September at Walt Disney World means one thing above all: the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival is in full swing, and this year it's a milestone — the festival's 30th, running August 27 through November 21. So our whole September Spotlight leans into it, starting with the drink in your hand. Our cocktail of the month is the O'ahu Sunrise, poured at the festival's Hawai'i marketplace.
What's in it
Vodka, DOLE Pineapple Juice, and grenadine — $14.50. It's simple on purpose. The grenadine settles to the bottom and the pineapple rides on top, so it pours in layers and gives you that literal sunrise fade from red up to gold. This is not a brooding, spirit-forward sipper; it's bright, sweet, tropical, and easy, which is exactly what you want when you're on lap three of the World Showcase.
Where to get it
The Hawai'i Global Marketplace booth, on the World Showcase promenade for the duration of the festival. It shares a menu with some of the festival's best island bites, so make it a stop, not a drive-by: the Slow-roasted Pork Slider on a Hawaiian roll and the SPAM-and-egg Hawaiian Rice Bowl are right there on the same window.
A layered pineapple-and-grenadine pour is the little jolt of vacation that resets your palate between the heavy tastes. That's the whole job, and it does it well.
Why this one for September
Here's why it earns the month: it's a festival anchor. Food & Wine is a drink-around-the-world event by design, and the O'ahu Sunrise is the kind of cheerful, uncomplicated pour that keeps a tasting lap fun instead of exhausting. It's also a proven pick, not a gamble — it landed at #6 on TouringPlans' 2025 “Pour Decisions” ranking and came right back for 2026. Start your lap in Hawai'i, and let the sunrise set the tone.
That's your festival opener, scouted — the pour, the booth, and the bites to grab alongside it.
It's one stop on the Food & Wine Bar Crawl in Starlit Magic. The app maps all 10 bar crawls, each with its full stop-by-stop lineup and a walking order, so you taste your way around the World Showcase without ever doubling back.
📱 Download Starlit Magic — FreeOrder it this September
Bright, layered, and unfussy — the easiest way to kick off a Food & Wine lap. Aloha.