Florida’s Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is staging the fifth annual Taste of Space: Marstini Shake-Off! Experience on Friday 3 October 2025, an after-hours evening of space-themed cocktails sampled in the company of veteran NASA astronaut Mike Foreman.
For UK business travellers the timing works neatly. Orlando remains one of America’s busiest conference and incentive destinations, served by non-stop flights from London and Manchester, and the Visitor Complex sits less than an hour from the city. That puts the evening event comfortably within reach of anyone adding a bleisure day to an autumn work trip on Florida’s Space Coast.
Blindfolds, soundscapes and a judging panel with flight experience
This year’s Shake-Off introduces new immersive, multi-sensory elements. Guests move between each bar’s drinks station to watch their cocktail being created and hear the thinking behind it, then taste it blindfolded while listening to space-themed soundscapes chosen by the bartender. The eye mask is theirs to keep.
Foreman sits on a judging panel with two other guest judges, working through every entry before naming the official winner. Guests cast their own votes to decide a People’s Choice winner, and both awards are announced at the end of the night. The ticket includes small appetisers, while a cash bar sells full-size versions of the tastings.
The evening forms part of the Visitor Complex’s wider Taste of Space programme, which has built a loyal following among visitors keen to pair space exploration with food and drink.
Six Central Florida bars, one Sasquatch
The line-up draws mixologists from bars and restaurants across Central Florida. Lourdes Library of Melbourne arrives as champion in both 2023 and 2024, while Playalinda Brix Project of Titusville took the title in 2021 and 2022. They are joined by The Space Bar at the Courtyard Titusville Kennedy Space Center, 28 North Gastropub in Melbourne, Coa Cocoa Beach, and The Alibi Cocktails & Bites of Cocoa Beach, winner of the 2022 People’s Choice award. Snack brand Jack Link’s takes part as a special partner, complete with its Sasquatch mascot.
Fitting it into a UK itinerary
The Shake-Off runs from 6pm to 8.30pm inside Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex, one of the attraction’s newest exhibits. Tickets cost US$99 plus tax and are on sale through the official event page.
Travellers who want the full daytime experience first will find the Visitor Complex open from 9am daily, with closing times varying by season. Single-day admission is US$77 for adults and US$67 for children, while a two-day ticket costs US$91 and US$81 respectively. Those building a longer Florida stopover around theme parks can bundle entry through Orlando CityPASS, which now includes the Visitor Complex, and travellers with a more generous budget can even arrive by air via the helicopter transfer from Grande Lakes Orlando.
For SME owners hosting clients or rewarding staff after a conference week, the format is an easy sell. It is a contained two-and-a-half-hour evening, priced per head, with an astronaut on hand and a story attendees will retell long after the trip. Full visitor information and booking details are available at kennedyspacecenter.com.
