Our five favorite tipples to enjoy a mile high!
Nothing says luxury like a delectable cocktail at 35,000 feet. Airlines know this, and many have launched signature cocktails to delight their passengers while on their next long trip. Here we rank our five favorite sky-high cocktails that you should definitely try on your next trip.
5/5
Champagne all the way with Emirates
Emirates, an airline of much class and sophistication, does have a cocktail service. The airline invites first class and business class passengers to watch their expert cocktail makers shaking it up in the A380 Onboard Lounge, or they can just relax and have them brought to their seats. Our favorite Emirates cocktail has to be the champagne cocktail – a delicious bubbly glass of luxury. According to Emirates, it is made using Champagne with sugar, Angostura bitters, Hennessy XO cognac, garnished with an orange slice and maraschino cherry.
4/5
Finnair has the Northern Blush
Finnair prides itself on excellent customer standards, and has a celebratory cocktail available for all passengers on its long-haul services. This cocktail comes with a Finnish twist, being made from Finnish lingonberries, gin, and orange peel, citrus, and juniper berry. The ‘Northern Blush’ cocktail is served with ice and a slice of lemon.
For Lauri Ahonen, Concept & Category Manager at Finnair Kitchen, the concept is that:
Cocktails are a growing trend and have become a part of the meal service. Unlike before, people are drinking cocktails also during the meal, so we wanted to add more choice in our selection. An airplane as an environment comes with limited opportunities for preparing cocktails, so our aim was to bring in our selection a ready-made premium drink-mix.
3/5
JetBlue’s Mint Condition cocktail
For passengers flying JetBlue’s premium product known as ‘Mint,’ the airline has a cocktail it calls “Mint Condition.” The cocktail is made up with Bombay Sapphire Gin or Tito’s Handmade Vodka, ginger, lime, cucumber, and, naturally, mint. According to Travel Update, which received the recipe from JetBlue, the way to create this cocktail is
In a container or large cup, preferably a sealable mason jar, add equal parts water and simple syrup (1 Cup). Add freshly squeezed lime juice (1/2 Cup). Alternatively, you can add in lime juice from concentrate; however, this will make the base far more tart than when using freshly squeezed lime juice. Stir in 2 tablespoons of honey. Finally, mix five fresh mint sprigs per 1.5 cups of limeade base. Allow the limeade base to steep overnight so that the mint flavor from the leaves is infused into the liquid base. After steeping the mixture overnight, strain the base to remove all mint leaves.
Once you have made the limeade base, craft the cocktail:
- 2 parts limeade base (recipe above)
- 1 part club soda
- 1 part vodka (or gin)*, Bombay Sapphire Gin, and Tito’s Handmade Vodka are served on JetBlue flights. Use either liquor for an authentic JetBlue Mint Class experience.
- Mix all components together and pour into a glass with ice.
- Base and club can be adjusted to 1:1 for a less sweet option.
- Garnish with mint.
2/5
Virgin’s Redhead
A favorite in the Clubhouses, you can also request a Virgin Redhead when on your next long-haul flight. This sharp, fruity cocktail includes the Ryan Reynolds-backed Aviation Gin, as well as lashings of Prosecco for a truly celebratory tipple.
1/5
Singapore’s Sling
Singapore Airlines is another carrier heavily focused on going above and beyond for its customers. And what better way to celebrate the joy of flying than by serving a cocktail named after your home? The Singapore Sling is a well-known cocktail all over the world, but for its signature serve, SIA likes to mix it up a bit, as you can see in the video below.
Source: Simple Flying
