I signed up for a Martini tasting a couple years ago when I sailed on the Disney Dream. I had such a good experience that I decided to sign up for it again on the Disney Wish. My only lingering question was: will the drinks be the same?
I’m pleased to tell you: they were not! In fact, they were all completely different from the Martini tasting on the Dream. I guess that should be expected: different instructor, different drinks. I wasn’t sure if Disney wanted to keep the classes consistent throughout all ships or if each ship was given their own mixology freedom.
Anyway, you’re not here to read my Disney nerd speculations, you’re here to find out about the drinks they had, so let’s get to it!
Martini number 1
The first martini brought to our table was a simple concoction of gin, champagne, white cranberry juice, and elderflower liqueur. It was a bit tart from the cranberry. I don’t recall if this drink had a name. In fact, I’m not sure if any of these drinks had names.
Martini number 2
Martini number 2 consists of Midori melon liqueur, coconut rum, and grenadine. I learned that Disney loves Midori, and loves making cocktails with Midori. Also, much to my surprise, the grenadine was at the bottom, meaning it was the most dense of the three liquids in this drink. Science! This was a nice, tropical, drink but a martini isn’t exactly what I think of when I hear the words “tropical drink”.
Martini number 3
Here we go! This looks like a regular martini that James Bond himself would enjoy! This is a Vespa Martini made with gin AND vodka, Lillet Blanc, with a lemon peel garnish. Lillet Blanc was used in place of Vermouth here. To be honest, I really don’t like regular martinis. However, I really enjoyed this one!
Martini number 4
While this martini looks like the first one, the flavor is completely different! I loved this drink! This martini is a Washington Apple. It’s made with Crown Apple, cranberry juice, and Apple Pucker. You’ll really have to like apples to enjoy this because it’s the dominant flavor here.
Martini number 5
This martini is a Disney fan’s dream! The instructor asked us to guess the fruit flavors, and while we tasted pineapple and orange, he hit us with a surprising fact. The main juice in this drink can be found all over Disney World. It’s POG juice! Pineapple, orange, and guava juice mixed with Grand Mariner and Absolut Pear vodka. A POG Martini, if you will!
A few of these drinks are available at Nightingale’s on the Disney Wish, while a few were the instructor’s own creations. It would be unfair to compare, or even rank, which martini class I enjoyed more because they were both enjoyable and educational.
I guess the big takeaway here is: regardless of which Disney ship you’re on: give the Martini tasting a try if you’re interested. The drinks themselves are not large (mini-Martinis, if you will) and there’s a nice variety. You might even *gasp* like one of them, even if you didn’t like martinis before!
Class info
Martini Tasting, on the Disney Wish, is offered several times during sailings. The class is held in Nightingale’s Lounge, which is located on deck 3 mid-ship, near The Bayou lounge. The cost, at least when this is being written, is $50 and is charged to your stateroom account.
Disney Rover 