Disney has explained how new drinks are created at Walt Disney World, using its Espresso Martini Milkshake as the example. The vodka-spiked shake started as an idea from cast member Dan Laske, who now manages beverage concepts and programmes across the resort, and it took about 10 rounds of testing to reach the final recipe for the autumn 2026 lineup of frozen slushes and shakes.
Article Summary
- The drink: The Espresso Martini Milkshake blends Absolut Vodka and Mozart Chocolate Liqueur with espresso and vanilla ice cream, topped with sweet cream
- Where to get it: Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant at Disney's Hollywood Studios
- Who created it: Dan Laske, a cast member since 2015 who started out on the Disney College Program
- Testing: About 10 rounds, with some tweaks as small as half an ounce
- Age limit: 21 and over, the US drinking age, so 18 to 20 year olds in UK groups can't order it
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Read on for the step-by-step route Disney uses to test new drinks, where the idea first came from and which other new slushes and shakes are on the autumn menu.
Who Created The Espresso Martini Milkshake At Disney World?
Dan Laske joined Walt Disney World in 2015 through the Disney College Program, Disney's internship scheme for students, and his first job was in housekeeping at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort. After finishing the programme he came back and moved into food and beverage roles at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, Disney's All-Star Movies Resort and Disney's Port Orleans Resort - Riverside. Somewhere along the way he got hooked on experimenting with flavours, and these days he supports beverage programmes across the whole of Walt Disney World, working with food and beverage leaders on what goes onto future menus.
The Espresso Martini Milkshake idea came to him while he was guest experience manager at World Premiere Food Court at All-Star Movies. Spending his shifts surrounded by coffee and ice cream, he kept an eye on what guests were ordering and what they were saying about it, and started to wonder whether the two could be combined into one drink.
How Disney Develops New Drinks At Walt Disney World
Disney used Dan's drink to show the route a new beverage takes before it lands on a menu board. Based on what he described, it goes roughly like this.
- A cast member spots an opportunity by watching what guests order and listening to their feedback, which for Dan meant coffee and ice cream at an All-Star Movies food court.
- The cast member pitches the idea.
- Disney World's Food and Beverage Concept team works with them on sourcing ingredients and finalising the recipe.
- Frontline cast members give feedback on whether the drink fits into daily operations and whether they can make it the same way every time.
- The recipe goes through repeated rounds of testing, with every version documented, until it's right. For the Espresso Martini Milkshake that took about 10 rounds.
He called it a tag-team effort, with the people running each location knowing how it flows day to day and the Concept team bringing best practice and resources. The testing was the part Dan enjoyed most. Some of the changes were tiny, adjusting a single ingredient by half an ounce, tasting it and realising it had landed exactly where he wanted. Half an ounce is about 15ml, so we're talking roughly a tablespoon of difference between a milkshake that's nearly right and one that makes the menu.
His advice to other cast members with an idea is to speak up, even if it sounds daft, then find a version of it that works.
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Where To Find The Espresso Martini Milkshake
The finished Espresso Martini Milkshake is on the menu at Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant at Disney's Hollywood Studios, the table service restaurant where you sit in 1950s-style cars facing a screen of old sci-fi film clips. It's made with Absolut Vodka and Mozart Chocolate Liqueur blended with espresso and hand-scooped vanilla ice cream, then topped with sweet cream.
It's only for guests aged 21 and over, the legal drinking age in the US. If you're travelling with 18 to 20 year olds who can order a pint back home, they'll be on the alcohol-free shakes.
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Disney World Espresso Martini Milkshake: Your Questions Answered
Does the Espresso Martini Milkshake at Disney World contain alcohol?
Yes - it's made with Absolut Vodka and Mozart Chocolate Liqueur blended with espresso and vanilla ice cream, and it's only for guests aged 21 and over.
Where can I get the Espresso Martini Milkshake at Disney World?
At Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant at Disney's Hollywood Studios. A separate Espresso Martini Gelato Milkshake is served at Whispering Canyon Cafe at Disney's Wilderness Lodge.
Who created the Espresso Martini Milkshake?
Dan Laske, a Walt Disney World cast member who came up with the idea while working as guest experience manager at World Premiere Food Court at Disney's All-Star Movies Resort.
How long did it take Disney to develop the Espresso Martini Milkshake?
It took about 10 rounds of testing to reach the final recipe, with every version documented and adjusted along the way.
Can 18 year olds from the UK order alcoholic drinks at Disney World?
No - the legal drinking age in the US is 21, so guests under 21 can't order alcoholic drinks at Walt Disney World, including the Espresso Martini Milkshake.
What other new drinks are at Disney World in autumn 2026?
The new lineup includes the Peaches and Cream frozen slush, served at locations in all four theme parks, and the S'mores Gelato Milkshake at Connections Eatery in EPCOT.
