Green & Blue Milk: Awesome or Awful?
Green and Blue Milk are specialty drinks in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World, and at Disneyland that come in both non-alcoholic and alcoholic varieties. In this post, we’ll review this divisive drink, debate how it compares to Harry Potter’s Butterbeer, Dining Plan info, and our recommended approach with the Milk Stand in Star Wars Land.
By now, you’ve probably heard a lot about Green and Blue Milk. Perhaps you’ve even tried one or both yourself. Everyone who has tried these drinks seems to have a very strong opinion, with many being quite negative. If you have yet to try Green or Blue Milk, maybe you’ve already made your mind up to try, or not try, it based upon others’ feedback.
I went into my Green and Blue Milk experience totally uninformed, and with my opinion untainted by prior reviewers or any other feedback from friends. Basically, all I knew was what the Disney Parks Blog had shared, that they are fruit-flavored frozen drinks that are non-dairy and plant-based, made with coconut and rice milks.
My first Blue Milk and Green Milk experience actually came at the grand opening party for Disneyland’s Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, when an endless supply of both was free ‘on tap.’ (I say this not to boast, but to disclose that my initial impressions were also unencumbered by the price.)
My goal for the evening was mostly to wander around by myself and take photos of the cool searchlights set up for the event, but I also made frequent stops for Ronto Wraps and Blue Milk. My initial reaction, to borrow a dated reference (or is it now a classic line?) from Frank the Tank, was “as soon as it hits your lips, it’s so good!”
Over the course of the night, I drank the equivalent of 6-8 full-size cups of Green and Blue Milk (which is more than anyone should have of this sugary beverage, but I couldn’t help myself). I absolutely loved it. There was something about both the consistency and creamy, fruity flavor that hit the spot for me.
It wasn’t until the end of the night when I met up with some friends that I realized not everyone is a fan. After I shared my opinion that the stuff is amazing, I learned that the consensus among literally everyone else in the group was that both varieties are disgusting. They all likened Green and Blue Milk to a variety of disparate things that are all objectively nasty.
In subsequent visits to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge post-opening with Sarah and friends, I found the feedback from Green and Blue Milk taste tests to be decidedly mixed. My totally unscientific results are that about 50% of people hate it, 20% are indifferent, and 30% love it.
I have to admit that once I had to pay for Blue Milk myself, I was far less enamored with the stuff. In terms of value for money, there’s no way to justify the $8 price tag. Mind you, I still really enjoy it, but $8 is a tough pill to swallow. At that price, it’s a one-and-done novelty for me.
Next, Green & Blue Milk v. Butterbeer. The ultimate showdown. In this battle royale between Disney and Universal, TWO THEME PARK DRINKS ENTER, AND ONLY ONE WILL LEAVE. Okay, not really. Just as we compared Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge to Wizarding of World of Harry Potter in our full review of Disney’s new land, we’re doing the same here–for fun, not because of a silly, faux-rivalry.
Moreover, this is actually relevant because Disney has clearly been trying to come up with its own answer to Wizarding World of Harry Potter’s Butterbeer for the better part of the last decade. Thus far, to no avail. First there was Red’s Apple Freeze in Cars Land, followed by LeFou’s Brew in New Fantasyland. We’ve seen a number of other drinks come and go, with “Alcoholic Dole Whip” being the only thing that has really stuck–and that’s not exactly unique to Disney.
Now there’s Green Milk and Blue Milk. Much like Butterbeer had organic appeal thanks to its inclusion in the Harry Potter books, many Star Wars fans have wanted to taste Blue Milk since seeing Luke Skywalker drink a glass in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. (I’m not sure the same “fan demand” exists for the Green Milk that Luke squeezed from a thala-sirens in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.)
This is obviously a Disney fan site, but let’s not kid ourselves here. Butterbeer is not just iconic; it’s addictively good. It’s a drink I actively crave and is a must-buy whenever we’re at Universal. It’s the stuff of legends, and nothing hits the spot quite like Frozen Butterbeer (my personal favorite variety) on a hot and humid afternoon in Orlando.
While I’m a fan of Blue Milk, and find both its texture and creamy quality vaguely similar to Frozen Butterbeer, I don’t think the Star Wars Land drink measures up to any of the three varieties of Butterbeer. Moreover, the general park-going public as a whole is not going to be on board with the drinks of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge to nearly the same extent.
Butterbeer is one of the greatest culinary concoctions in theme park history. If you don’t like it, that’s on you. (As with all things subjective, it’s hard to say “you’re wrong” if you don’t like Butterbeer, but this is basically the equivalent of disliking Citizen Kane, Catch-22, or Terminator 2.)
