25 Drinks of Christmas – Day Twenty Two: Candy Apple Cotton-Tini at T-REX Cafe

We’re back with everyone’s favorite theme park advent calendar: a daily countdown of our favorite drinks at Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, and SeaWorld building anticipation to the Big Day. 

Criteria: Drinks can be alcoholic or nonalcoholic. Drinks can come from any venue on property. Bonus points awarded for atmosphere where the drink is served. Any drink with glow cubes is immediately disqualified. Ready? Let’s go!

DAY TWENTY TWO: Candy Apple Cotton-Tini at T-REX Cafe

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T-REX Cafe in Disney Springs is a true dining experience that you can’t get anywhere else. Over-the-top theme park quality theming, an excavation site where guests can dig up fossils, Build-A Dino, the awesome Chocolate Extinction dessert and more, T-Rex cafe is the restaurant your kids always dreamed of. While foodies may find a better meal at the nearby Morimoto Asia or the BOATHOUSE, those looking for an adult beverage are going to be more than happy at the massive Watering Hole bar. The gigantic fishtanks are gorgeous, and the huge octopus above the bar (and the jelly fish lighting fixtures) is impressive. T-REX has a good selection of signature drinks, but for today’s selection we are going with the most theatrical.

Cotton-Tinis are exclusive to T-REX and combine cotton candy, a staple of theme parks, with alcohol. This is a true marriage made in heaven. T-REX offers three varieties, but we went with the Candy Apple Cotton-Tini (also available are Cosmo-Paleo and Tropical versions). Cotton candy is put into the glass, while the bartender mixes the cocktail in a shaker. The cocktail is then poured over the cotton candy and you get to see the liquid completely absorb the candy. It is a very sweet tasting drink and don’t be surprised to see a good amount of sugar at the bottom of the glass when you are done. As a bonus, you get to keep the shaker as well!

Ingredients: Finlandia vodka, DeKuyper sour apple pucker Schnapps and a splash of sweet and sour.

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Previous Drinks of Christmas:

DAY ONE: Polynesian Pearl at Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto

DAY TWO: Dufftoberfest at Duff Brewery

DAY THREE: Godiva Chocolate Martini at Mizner’s Lounge

DAY FOUR: Blood Orange Side Car at Swizzle Lounge

DAY FIVE: Imperial Pilsner at Morimoto Asia

DAY SIX: Smoking Gun at Emeril’s Orlando

DAY SEVEN: Mint Julep at BOATHOUSE

DAY EIGHT: Bees Knees at The Cowfish

DAY NINE: Cool-headed Monkey at Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar

DAY TEN: 5 O’Clock Somewhere at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville

DAY ELEVEN: Key West Kiss at Shark’s Underwater Grill

DAY TWELVE: LeFou’s Brew at Gaston’s Tavern

DAY THIRTEEN: Himalayan Ghost at Thirsty River Bar

DAY FOURTEEN: Schweitzer Slush at Skipper Canteen

DAY FIFTEEN: Dark & Tropical Stormy at Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto

DAY SIXTEEN: Pear Cider with Firewhisky at Leaky Cauldron

DAY SEVENTEEN: Under the Florida Moon at The Wave… of American Flavors

DAY EIGHTEEN: Hog’s Tea at the Hog’s Head Pub

DAY NINETEEN: Swedish Fish at Todd English’s bluezoo

DAY TWENTY:  Potion of the God’s at Mythos

DAY TWENTY ONE: HippopotoMai-Tai at Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto

Interested in theme park drinks? Then do we have a eBook for you! The Walt Disney World Bars and Lounges eGuide by Brian McNichols. Over 250 pages and containing well over 400 photos, this eGuide takes you through EVERY bar and lounge on WDW property (trust me, Brian has the kidneys problems to prove it!) Also included? Recipes for some of your favorite WDW drinks. Ratings, descriptions, and photos for each of the 70+ bars and lounges. Talk about the perfect Christmas present!

Special thanks to crack staff photographer Brandon Glover, photo wunderkind Mike Sperduto, and Fred Weasley’s widow Megan Stump for their invaluable assistance with this article. Be sure to also check out Brandon on The Park Blogger podcast with co-hosts Aengus Mackenzie and Brian Carey.

You can always find Your Humble Author each week on the SATURDAY SIX, each month with the Disney Outlet Store Photo Report, and on Twitter (@derekburgan) producing original pieces of Burgan Fine Art™