Virgin Atlantic’s flying barman shows Kate Simon how to mix (and drink) a marmalade martini at 35,000 feet

I’m perched on a bar stool at 35,000 feet in the air, in the Upper Class cabin of a Virgin Atlantic flight to Los Angeles, watching Marc Plumridge, a brand ambassador for Bacardi, performing his role as the airline’s “flying barman”, an imaginative extra to help pull in the punters.

Pull up your bar stool for cocktails at 35,000 feet

I decided to set her up with all the equipment she’ll need to mix up good drinks at home. I thought this would be easy, and most of it was, but finding a cocktail shaker was surprisingly difficult. I went to 6-7 stores looking for a basic shaker and pint glass (a Boston shaker), but only Williams-Sonoma had one, and it was fifty bucks. It was pretty, but it’s just a stainless steel cylinder. If your shaker costs more than your bourbon, you’re either using the wrong shaker or the wrong bourbon.

Jacob Grier: Coffee, Cocktails, Commentary, and Conjuring » Shaker simplicity

So if you’re looking for a summery drink that strikes a healthy balance between being boozy and beneficial, what should you order?

Rebujito: cocktails that are just what the doctor ordered - Telegraph

Call it hedonistic environmentalism. Or maybe just eco-conscious imbibing.

Either way, those who want their dirty martini to be a little cleaner are increasingly pouring organic spirits into their glass.

The Associated Press: Organic alcohol sparks new cocktail trend

Bartenders in the Washington area have been at the forefront of the trend. Todd Thrasher, sommelier at Restaurant Eve and cocktail master at PX, both in Old Town Alexandria, has many wine-based cocktails in his repertoire, including a champagne cocktail with house-made cherry bitters, a black currant fizz in which the currants are soaked in Gewuerztraminer, a drink called a Mona Lisa involving gooseberries that have been steeped in New Zealand sauvignon blanc, and a wine cooler made from plum wine, plums, lemon bitters and prosecco. He also plans to serve his own version of the Calimocho this summer, but with a homemade cola rather than Coke.

For what it’s worth - I hate the term “winetails” as well. I do, on the other hand, like the trend of wine in cocktails. It goes along with something my girlfriend and I have been thinking about for a while - “Session Cocktails” - ala the movement of session beers.
A Lighter Way to Mix It Up - washingtonpost.com

Over the past couple of decades, we have come to expect wine merchants to have knowledge of, and passion for, the vast range of grape in their inventories. Alas, there aren’t nearly as many savvy spirits merchants. The better among them will know their single-malt whiskies or, rarer still, be able to tell you the difference between cognac and armagnac. But rarest of all is anyone with detailed expertise in cocktails and their construction.

When the Liquor Store Is No Help - WSJ.com

Though comforting, the same old same old can get a little boring. Friends coming over? What do you serve them? Vodka and soda? Pinot Noir? Please say it isn’t so. I have nothing against either of these choices, naturally. It’s just that they’re so… uninspired. So where does one go to get inspiration?

I have found my personal cocktail muses in Anita and Cameron over at Married…with Dinner, where they have been posting their Drink of the Week feature for nearly two years.

S.F. Food Culture Examiner - Married…with dinner: A drink a week is all they ask. - Examiner.com

Congrats (and link to) Married…with Dinner.

Some say that the cucumber can achieve no higher calling than to rest in a jar of juice, fulfilling its dream life as a crisp, full sour pickle sitting alongside a corned beef on rye. That may be true (tsatziki fans aside), but in recent years, the venerable cuke has become a hit on the cocktail circuit, muddling its way into mojitos, rickeys, martinis and sakétinis. Turkish restaurant goers and the mellow-mooded candles-on-the-screened-in-porch crowd have known for years the soft, clean, pleasing flavor of cucumber, as have Lotharios, since the scent of cucumbers is purportedly an aphrodisiac. With summer around the corner, it’s time for the refreshing cucumber to hit the cocktail shaker.

This cuke’s for you > SundayPaper.com > The Sunday Paper :: All you need to know.

If you are throwing a summer party, you will undoubtedly need to make a large batch of cocktails. By following these tips from cocktail master Andy Seymour, summer entertaining is made a little easier. Check out these fabulous ideas for making cocktails for a crowd, along with a terrific sangria recipe too!

Expert tips for making cocktails for a crowd | Sheknows.com

Revelers are planning a final cocktail party on the London Underground tomorrow evening before an alcohol ban takes effect on June 1.

London Revelers Plan Last Cocktail Party Before Tube Booze Ban

Party Web Site: Last Orders On The Underground