By contrast, Blue Milk and Green Milk are more ‘acquired taste’ kind of drinks. Some people will love them, some will hate them. But I think we can all agree that they’re not as universally beloved. Who knows, maybe Disney will finally have it’s answer with some sort of “beetle juice” served at Ant Man’s micro-brewery in Super Hero Land.
Moving on, we probably should’ve described the taste of these drinks before jumping into the review and comparison. The problem is that articulating the flavors of Green and Blue Milk is a fool’s errand. Officially, Blue Milk is flavored with dragon fruit, pineapple, lime, and watermelon. Green Milk is a citrus drink featuring mandarin orange, passion fruit, grapefruit, and orange blossom. You’d be hard-pressed to discern the exact fruits by tasting the drinks, though.
For me, the citrus flavors of Green Milk are apparent, and I could tell there’s orange juice (or at least orange flavor) in there somewhere. On the other hand, Blue Milk is more like a fruit punch (the kind that would’ve been red colored back in the day). However, the fruity flavor profiles of each are rather muted due to the coconut and rice milk. There’s also what we’ll call a floral essence to each.
If you ask 10 different people to describe the flavor of these drinks, you’ll get 10 different answers, making that somewhat of an exercise in futility. Nevertheless, I’d liken Blue Milk to a creamy, frozen Blue Hawaiian. In fact, there’s a Blue Hawaiian cream soda I really like that is similar in terms of flavor. The big difference here is this is not carbonated, and it has a thicker, creamy-but-textured consistency.
As for Green Milk, I’d liken that to an Ecto Cooler mixed with an uncarbonated coconut cream drink. Green Milk would definitely be Slimer’s drink of choice in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and I likewise found it to “work” pretty well. With that said, I’m definitely less enthusiastic about Green Milk.
Just as trying to describe the taste of these Star Wars Land milks is a fool’s errand, trying to ascertain whether or which to order based upon a review is fairly pointless.
For what it’s worth, Sarah liked the consistency of Green and Blue Milk, but found the flavors of both to be too artificial for her. She really enjoyed a couple sips of each, but would not order them again–nor would she be able to finish a full cup of either one. Her reaction and thoughts on the drinks totally differed from mine. (Again, 10 descriptions, 10 answers.)
Because of this, what we would recommend is to start by sharing. Dropping $30+ for 4 cups of this stuff is a dangerous and potentially devastating proposition.
No matter how large your party, order one of each. Perhaps both Green Milk and Blue Milk will be hits with everyone. Maybe you’ll all only like one or the other, or maybe you’ll hate both. No matter what the outcome, you can then determine whether it’s worth dropping more money on, or if you’re content with having tried it, gotten your photos for Instagram, and are ready to move on.
Another alternative, and this works especially well for those who don’t drink, is to order the Blue Bantha at Oga’s Cantina, which is non-alcoholic Blue Milk. (Read our full Oga’s Cantina Review for more on the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge bar & lounge.)
The Blue Bantha presentation is superior to the Milk Stand version, and the smoother consistency is also arguably better. It’s a bit more expensive, but there’s also a delicious thick cookie atop the drink, making for even better Instagram photos, too.
After the initial hype of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge dies down, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Blue Milk and Green Milk added to the Disney Dining Plan as snack credits. While these are expensive as far as DDP snacks go, they’re only priced this high because they’re a novelty that will be a “must-have” for many guests. The actual cost of making them is probably lower than a cupcake or other, less expensive snack.
Guests using the Disney Dining Plan seems like the most likely way Walt Disney World will sustain demand for Blue and Green Milk once the novelty wears off. In other words, if you can wait a year to try it, don’t be surprised if you see Green and Blue Milk added to the Disney Dining Plan as snack credits sometime in 2020.
Overall, we do think it’s worth trying both Blue Milk and Green Milk. Maybe you’ll end up loving it, like I did. Maybe you won’t. Given the very different nature of these drinks, it’s tough to guess in advance how you’ll react to them. At the very least, it’s something to say you’ve tried, and fun to taste test them and see what your reactions are to the alien flavors. It’s sort of like Club Cool…but with an exorbitant price tag!
If you’re planning on visiting the new land, you’ll also want to read our Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Guide. This covers a range of topics from basics about the land and its location, to strategically choosing a hotel for your stay, recommended strategy for the land, and how to beat the crowds. It’s a good primer for this huge addition. As for planning the rest of your trip, we have a comprehensive Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide as well as a thorough Walt Disney World Planning Guide.
