We’ve been taking every opportunity we can grab lately to explore Universal’s new theme park, Epic Universe, including tasting our way around the new food and drink options!
There is SO MUCH to explore in Epic Universe. Incredible new attractions, immersive theming, delicious snacks — we just can’t get enough! In the latest edition of Epic updates, we recently tried a few new drinks in the park, and we’re here to report back with our thoughts!
Celestial Park, one of Epic Universe’s five distinct lands, is home to The Plastered Owl, a cleverly-named bar that serves beers from the tap of the ancient tree at the tavern’s center and unique mixed drinks both with and without alcohol. The bar is directly connected to Oak & Star Tavern, so there’s lots of seating available to sit and enjoy your beverages! We recently swung by to snag a few drinks and see how they stack up.
First, we kicked things off with a non-alcoholic option. The Enchanted Oak Sap is made with ginger purée, lime juice, rosemary-infused simple syrup, and club soda with an orange wheel. The ginger flavor came through SUPER strong in this drink. And even though there was only a slice, the orange was prominent too.
We aren’t big fans of the ginger-citrus flavor combination, so we didn’t personally love this mocktail, BUT it did taste more like an actual cocktail than most non-alcoholic mixed drinks we’ve tried around the parks. If you’re looking for a mocktail that tastes super similar to a classic mixed drink (and you don’t mind a strong ginger kick), this one might work for you!
We also tried the Breakfast Sour, which is made with maple bacon whiskey, orange Curação, maple syrup, lemon juice, orange juice, and Angostura bitters, and topped with applewood-smoked bacon. Essentially, this cocktail is a take on a classic Whiskey Sour, but with some breakfast elements thrown in.
If you like a classic whiskey sour, this will be right up your alley! The orange juice adds a hint of freshness that mellows out the sour taste, and having the bacon on top gives you a hint of the aroma, which adds a bit of smokiness as you sip the drink. The bacon was surprisingly crispy and tasted better than we expected after floating in the drink for a while. The breakfast flavors are prominent here, so if you’re pro-breakfast and pro-whiskey sour, this is definitely the drink for you!
Overall, we were impressed with the quality of the drinks, and while there are definitely some divisive flavor profiles in play here, we think either of these could be a hit with the right audience!
We’ll continue to check out more from around Epic Universe to help you plan your first visit to the new park, so stay tuned to AllEars for the latest updates!…