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I was beginning to think it was just the hype about new trends in cocktails, the increase in beer microbreweries, and the feeling of the good ol' days of past, remembrance of sitting on a porch swing slowly savoring the cold tasty libations. As I read about the recent beverage trends and see a different array of “grocery items” being requested for flights ( and asking our flight attendants) I'm told that they too are being asked to prepare an array of chilled summer drinks on board. Many have their origins in the gardens with fresh herbs. These are referred to as gartendi, Clever name, huh? But there is so much more to discover in summer beverages.
Since I believe that pictures are worth a thousand words, I will share some images of trendy libations being served around the globe. For those of you who might fear the thought of mixing a super incredible, fancy cocktail, the simple addition of a garnish might just do the trick in bringing up the usual to extraordinary. The simple addition of a beautiful ice cube filled with fruits, berries, edible flowers or herbs might be all that is needed on board to turn a glass of iced tea or lemonade into something a bit spicier and elegant. This does require a bit of advance planning, the need for dry ice or a freezer on board to hold these cubes until ready for use. You can create them before departure, or ask your catering source to prepare them for you. I want you to understand that many flowers are NOT edible and you should make sure that the flowers used are part of the NON toxic list. There is a list of these flowers in the BlueSky archives (click here). I will also gladly send you a copy if you send me a request. Take a simple gin and tonic . . . add flower ice cubes, and the entire look of the drink has changed.
In the southern United States, we consider sweet tea a national beverage. Toss in a splash of bourbon, rum, vodka or even beer, and you have something worth a southern gold metal. And for the family friendly version of southern tea, simply add a fruit juice, or a squeeze of citrus, and you have a wonderfully refreshing summer beverage. This can even be made without the sugar for those individuals watching their caloric intake. The tea shown below is made with tart cherry juice, but you can just as easily add any juice found in the aircraft pantry or refrigerator from pomegranate to lemonade. And do you remember the article I did on Matcha tea? Here is a different version of the hot matcha tea served chilled and muddled with fresh summer mint and limes. Tea mixers do not have to be made with black tea or green tea . . . but any tea. And they are all family friendly until you add the beer, wine or alcohol.
Lemonade is a great base for combining flavors to make special and refreshing beverages for summer. In the lemonade shown , dill is added with the cucumber. Think outside the box in flavor combinations and presentation. The little bit of dill takes a normal lemonade and turns it into something different and delicious. Basil is a great complement to strawberries in another cocktail idea. Notice the creative presentations; a slice of cucumber swirling the glass, lemons layered between ice cubes, and the froth of a shaken cocktail in the strawberry basil. The visual cools you off immediately, you want to twirl the glass around and visually take in the creation. These different combinations makes a light, zingy refresher - and probably prepared with things found on board. You can take it one step further and add gin, rum or vodka based on your passenger tastes.
With standard aircraft staples from the pantry and fresh herbs on board, adding a few ingredients, the possibilities are endless. How about the one above made with sparkling water and lemon juice and thyme. Again, this family friendly cocktail is shaken with shards of ice, the rim dipped in sugar and viola you have a cool, thirst quenching cocktail without having to attend Bartending School! For the purpose of space, I won’t put the recipes into the article, but, will gladly share them with you if you request via email for a set of those mentioned here, plus a few others I felt obligated to try in the interest of research for you. Since many of you know, I am a margarita fan and have deliberately steered away from sampling new varieties of the margarita in order to broaden my horizons . . . all for you! Everyone loves the classic Gin and tonic, but, have you thought to add fresh blackberries or rosemary and lime? Or blood orange juice?
Most aircraft stock champagne or a sparkling wine and for the family friendly drink – sparkling water –so you can easily whip up a mimosa or bellini for an impulsive request. Or reinvent a classic; make a Watermelon Moscow Mule or Grapefruit Rosemary Mule.