Your Thoughts
Have you tried Green Milk or Blue Milk? What are your ‘tasting notes’ from each of these drinks? Which did you prefer? Are you going to be the ‘oddball’ (no offense) who prefers Blue Milk to Butterbeer?! Do you agree or disagree with our assessment and recommendation? Any questions? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
How is Disney going to pull this off?
The new book “Galaxy’s Edge: A Crash of Fate” mentions Batuu has 3 suns. Their greeting is even “Bright Suns!” (I’m sure some of you that have visited have heard CM’s say that).
So how is Disney going to hang 2 more suns in the sky?
Blue/Green Milk doesn’t even hold a candle to Butterbeer. Butterbeer in any form is something I wish they sold in stores and would buy regularly (maybe that’s a good thing)!! My husband and I tried both blue and green milk last week at Disneyland, and my reaction was “ew” for the green and “meh” for the blue. He was the opposite and preferred the green. For the price, not worth it though. Neither one was cravable and I probably won’t buy again.
Kings Island in Cincinnati, playing off its signature blue soft serve ice cream, has a blue hot chocolate at its WinterFest event that is super-tasty. It is essentially a white-chocolate-flavored hot chocolate that is colored light blue. It is my go-to hot chocolate at the event. When I first tried it I immediately thought of how a similar recipe could be used at Galaxy’s Edge to make a very satisfying “milky” drink that is also blue.
I do appreciate though that Disney was aiming to have a non-dairy drink for the broadest possible appeal. I also admire the attempt to do something unique or new flavor-wise. Still it feels like a missed opportunity considering how well Butterbeer hit its mark.
Hey Tom looks like my sister and I aren’t even going to get to try anything in Ogas. As soon as we saw your text about making reservations we jumped on line but can’t believe the whole week we’re there everything is already booked. All we wanted to do was get in there take some pictures and have one of Ogas drinks. Not happy we have to wait another year
There are also per day reservations that open up 7am, so book those the day off your visit
I am an oddball since I did not like Butterbeer. I am not a big cream soda fan nor soda in general. If I decide to order the green or blue milk, I assume I would prefer it over Butterbeer since I like the consistency and taste of coconut milk. I am having a hard time justifying paying $8 for non-alcoholic beverage.
For me, an alcoholic version of the Blue Bantha (with cookie) is the complete drink to judge. Having had the non-alcoholic version at Oga’s Disneyland, it was a little sweet, but the cookie provided a subtle counterbalance in both flavor and obviously texture. Something was missing, but it sounds like the WDW version will provide it.
I agree! The cookie with the blue milk was a nice treat! Adding some alcohol will make it better!
Tom,
I appreciate you weighing in on this controversial (in the tiny world of Disney theme park fanatics) topic. I personally love the Blue Milk and think that the Green Milk is decent. I think that part of the backlash to Green and Blue Milk (and Galaxy’s Edge in general) on places like the MiceChat Forums is due to a certain segment of the Disneyland fanbase is radically against anything that Disney is putting out at the moment (theme park expansions, movies, etc). Things got so negative on MiceChat that the moderator actually had to start a separate thread for positive reviews of Galaxy’s Edge to counteract all of the negative comments going around on the forum. On the topic of Butterbeer, it has been a little while since I last had it, but my impression was basically the same as yours. Also, I remember the portion size being a bit larger than the Blue and Green Milk. I am quite curious to find out wether Disney will make any changes to the Blue and Green Milk before the debut of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
We tried LeFou’s Brew when it first came out and thought it was horrid. Threw most of it away. Haven’t tried Butterbeer yet, heck, haven’t even been to Universal yet, but it sounds good. But that Blue and Green Milk just look terrible. I’d have to close my eyes just to taste it. No thanks.
FYI….Uni raised the price of Butterbeer to $8 as well. I have a hard time believing I will enjoy these milks as much as a Frozen Butterbeer.
I have yet to try these beverages, however, I don’t like overly sweet things. It seems as though Disney caters to a person’s sweet tooth, and if you prefer something tart and refreshing, these milks will not be for you. I just can’t justify the cost for a “taste” to prove that I won’t like it. It will be interesting to see if any transformations occur with the recipes.
