Theme Park Foodie

Our latest column for Orlando Attractions Magazine is live! Coca-Cola Freestyle machines are popping up around Orlando’s theme parks, and their presence could change Central Florida’s theme parks forever.

Guests can expect a wider selection of beverage options at the Orlando theme parks. They can choose from the 120 plus flavors provided by the machine, but they also have the option to mix different flavors to come up with new beverage creations. A few of our favorite example combination recipes include Dreamsicle Coke (½ Orange Coke, ½ Vanilla Coke), Mai Tai (Fanta Orange, Fanta Peach, Minute Maid Lemonade, Hi-C Fruit Punch and Dasani Lime) and Very Berry Lemonade (Strawberry Minute Maid and Raspberry Minute Maid). There are more than 14,000 two drink combinations alone, so the possibilities for creative mixtures are almost endless.

Click here read more about what the arrival of Coke Freestyle machines means for your next theme park visit and how they may be used by theme park culinary teams to add further detail to the immersive themes of the area’s attractions.

In December, we spent a day at Universal Orlando Resort and decided to try the new Unlimited Coke Freestyle refillable cup. The new souvenir cup provides unlimited access to Coke Freestyle machines at both Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure for one day. We purchased the souvenir cup for $10.99 when we arrived at Islands of Adventure at 9:00 a.m. to make sure that we got the most “bang for our buck,” and braced ourselves for a caffeine-fueled, sugar-filled day. Here’s my quick review and FAQ of Universal Orlando Resort’s new Unlimited Coke Freestyle Option!

Why Coke Freestyle?
Coke Freestyle is a new drink dispensing technology designed by Coca-Cola. In the past, one could choose from between five to 10 options from a typical fountain dispenser. With Coke Freestyle, customers can choose from more than 100 different beverage options. You can see all of the flavors available through Coke Freestyle on the Coca-Cola website. The possibilities for drink personalization are endless; you can mix and match flavors to create a combination that you love. With the Unlimited cup, we were able to try (and toss) numerous combinations. We concocted a number of new creations, and some were actually palatable. My personal favorite was what we referred to as the Coke Dreamsicle: half Orange Coke, half Vanilla Coke. If you have the time or interest to be creative with your soda, you’ll likely enjoy the Unlimited Coke Freestyle option.

Is it worth the cost?
$10.99 for unlimited soda is a decent deal. After only four refills, you’ve covered the cost of the cup. That being said, the refillable cup is rather large; I believe it was at least 18 ounces. My boyfriend is an avid soda drinker, so he could tackle that amount of sugar and caffeine with no problem. I, on the other hand, have cut soda and other sugary drinks out of my diet; by the time we were on our third cup I was sick of Coca-Cola products. Be sure to keep your own limitations in mind before spending $11 on soda! If you’re interested in trying Coke Freestyle but don’t want to spend the day on a sugar high, consider sharing the cup with a friend or family member. My boyfriend and I shared one throughout the day and we had more than our fill (11 refills, to be exact). At the same time, we saw some families of five where each member had the cup. Universal Orlando probably loves this, but the cup is large enough that two people can share it for at least a half hour per drink. I’m not encouraging you to steal by any means, but it doesn’t make much sense to pay $55 for one day’s worth of soda. That being said, if you DO share, try and be reasonable; don’t grab a refill every 15 minutes.

Does it really only work for one day?
Yes. The cups use RFID technology to communicate with the Freestyle dispensers. Each time you put your cup into the Coke Freestyle machine, a timer pops up reminding you how much longer your cup will be eligible for refills. There really is no way around the timer, so if you’re going to purchase a refillable cup be sure to do so early in the day to get your money’s worth.

Overall Impressions
The Unlimited Coke Freestyle option is a good deal and quite a bit of fun. We’ll likely see Coke Freestyle come to the other Orlando theme parks in the near future, but for now it is a unique offering by Universal Orlando Resort.* My only complaint about this refillable cup is that the locations of Freestyle machines are not well documented on the park map or any other resource. If you received a handout with your cup when you purchased it listing all of the Freestyle locations or, better yet, if the locations were printed on the cup, the Unlimited Coke Freestyle refillable cup would be a sweet deal.

*Disney does have a few Coke Freestyle machines at Downtown Disney, but to my knowledge they are not available in the parks outside of special events.

Today’s recipe hails from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure. There are two requirements for every visitor to the Wizard World: snap a photo in front of Hogwarts and delight the taste buds with a glass of famous Butterbeer.

Now, you don’t need to travel to Hogwarts (or Orlando) to enjoy this sweet treat. This “DIY” butterbeer recipe is as close to “official” as it gets, so whip it up as a refreshing treat or as a unique way to announce to your family that you’re traveling to the Wizarding World! This recipe makes four servings.

Time: 1 hour

• 1 cup light or dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 6 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup heavy cream, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon rum extract
• Four 12-ounce bottles cream soda

In a saucepan heated to medium, combine the brown sugar and water. Bring to a gentle boil and cook, stirring often, until the mixture reads 240 degrees F on a thermometer.

Stir in the butter, salt, vinegar and 1/4 cup heavy cream. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

When the mixture has cooled, add in the rum extract.

In a bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar mixture and the remaining 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Use an electric mixer to beat until thickened (not whipped!); this should take about 2 to 3 minutes.

To serve, divide the brown sugar mixture between 4 tall glasses (about 1/4 cup for each glass). Add 1/4 cup of cream soda to each glass, then stir to combine. Spoon the whipped topping over each, and enjoy!

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