Flying High: In-Flight Mixology Has Arrived

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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.