The imaginative new beverages offered at Disneyland and DCA offer a fun way to stay hydrated on the go.
Pictures don’t do justice to the $5.49 Lavender Milk Tea at Red Rose Tavern in Disneyland. This flowery, not-too-sweet, creamy tea is served over ice and topped with lavender whipped cream, purple sugar sprinkles and a sprig of real lavender. Floating amongst the ice are juicy, lemon flavored popping boba (which were challenging to capture without the big straw that normally accompanies boba). All the flavors were subtle and complemented each other nicely. I can’t wait to order this again.
As someone who doesn't enjoy tomato juice, I was hesitant to try the $9.25 Backlot Michelada at Hollywood Lounge in DCA. This bubbly beverage consists of: beer, tomato juice, hot sauce, and lime, served in a cup rimmed with tajin. The flavors are balanced and, while it is refreshing and light, it also feels filling enough to count as a snack. I liked it a lot. Note: there’s a variation of this drink at Clarabelle’s in DCA that I'm looking forward to trying- the $10.49 Mich-Helado, which has an added scoop of lime sorbet.
Studio Catering Co. in DCA offers seasonal flavors of icees. The $5.49 Apple Elixer was more tart than sweet, with a frothy swirl. It’s tough to compete visually with the other drinks that are topped with candy or colorful syrups but on a hot day, this was quite refreshing. Depending on the flavors offered, I would get this again.
The $5.99 Rainbow Unicorn Memory Refresher at Bing Bong’s Sweet Stuff in DCA consists of all the flavors of icee layered attractively and topped with rainbow Nerds candy. It was intensely sweet and, as it melted, it began to look significantly less appealing. I wouldn’t order this again, but if you’re an icee lover who can’t decide which flavor to order, this might be perfect for you. If you’re at Bing Bong’s Sweet Stuff at night, be sure to check out the cool light fixtures out front that look like memory orbs.