint.
Wine Flights – A new addition to DCA are the wine flights at Alfresco Tasting Terrace, on the second floor of Wine Country Trattoria restaurant. This spot also serves beer and really yummy snacks. Click here to read my review of the wine flights and new menu items at Alfresco Tasting Terrace.
Downtown Disney
The O.C. Cocktail – If you’re visiting Orange County just for the Disneyland Half, you should probably try this popular cocktail at ESPN Zone. It’s just rum, triple sec, and orange-pineapple juice and it tastes like liquid sunshine.
Electric Lemonade – Just vodka, blue curacao, and lemon juice make up this yummy drink from Uva Bar.
Hurricane – A classic drink, Jazz Kitchen’s Hurricane is made with rum and fresh fruit juice. No fuss!
Resort Hotels
White Sangria – This drink is, hands down, my favorite drink in all The Disneyland Resort area! You can get it in several places, including all three Disneyland Resort hotels. My favorite spot to have one is the lounge of Steakhouse 55 in The Disneyland Hotel. The White Sangria is basically just white wine and peach schnapps and it’s really light and refreshing. Here’s a tip from a pro: Ask for easy ice. You won’t get more booze but what you do get won’t water down so quickly.
Ka-Blue-Ie – This tropical concoction from Trader Sam’s at The Disneyland Hotel is my second favorite drink in the Resort! This is a richer drink and some may think it’s too rich for after a race, but I find it quite refreshing. I also ordered them a lot during our wedding week so it’s now a drink that reminds me of our Disneyland wedding. The Ka-Blue-Ie is light rum, cream of coconut, pineapple juice and a splash of blue curacao.
Godiva Liquor Flight – What better way to celebrate your victory than with some chocolate! This trio of Godiva liquor shots is served with fresh strawberries so at least you can feel kind of healthy while eating those. This (along with the White Sangria) are on the “generic Disney Parks drink menu” so you can usually order this at all three Resort Hotels and most locations inside DCA.
What Disneyland Resort drinks would you add to this list? How do you like to celebrate after a race?
If you liked this post, be sure to visit the other blogs participating in this Virtual Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend blog hop!
Image credits, from left to right:
Manhattan: Aloha75 on Flickr
Ka-Blue-Ie: Daryl_Mitchell on Flickr
White Sangria: Harshlight on Flickr
All used and modified under Creative Commons 2.0
Great post – I’m not running this year, but I’ll be sure to make use of this list of drinks when I’m in Anaheim this week!
Yum!
I haven’t tried any of the DTD drinks so I’ll have to add them to my list to try…preferably on the same day. 😉 I was pleasantly surprised by the Pineapple Upside Down Martini at the Surfside Lounge at the Paradise Pier on our anniversary two years ago. They made the mistake of rimming the glass with graham cracker sprinkles and it was AMAZING! I don’t even like pineapple but somehow with the graham cracker sprinkles it just went down and was perfect for that incredibly hot day. Also to date, the Pomegranate Martini they served me on our last anniversary at Carthay Circle was the best. Maybe it was because it was a special request and off menu and otherwise unavailable (believe me I’ve asked since then and have come up short) but it seriously was the best blend of berry and martini I’ve ever had. They added this giant blackberry to it too which I loved. *sigh* I also like the cookie shot/cake shot at Uva Bar. I’m sure it’s standard anywhere, but it just reminds me of the special celebrations with special friends. 🙂
Fellow blog hop 🙂
Cocktails, heeeeeey! My favorite subject hehe. Great list, my favorites are the hurricane and tropical mojito!
Greetings fellow blog hop,
Great job on the post. I am not one for alcohol or cocktails, but it was still an awesome post to read. Now I can direct some of my friends that are running to the most highly recommended locations around. Thanks again!
All locations also have plenty of yummy non-alcoholic options available! Thanks for visiting!
My favorite is the Mango Margarita poolside at the Grand Californian!
Ok I’m torn between the white sangria and the Sparkling Mare for my next trip! Which one would you choose? I’m so not very out-of-the-box when it comes to choosing a beverage so I’ll keep your post handy :).
They are both great choices! The Sparkling Mare is only available at the Carthay Circle lounge, so if you find yourself there I would definitely order that! You can get the white sangria at several locations around Disney California Adventure and the hotels.
OK, I need to keep this list handy for all future Disney trips as you know I’m always on the lookout for something tasty! 😛 Anthony has fallen in love with the Manhattan at Carthay. Thanks for the ice tip for the white sangria! The first one I had was AMAZING, but all subsequent ones have sadly been rather watered down, so I will definitely try asking for less ice next time!
I’m not familiar with the drinks at Disney at all 😉 haha. Cocktails and Disney combined- LOVE <3 Sparkling Mare is also one of my favorites although sometimes I prefer to just have a glass of the Fairy Tale sparkling wine by itself. 🙂 YUM.
I will pretty much drink sparkling anything! 🙂
In many ways, the best for last! I love that you chose specific drinks at several locations Mindy- I must admit that I see I have missed a few. 😀 Not to worry, I am working my way through the Trader Sam’s menu, and I’ve decided that the Ka-Blue-Ie will be next! With two inaugural weekends on the horizon, there will be oodles of celebrating on the horizon. Thank you so much for joining the hop- chEARS!!
Thanks for having me! It was a lot of fun!