I find, in general, all of Disney’s novelty drinks to be too sweet and too artificially flavored. My brother, a die-hard, life-long Star Wars fanatic, discussed blue milk with me recently. He pointed out that this beverage is supposed to be milked from an animal, and, therefore, should not have overwhelmingly fruity flavors. He thought a flavor profile more inline with a cow milk or a plain frozen yogurt shake (allowing for the necessary vegan-izing) would have made much more sense. On the other hand, Butter Beer is manna from heaven!!! I was fortunate enough to taste it again last week, at the WB/Harry Potter Studio Tour in London, (which, BTW, every HP fan should prioritize)! Butter beer is like cream soda mated with butterscotch and had the most delicious marshmellow-y flavored foam baby. The only WDW beverage that comes remotely close is a Dole Whip float, but Butter Beer still wins the day.
Back when DHS had Star Wars Weekends there was a Star Wars breakfast in the Sci-Fi diner (an expensive, but excellent meal). They had blue milk that was actual milk – a slight blueberry flavor if I recall what my wife said correctly.
Just got back from Disneyland (loved Galaxy’s Edge!), and here’s a few tips. To answer above, yes, they were more than happy to give us extra cups so we could split. Also, I think part of the high price is due to the fact that the cool frosted plastic cups are reusable! If you check the bottom, they say “please reuse” and that they are dishwasher safe! We rinsed ours out and brought them home as souvenirs from our trip. A fun added bonus that helped me justify the high price point a bit more. And for the record, I liked them both equally!
I thought I saw a picture yesterday of the blue and green milk stand sign that had a dining snack symbol next to it? Maybe I was mistaken.
Yes look at the WDWNT review of the new ‘alcoholic blue and green milk’ at Hollywood studios. The picture has the snack credit logo next to the milk (without rum). Seems like it is already snack credit eligible.
I saw that as well! I believe both blue & green milk (with no alcohol, like you said) are already eligible as a snack on the DDP. Tom, any confirmation of this?
My daughter loves LeFou’s Brew and would probably love these as well. (I cannot eat/drink fruit so I will pass!).
I have not had butterbeer, but wonder if not just the presence in the books but the word “beer” in the name helps account for its popularity in part.
Did you get a chance yet to taste them with the rum and tequila? When I hear about the flavors of each it seems that they were originally made for the alcohol additions, and then it was decided to sell them without, hence the odd taste without the alcohol flavors to balance.
Not yet–we’ll give those a try at DHS in the next week or so!
I wonder if they will let you have a small taste like Universal does before you buy an $8.00 cup? I guess we could ask couldn’t hurt.
you just sold me on trying the green milk solely for the ecto cooler reference. (truth be told though, i was probably going to get one of each for our family to split). i’ve also read mixing them improves them, so we might try that too.
does anyone know if they’ll give you an extra cup?
Yes! We were just at Disneyland, and they were more than happy to give us extra cups so we could split it.
After the Frank the Tank pull, I thought you were setting yourself up for a “you’re my boy Blue!” tie to the blue milk.
Thanks for the beta.
Comment of the day, and wow, I cannot believe I didn’t think of that.
I should just delete your comment, edit the post, and claim this great joke as my own…BUT I WONT! 😉
Along these lines Tom, let’s not stop there and go on to say that trying to describe the flavor of Blue and Green Milk is an exercise in “fruitility!”
Every time I see the blue milk, I hear Frank the Tank say “I see blue, he looks glooorious”
We only tried the blue, but my kids described it as tasting like a melted gummy worm. They loved it. I thought it was ok, not great but not bad either. And my wife didn’t care for it at all. So I guess our reactions kind of match the mixed reactions you experienced.
Great Review! I know my tastes (and frugality) and when we go we will definitely share 1 blue milk between the 5 of us. Just looking at these “milks” makes my teeth ache.
**Also side note with with a huge request.
Please, please, pretty please–blue milk with a cookie on top- do a full review on UNIVERSAL! I would love to read an objective review filled with your food thoughts, ride strip downs, humourous quips, and tips! (If you already have a recent one, excuse my green-ness and point me in the right direction)
Sorry I didn’t mean to reply to your comment!
Do you not think they will send it back to be completely redone? It sounds like they should start from scratch and start over on making these drinks. Yeah there’s the novelty but spending $8 on a cup of something most think is gross doesn’t sound like something I want to do no matter how iconic the drink.
I think they worked too hard to get something that most anyone can drink to go back to the drawing board. Plus, lots of people (myself included) are going to buy it for the novelty of it no matter what the reviewers say. I do wonder about the repeatability of the Galaxy’s Edge stuff in general though. It seems like many of the big draws (Savi’s, Droid, blue/green milk) are mostly one and done experiences. Of course this is probably a bigger problem for Disneyland than WDW. . .