Mama's Mash

We’ve talked before about how Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ has what we believe is the current reigning champion of sandwiches throughout all of Walt Disney World. However, what good is fried chicken sandwich, which is incredibly tasty, if you don’t have something to wash it down with? Homecomin’ has you covered with a ton of cocktail concoctions created with moonshine and other spirits. Broken down into the categories of Jet Sprays and Crafty Moonshine & Resort Cocktails, we tried one from each section in order to give you a fair sampling of the sixteen signature beverages.

Let’s start with the most well-known Jet Spray known as Sweet Tea Shine. This drink is a fairly straightforward mixture of sweet tea, fresh squeezed lemons, and moonshine. This is a deceptively easy to drink cocktail that utilizes one of my favorite non-alcoholic beverages, sweet tea. The brightness of the lemon is actually stronger than typical wedges provide alongside the average sweet tea, which is refreshing. The sweet tea is sweet tea, if you’re prone to ordering sweet tea this is going to be nothing out of the ordinary flavor-wise here. The moonshine takes on the flavors of the sweet tea and the lemons, so you can finish this Jet Spray very quickly, and you won’t feel most of the moonshine until you try to stand up. It was great, but be cautious with this one! It is the cocktail equivalent of “with great power comes great responsibility.”

Moving on to the Crafty Moonshine & Resort Cocktails, we opted for something a bit fancier. The Cucumber Cooler is constructed with Tito’s Handmade Vodka, lime juice, simple syrup, and cucumber slices. As a substitution, Homecomin’ recommends Hendrick’s Gin, but we stuck with the original form. At is most basic the Cucumber Cooler is an amplified vodka gimlet. The vodka, like the moonshine above, takes on the flavors of the cucumber and lime juice, which make for an excellent team-up. The lime juice is tart, yet its citrus flavors play well with the muted freshness from the cucumbers. Oh, and the sliced cucumber that is rolled and placed in your drink? It has pepper coating one edge to add a sharpness to the cocktail, but doesn’t overpower the lime and cucumber. It is definitely refreshing and a great beverage to pair with anything fried.

I can whole-heartedly recommend both the Sweet Tea Shine and Cucumber Cooler from Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’. The other cocktails run the gamut of sweet, sour, strong, and mild with something for every taste. While I haven’t had the pleasure to partake in some of the other concoctions, yet, I can’t imagine that any of the offerings are built with any less care or flavors. If you’re looking for a cocktail that is refreshing in the Florida heat, then Homecomin’ is your place!