REVIEW: And the Award for the Most GAME-CHANGING New Menu Item in Disney World Goes to… ?

There are so many restaurants over in Disney Springs to choose from, and so many of them are at the top of our “must-do” list. Seriously — good luck choosing just one place for dinner!

Sometimes we get to attend a special event at a restaurant that really knocks our socks off, and we can’t help but be incredibly impressed with the menu items this go around. Today, we got the chance to visit Enzo’s Hideaway and experience a special pairing event with all non-alcoholic drinks!

Enzo’s Hideaway is inspired by Florida’s secretive “rum-running” past, and is a tunnel bar with a 1920s speakeasy vibe featuring a menu of prohibition-era cocktails and delicious bites to eat.

Today, we got the chance to experience the Mindful Midday Pairing, which is the first non-alcoholic beverage-focused pairing event on Disney World property! We got the chance to sample three courses of Italian culinary delights at this location, matched with innovative botanical beverages that are non-alcoholic. What’s so interesting is that Enzo’s Hideaway says that these beverages include functional ingredients that still produce a calming sensation, but avoid alcohol’s more harmful effects. Say WHAT?! Now that is some drink science.

Our first drink was the Americano paired with Porchetta, a dish with bitter arugula and soft pieces of fennel, slices of orange, and a citrusy and sweet balsamic vinaigrette.

The Americano tasted a lot like grapefruit with the combination of flavors, and it was fruity with a hint of sweetness, but not overly sweet. The Porchetta was a great fresh and light start, and when paired with the drink, it helped to even out the bitter flavors of both the drink and the arugula.

Next up was the Coriander Sky with Pasta. The drink was our personal favorite, and was like a lemony ginger ale but with a much more complex flavor, almost with hints of cinnamon or nutmeg. It was sweet, but not overly so.

The Pasta was incredible! It was originally served with shrimp, but as our reporter was allergic, they made her a separate portion. It was creamy and full of tomato flavor, with the slightest hint of spice to it. It had an almost breadcrumb-like texture mixed into the sauce, which added a light, lovely crunch.

The final pairing was the Desert Bloom with Melon Shaved Ice. The Desert Bloom had a bit of a vinegary bite to it, which sounds strange, but it worked super well! This was more of a dessert drink with its fresh watermelon and mint flavor, with a hint of ginger. It was the sweetest one they served, but it was still very well balanced.

As for the Melon Shaved Ice, we have some mixed feelings about it. We really liked the melon shaved ice and, for the most part, the mint sauce on top, but there was a very strong bitter flavor you would taste occasionally that we did not love. The shaved ice also had an almost jelly-like consistency in portions, which threw us off. The flavors were better when paired with the drink, but it wasn’t our favorite.

Now, back to the magic drinks that were non-alcoholic, but in an AMAZING way.

We were very impressed with the drinks, because they all tasted like you were sipping on an expertly-crafted cocktail without any alcohol! We didn’t have huge portions of the drinks, but you could definitely feel some of the effects of the ingredients. Not like an alcohol level effect, but just a little bit. The Arise drink made us feel a bit energized, and we did feel a bit more relaxed after drinking the Ease beverage. Again, nothing too crazy — just a small effect, but it was pretty nice compared to how alcohol can hit you sometimes!

The drinks are crafted with a complex blend of citrus and herbal botanicals, infused with things like a proprietary blend of adaptogens to stimulate and elevate without the negative effects of alcohol. How neat!

We also got a chance to hear from the Executive Chef of Enzo’s Hideaway, Ben Dodaro, and Aplós Liquid Creative Director Lynnette Marrero.

Enzo’s Hideaway is aiming to have another event like this in January, so if you’re interested in trying some unique new non-alcoholic cocktails, keep your eyes out for updates!

We’d love to see more events like this in the future, as some members of our team choose not to drink, and we know many of our readers don’t either. We felt this was just as fun and delicious as a normal alcoholic pairing event, so we love seeing that the quality didn’t diminish at all without the presence of alcohol.

Be sure to stay tuned to AllEars for all the latest Disney World events and news!

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Would you attend an event like this? Tell us in the comments!

Disclosure: We were invited by Enzo’s Hideaway to attend their media preview of their Mindful Midday Pairing. This did not affect our reporting of the event — our opinions are our own.

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