Disneyland's 2022 Holiday Menu Features Festive Cocktails

If the holidays are the "most wonderful time of the year," then what better place to celebrate than "the happiest place on Earth?" The Disneyland resort goes all out for the holidays, bedecking Sleeping Beauty's Castle and It's a Small World in Christmas lights to create a winter wonderland in the heart of southern California (per Disneyland). Meanwhile, across the resort, Disney's California Adventure hosts "Festival of the Holidays," a celebration of winter holiday traditions from around the world, including food, drinks, and entertainment commemorating Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Diwali, Navidad, and Three Kings Day. 

While guests take in the decorations and the specialty parades, character meet-and-greets, ride overlays, nighttime spectaculars, and even the special behind-the-holiday-scenes tours (per The Orange County Register), it's easy to get a little thirsty, which is why Disneyland also offers an entire menu of specialty holiday drinks for the season. 

Along with an extensive array of festive sweet treats, holiday twists on Disney staples like churros and pretzels, and even a Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich, the full list of which can be found on Disney Parks Blog, Disney is offering a long list of alcoholic and nonalcoholic limited-time holiday beverages for the whole family to enjoy.

There are several fruity seasonal specialty drinks around Disneyland's California Adventure theme park, per Disney Parks Blog. The Pomegranate Hard Float at Clarabelle's Hand-Scooped Ice Cream includes pomegranate hard cider with lemon sorbet and topped with pomegranate arils, while over at Cocina Cucamonga the Winter Margarita features the flavor of black cherries, and the Holiday Punch Cocktail at Smokejumpers Grill is a combination of vodka, cranberry, and orange juice with fresh cranberries on top.

The Hollywood Lounge is serving up several holiday drinks including the Pineapple-Fresno Chile Michelada, a tomato-based beer cocktail featuring Modelo, pineapple-fresno chile lemonade, and chile-lime seasoning, the Gingerbread Mule, a twist on the classic mule featuring cinnamon whiskey, ginger beer, lemon juice, and gingerbread syrup, and the Everything Spice cocktail, a mix of RumChata, horchata, spiced rum, and butterscotch liqueur topped with mini churros and cinnamon.

Finally, The Cozy Cone is serving a Peanut Butter Whiskey cocktail which features (of course) peanut butter whiskey, peanut butter syrup, vanilla ice cream, almond milk, and cinnamon sugar with a topping of whipped cream and peanut butter drizzle. And, Flo's V-8 Cafe will be serving a specialty drink: New Motion Brewery's Blueberry Insight, which the company describes as a hard, sparkling black tea with blueberry, lemon, and lavender.

There are several specialty holiday drinks at Disneyland California Adventure's Festival of the Holidays you can find inspired by celebrations around the world.

The Holiday Duets booth is serving up a Huckleberry Sake Sangria made with Merlot, sake, huckleberry syrup, orange juice, cinnamon syrup, and sparkling water, while Winter Sliderland features a Tiramisu Yule Log Cocktail, a mix of vodka, hazelnut liqueur, oat milk, tiramisu syrup, and chocolate bitters topped with chocolate powder. Merry Mashups features the Spicy Apple Cider Margarita, made with tequila, apple cider, raspberry syrup, lime juice, and ghost pepper-cinnamon syrup, and Favorite Things features a Churro Toffee Cold Brew Latte cocktail made with Joffrey's coffee, Mr. Black Cold Brew Liqueur, Demerara sugar, cinnamon sugar, vanilla bean, and almond milk, and topped with churro syrup, whipped cream, and chocolate toffee crumbles.

Visions of Sugarplums has two signature cocktails, the Cranberry-Chai Pisco Punch made with South American brandy, cranberry juice, lemon juice, and cranberry and chai syrups, and the Piña-Hibiscus Mezcal Mule, featuring Mezcal, pineapple-ginger-lemon puree, pineapple juice, lemon juice, hibiscus syrup, and ginger beer. 

Grandma's Recipes is serving the Hummingbird Cocktail with bourbon, crème de banana liqueur, pineapple juice, banana puree, butter pecan syrup, cinnamon sugar, Demerara sugar, and vanilla bean, topped with pineapple. And the Making Spirits Bright booth, along with assortmented wines, features Maple-Hazelnut Hot Buttered Rum, a mix of rum, maple, hazelnut, Demerara sugar, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves topped with salted caramel whipped cream, sea salt, and sugar.

If you don't need to do your drinking directly before getting on your favorite E-ticket attraction, there are options for you to treat yourself to a holiday libation. The Downtown Disney District is home to two specialty cocktails: The Mistletoe Mule at Catal Restaurant and Uva Bar & Cafe is made with vodka, cranberry juice, lime juice, ginger beer, with a sugared cranberry garnish, and the Candy Cane-rita at Tortilla Jo's is made with tequila, peppermint schnapps, grenadine, and organic margarita mix topped off with rosemary and fresh cranberries.

Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, which is accessible directly from California Adventure and Downtown Disney also gets in on the holiday celebrations. In addition to a large seasonal dessert menu, the hotel serves hot apple cider, which can be mixed with shots of Bailey's Irish Cream, Captain Morgan, Grand Marnier, or RumChata, and Waffle Shots, which are waffle cone shot glasses filled with your choice of Bailey's Irish Cream, Captain Morgan, Grand Marnier, Rumchata, Amaretto, Butterscotch Schnapps, Rumple Minze, Crown Royal Apple, Screwball whiskey, Fireball whiskey, Louis the 13th cognac, or milk (per Disney Parks Blog).

If you're not up for imbibing in Disneyland or you're under 21, fear not, Disney Parks Blog lists plenty of nonalcoholic holiday beverages too. Disneyland has several seasonal specialties, including Peppermint Hot Chocolate, Vanilla Pear Honey Lemonade, Christmas Punch made with pomegranate, cranberry, and orange juices with sprite, and the Chimney Sweep Cold Brew, a cold brew coffee mixed with hickory-smoked syrup, chocolate and caramel sauce, cream, and a smoked salt-sugar sprinkle.

Meanwhile, California Aventure is serving up Churro Delight, made with horchata and mini churros, Hibiscus Watermelon Agua Fresca, Pineapple Limeade, and a variety of holiday-inspired milk shakes featuring flavors like Gingerbread, Dulce de Leche, Maple-Bacon, and Chocolate-Cherry Yule Log with hazelnut. Over in the festival booths, you can also find a number of mocktails, including the Ceylon Splash made with black tea, passion fruit, coconut, and Calamansi puree, the Guava-Melon Lassi made with Guava nectar, rock melon syrup, yogurt, and honey, topped with cinnamon and honey cereal, the Blood Orange-Pom Limeade with cookie-butter syrup, the Milk and Cookies hot cocoa, the Cherry-Mango punch with peach puree, and the Churro Toffee Cold Brew Latte.

All of Disneyland's holiday specials are available now through the end of the holiday celebrations on January 8, 2023.