Making Every Drink from the Nomad Lounge Menu

Bring Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom cocktail lounge home

There’s a certain risk you take in going over six months without visiting a Disney park — you may start to feel a bit wistful for the last trip, and this can easily lead to trying to replicate whatever you can at home. Such was the case with a recent Sunday when I decided I would try to replicate the entirety of the cocktail menu from Animal Kingdom’s Nomad Lounge, all in one day.

If you’ve never been to Nomad Lounge, you’re missing out on one of Walt Disney World’s not-so-hidden gems. Nomad Lounge is an oasis of refreshing cocktails, novel wine selections, and delicious charcuterie. It’s the perfect place to spend an hour or two chilling and recuperating.

What follows is my attempt to build at-home formulations for all the cocktails currently on the menu. In some cases I was able to lean on one or more existing formulations already posted online, but for many of the drinks I had to guess based on Disney’s official menu descriptions. Fortunately their descriptions are pretty specific, always including every ingredient and often citing the specific brand of spirit.

If you’re following along at home, make sure to queue up the Nomad Lounge BGM Loop and let’s get to it…

The Cocktails

Lamu Libation

Official description: Starr African Rum, Cruzan Banana Rum, and Guava Purée with Orange, Lime, and Pineapple Juices topped with Gosling's 151 Rum ($16.50)

This drink calls for four different fruit juices (guava, orange, lime, pineapple), which seemed especially excessive given the recipes I could find online recommended 1 oz each. I assumed that would be too sweet and initially halved the quantities, but that made for far too small of a drink and so I ended up increasing the quantities. I did opt for a flash blend instead of a shake, though, in order to achieve a creamier texture.

The resulting cocktail was pretty good! It was surprisingly not overly sweet and very refreshing.

The Sunken Galley Lamu Libation

• 1½ oz white rum (prefer Hamilton White ‘Stache)

• ½ oz banana liqueur (prefer Giffard Banane du Brésil)

• ½ oz guava purée

• 1 oz orange juice

• 1 oz lime juice

• 1 oz pineapple juice

• 1 oz overproof rum float (prefer Hamilton 151)

Flash blend all ingredients except the overproof rum with crushed ice. Pour unstrained into a highball glass. Top with more crushed ice if necessary and float overproof rum. Garnish with a pineapple or lime wedge.
☞ Adapted from Disney’s Nomad Lounge

Other sources: Crescent Lake Club, TraderShan on Reddit

Spice Trader Classic

Official description: Hayman's Old Tom Gin, Dolin Vermouth Blanc, Lemon Juice, and Strawberries topped with Soda Water ($15.50)

I couldn’t find a recipe for this one online, although I did find a rather negative review of it. It’s very good of Disney to specify Old Tom Gin, since the difference between it and a more common dry gin is quite significant. I went with a 4:1 gin-to-vermouth ratio since I’m not a huge fan of blanc vermouth, but you may want to try increasing the vermouth to 1 oz if you’re not similarly averse.

The Sunken Galley Spice Trader Classic

• 2 oz Old Tom gin

• ½ oz blanc vermouth

• 1 oz lemon juice

• handful of fresh strawberries

• 1 oz soda water

Shake all ingredients except soda water with ice. Strain into an old fashioned glass filled with ice and top with soda water. Garnish with lemon wheel and/or strawberry leaf.
☞ Adapted from Disney’s Nomad Lounge

Annapurna Zing

Official description: Bombay Sapphire Gin, Passion Fruit Purée, Mint, Simple Syrup, and Lime Juice topped with Ginger Beer and a glowing Lotus Flower ($18.50)

This was the first truly great cocktail on the list. The only recipe I found recommended passion fruit syrup, but I really encourage you to seek out some passion fruit purée, which will deliver more fresh fruitiness and less sickly sweetness. The signature touch on this drink at Nomad Lounge is a battery-powered glowing lotus flower, but if you don’t happen to have one of those on-hand then I actually think a fresh flower can be even better.

The Sunken Galley Annapurna Zing

• 1½ oz London dry gin (prefer Fords)

• 1 oz passion fruit purée

• ½ oz mint syrup

• ½ oz lime juice

• 2 oz ginger beer

Shake all ingredients except ginger beer with ice. Strain into an old fashioned glass filled with ice and top with ginger beer. Garnish with a glowing lotus, or any other available flower.
☞ Adapted from Disney’s Nomad Lounge

Other sources: TraderShan on Reddit

Dalang’s Delight

Official description: Starr African Rum, Batavia-Arrack van Oosten, Van der Hum Tangerine Liqueur, Mountain Berry Tea, Simple Syrup, and Lemon Juice ($16.50)

This was another cocktail I couldn’t find any existing recipes for, so I winged it. I didn’t have any arrack on-hand, but I substituted a pot still white rum which I thought could add a similar amount of funky molasses flavor. It turned out pretty well — very refreshing with some nice depth and subtle bitterness added by the pot still rum and tea.

