While visiting Animal Kingdom several weeks ago, I noticed something unusual on the path from Expedition Everest in Asia back to Africa’s Harambe Village. This random mini bar had popped straight-up out of nowhere!

Bar on Asia pathway

I had to check it out because, even though it’s just a small, portable stand, the cloth decoration covering it is detailed and eye-catching, much like just about everything else in Animal Kingdom.

Cloth decorations

Vibrant cloth

The menu is small, simple, and custom made for those 21-and-over, with two mixed drinks (The Glacier and Kali River Tea) and two beers (Kingfisher Premium Lager and Singha) to choose from.

Menu

On my most recent trip I decided to give this new spot a quick stop. With the FL heat really kicking in, how could I go wrong with something called The Glacier?

The Glacier

The Glacier is a pretty simple beverage, really: lemonade mixed with raspberry vodka. The sign mentioned the drink being blended — which to me always means frozen, like a blended margarita. But there is no blender in sight at this tiny kiosk, so in this case “blended” just means mixed and served on the rocks at the moment. (This may change at any time.)

Glacier on the rocks

And, of course, it comes with an Animal Kingdom staple (for the safety of the animals): the paper straw!

Paper straw

What a nice mix of flavors between the lemonade and the raspberry – refreshing and fruity with just enough tartness from the lemonade to keep it from being overly-sweet.While this one didn’t pack quite the punch as the drinks over at the Dawa Bar, it still lent a nice feeling of relaxation.

While my drink was definitely cold, at first I actually wished for more ice because it was so hot out. But then I realized that the Cast Member was doing me a favor; at $9.50 a pop, the last thing you want is a watered-down drink, and this one maintained its full flavor the entire time.

I think I’ll still favor a drink at the Dawa Bar over this one, due in part to price, but also to having seating available there to sip and stay for a while. But I did enjoy The Glacier and this little “surprise” kiosk.

So many things are in the works at Animal Kingdom: ground has been broken for the construction of Avatarland, major plans for a nighttime spectacular were recently announced, and this summer Harambe Nights celebrates The Festival of the Lion King show will reopen in its new theater. So, I think we’ll be able to expect LOTS of surprises cropping up all around this beautiful Park in the coming months and years, both large and small.

Would you like to cool down with The Glacier? Please let us know with a comment!