Mixers Let me offer a few creative changes using mixers already on board the aircraft. Use a tablespoon of your jams ( a packet or glass portion control container) in the condiment drawer stirred into a glass of champage or sparkling wine to get a fruity bellini. Be careful since the stirring action will cause the sparkling addition to foam, up. I suggest thinning the jam a bit before filling the glass. For a drink tart and sweet, combine a 3: 1 ratio of citrus jucie to honey, stir to mix and top off with a sparkling liquid, garnish - and yet another beverage idea. Try different combinations to create a beautiful frothy summer beverages by mixing strawerries and mint or raspberries and rosemary and then adding sparkling wine, champagne, or water. Not only can you create with jellies, jams, fruit and herbs, but by mixing different juices from lemonade to pomengranate and grenadine into the sparkling wines, champagnes and waters. (Trivia tidbit: For easy reference, one 750 ml. bottle contains enough wine for five 5-ounce pours).
Milk cannot be left out of the summer drink ideas. Why not try cashew milk, made by processing 2 to 1 ratio of cashews and water, then straining off the resulting milk. Add muddled strawberries to the resulting milk, or use nutella in milk to create a child friendly summer cocktail. Add crunchy ice, rim the glass in chocolate shaving off a candy bar or hang a berry on the rim, and you will be a hit! Beer and beer cocktails have taken center stage recently. Because there are so many flavors and strengths of beer, you will find that mixing beer as your base for cocktails provides a totally new experience. Not only is the drink already carbonated, but depending on the type, it might have floral, herbaceous, creamy or malty overtones - all of which can help punch up a sweet summer libation.
A clean-tasting is beer with the addition of zesty ingredients such as Sriracha sauce and Clamato (clam and tomato juice blended) juice provide a seriously salty and spicy drink that is sure to knock your socks off. And if your passengers like it really hot, garnish with jalapenos or an extra shot of hot sauce. Or muddle a few raspberries in the bottom of your glass to add flavor and an amusing pop of color to a medium dark beer and call it a beer mimosa.
Food and drink should bring pleasure and enjoyment. They should be a conversation starter, something that will make a person smile. Play with your summer food and beverages. Have Fun! Create bright colorful, fragrant, fruity concoctions with delicate shards of ice, and always remember to present them with a dramatic flair – maybe even with edible gold stars and glitter, assorted colors of melon balls soaking in the beverages essence, of playful ice cubes, and finesse to conjure memories of days gone by, of memorable travel, and romance for those you serve.
Let me introduce myself . . . My name is Paula Kraft and I am founder and President of Tastefully Yours Catering, an aviation specific caterer, located in Atlanta, Georgia for over 35 years.
Currently I am an active member of the NBAA Flight Attendant Committee Advisory Board and the NBAA International Flight Attendant Committee, Women in Corporate Aviation, Women in Aviation International, National Association of Catering Executives, International Flight Catering Association, the International Food Service Association and the International Caterer’s Association. I have coordinated training programs and clinics for NBAA, EBAA and BA-Meetup conference attendees for over 10 years, created mentoring programs for caterers and flight attendants to broaden their aviation culinary skills, and to assist them in adapting to the unique challenges and constraints found in catering for general aviation. I recognize the need for training and have worked closely with flight departments, flight crews, schedulers and customer service reps at the FBOs to ensure that catering specific training provides information and skills necessary to reduce risk while assisting them in their job duties that include safe food handling, catering security, accurate transmission of food orders, and safe food production, packaging and delivery. I fell into aviation catering quite by accident. I was the in-house caterer and bakery supplier for Macy’s department stores in Atlanta when catering was ordered for a Macy’s customer which was soon to change my life. After the client enjoyed the catering provided, I was summoned to the client’s corporate office to provide several of the items delivered through Macy’s to the executive dining room. Within a week, I was providing food for the flight department and my first order was for the President of a foreign country (as I was too be told soon after). So, here I am, some 35 years later, still loving every minute of every day in aviation catering.
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