Flying High: In-Flight Mixology Has Arrived

Airlines are tapping into the cocktail craze with their very own signature drinks available onboard. Mexicana Airlines enlisted the services of mixologist Junior Merino (a.k.a. The Liquid Chef) to create a simple cocktail program that flight attendants can execute during service. The cocktails manage to be more complex than your average Bloody Mary mix, and even take a seasonal approach. This September and October, for example, you can sample a drink called Sweet Turbulence that incorporates Cazadores tequila, lime soda, grenadine, lime, and orange juice. The changing cocktail menu is available on flights of more than 4 1/4 hours to destinations such as Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, and Bogota.

US Airways is also hopping on the bandwagon with its recently launched “enhanced cocktail menu,” which features Stirrings’ “all-natural” cocktail mixers. Passengers can choose from three new cocktails at $8 a pop: a Pomegranate Martini, Mai Tai, or Margarita, each made with “real fruit juice, triple-filtered water, and cane sugar.” Sounds like it beats the plane food, at least.