The Sunken Galley Dalang’s Delight

• 1½ oz white rum (prefer Hamilton White ‘Stache)

• ½ oz arrack, or substitute pot still white rum

• ½ oz tangerine liqueur

• 2 oz herbal tea

• ½ oz simple syrup

• ½ lemon juice

Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Garnish with a lemon wheel.
☞ Adapted from Disney’s Nomad Lounge

Tempting Tigress

Official description: Russell's Reserve 10yr Bourbon, St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram, Tamarind Syrup, and Lime Juice ($17.50)

I love how simple this cocktail is, with the exception of the tamarind syrup. Not having any on hand, I substituted with a blend of vanilla syrup and bitters. It was OK, but if I manage to get my hands on some tamarind syrup or extract I’ll likely try this again with the real deal.

The Sunken Galley Tempting Tigress

• 2 oz bourbon (prefer Russell’s Reserve)

• ½ oz allspice dram

• ½ oz tamarind syrup

• ½ oz lime juice

Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain into an old fashioned glass filled with ice. Garnish with a lemon twist.
☞ Adapted from Disney’s Nomad Lounge

Other sources: Make and Drink on YouTube, Bevvy, Thirty-One Whiskey

Night Monkey

Official description: Plantation Original Dark Rum, Guava Purée, Coffee Simple Syrup, and Lime Juice with a hint of Cilantro ($15.50)

This is a very fun cocktail! The combination of guava and coffee flavors is excellent, and I love how the simple but unique ground coffee garnish ensures you get a healthy whiff of coffee with every sip. I enjoyed this one quite a bit.

The Sunken Galley Night Monkey

• 2 oz dark rum

• ½ oz guava purée

• 1 oz coffee liqueur

• 1 oz lime juice

• dash cilantro lime or celery bitters

Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a sprinkle of ground coffee beans.
☞ Adapted from Disney’s Nomad Lounge

Other sources: Will There Be Cocktails? podcast, Vince_stormbane on Reddit

Mustang Coffee

Official description: Crown Royal, Brown Sugar, and Butter with hot Coffee ($15.50)

While the Night Monkey made creative use of coffee flavor, the Mustang Coffee is just a straight up cup of enhanced coffee. It’s quite tasty, and a perfect pick-me-up in the middle of attempting to make every drink on the Nomad Lounge menu. The official specs call for Crown Royal, but I’d recommend reaching for any lightly aged blended whiskey of your choice.

The Sunken Galley Mustang Coffee

• 1½ oz lightly aged blended whiskey

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 10 oz hot coffee

Add ingredients to a coffee mug and stir well to combine.
☞ Adapted from Disney’s Nomad Lounge

Other sources: garybg on Reddit

Leaping Lizard

Official description: Malibu Pineapple Rum and Leblon Cachaça with Orange, Passion Fruit, and Mango Juices ($17.50)

I’m usually not a fan of cachaça. Like agricole rum, it’s often just too funky with not enough redeeming qualities for my taste. However, this cocktail is legitimately the best use of cachaça I’ve experienced — yes, even better than a caipirinha. The tropical juices really complement the funky cachaça and yield a well-balanced, enjoyable whole.

The Sunken Galley Leaping Lizard

• 1 oz pineapple rum

• 1 oz cachaça

• 1 oz orange juice

• 1 oz passion fruit purée

• 1 oz mango purée

Flash blend all ingredients with nugget or crushed ice. Pour into a highball glass. Garnish with a pineapple wedge and/or two maraschino cherries arranged like lizard eyes.
☞ Adapted from Disney’s Nomad Lounge

Sinaloa Sangria

Official description: A South American Sangria made with Susana Balbo 'Crios' Rosé, Barsol Quebranta Pisco, and Fresh Fruit ($15.00)

This was perhaps the most difficult official description to interpret. “Fresh Fruit” is not particularly helpful, so I just used what I had on-hand: oranges and lemons. It’s tough to mess up sangria — at worst it’s still a solid glass of wine — so I think this worked, even if it’s not the most complex or exciting sangria.

The Sunken Galley Sinaloa Sangria

• 8 oz dry rosé wine

• 1½ oz pisco

• 1 orange wheel

• 1 lemon wheel

Combine all ingredients in a stemless wine glass. Let sit in the refrigerator for a few hours. Remove orange and lemon wheels. Add ice, stir, and garnish with two maraschino cherries.
☞ Adapted from Disney’s Nomad Lounge

Boto-Rita

Official description: Los Siete Misterios Mezcal, Combier Grapefruit Rose, Guava Purée, and Lime Juice garnished with Pink Peppercorns ($16.50)

This was another one of my favorite cocktails on the menu, as I’m a sucker for any mezcal-based drink. The guava is really a nice complement to the smoky mezcal, and the sprinkle of peppercorns is an easy but unique garnish that makes it stand out.

The Sunken Galley Boto-Rita

• 2 oz mezcal

• ½ oz grapefruit liqueur

• ½ oz guava purée

• 1 oz lime juice

Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain into an old fashioned glass filled with ice. Garnish with a sprinkle of peppercorns.
☞ Adapted from Disney’s Nomad Lounge

Hightower Rocks

Official description: Casa Dragones Blanco Tequila, Watermelon, Sweet-and-Sour, and Lime Juice ($17.50)

Phew, only three drinks to go! The Hightower Rocks is unfortunately pretty forgettable, though. Seeing “Sweet-and-Sour” in the ingredients list was something of a red flag too; I substituted it for fresh lemon juice and simple syrup.

The Sunken Galley Hightower Rocks

• 1½ oz blanco tequila

• 1½ oz watermelon juice

• ¾ oz lemon juice

• ¾ oz simple syrup

• ¾ oz lime juice

Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain into an old fashioned glass filled with ice.
☞ Adapted from Disney’s Nomad Lounge

Other sources: TraderShan on Reddit, Tastes Like Disney on YouTube

Snow Leopard Salvation

Official description: Vusa Vodka, Belle de Brillet Pear Liqueur, Mint, Lime Juice, and Ginger Beer ($17.50)

This is a solid riff on a Moscow Mule, with muddled mint and pear adding a nice freshness. Per official and fan photos, it is definitely served in a highball glass rather than a traditional copper mule mug, so I stuck with that here.

The Sunken Galley Snow Leopard Salvation

• 5-10 mint leaves

• 1 oz vodka

• 1 oz pear liqueur

• ½ oz lime juice

• 3 oz ginger beer

Muddle the mint leaves in the vodka. Add pear liqueur and lime juice. Shake with ice and strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Top with ginger beer. Garnish with a lime wheel and sprig of mint.
☞ Adapted from Disney’s Nomad Lounge

Other sources: The Castle Run, Magical Recipes

Jenn’s Tattoo

Official description: Ketel One Vodka, Watermelon, Hibiscus, and Lime Juice ($15.50)

We’ve reached the final cocktail! It’s another vodka drink, but I found this to be a pretty refreshing summer cooler, with added complexity from the hibiscus. I always like to keep some Sorel on hand for sipping over rocks, so I was pleased to be able to use it here.

The Sunken Galley Jenn’s Tattoo

• 2 oz vodka

• 1 oz watermelon juice

• ¾ oz hibiscus liqueur (prefer Sorel)

• ¾ oz lime juice

Shake all ingredients with ice. Pour into a highball glass. Garnish with a lime round.
☞ Adapted from Disney’s Nomad Lounge

Other sources: whiskey_witch on Instagram, HughesAndBrews on YouTube

Bringing the Nomad Lounge home

Thirteen cocktails later you may be asking “was it worth it?” and also possibly “did you really drink all of these in one day?” The answer to both question is “yes”, although I will note that a fair amount of each drink went unconsumed — sacrificed for the sake of science and Substack.

My favorite drink recreations were the Annapurna Zing, Night Monkey, and Boto-Rita. I could see any of these becoming a staple on The Sunken Galley menu, although the overhead of keeping the necessary fruit purées on hand might be a bit much. Among the three, I also remember really enjoying the Boto-Rita in-person from Nomad Lounge, having ordered it to-go as an accompaniment for the long wait in the queue for Na'vi River Journey.

If you can’t get to the actual Nomad Lounge, I hope these recipes inspire you to try your own recreations at home. And if you can’t or don’t want to try these recipes, then might I suggest at least throwing on a Nomad Lounge music playlist and relaxing with your spirit or cocktail of choice.