Every cocktail enthusiast in the world has just been rewarded with the stocking stuffer of the year: the Carry On Cocktail Kit. The small tin enables the possessor to turn a regular mini-bottle of bourbon from an in-flight drinks trolley into two Old Fashioneds, using the kit's muddling stick/bar spoon, cane sugar and a mini-bottle of bitters.
Which is all well and good for the bourbon lovers. But what of the vodka fanciers and rum fans? What else could you muddle mid-flight? We asked Chris Hysted, the oft-airborne brand ambassador for Ketel One vodka, to come up with more drinks using the inflight trolley and legal carry-on helpers.
1. Airspresso martini
This concoction simply requires you pack a vial of cold drip coffee and a cocktail shaker in your purse.
What you need:
Cold drip coffee
Mini vodka
Sugar to taste
Ice
Cocktail shaker
Shake it up. "It's a great way to make very quick enemies," according to Hysted.
2. Kalimoxo
Everything's sophisticated at 30,000 feet. Even that classic Spanish summer special of red wine and Coke. It's not exactly a cocktail, or classy, but it's better than a JD tinnie and a can of Pringles.
What you need:
Ice cubes
1/2 cup Coke
1/2 cup red wine
Pour over ice.
3. Boozy Arnold Palmer
What better to prove your sophistication than this typically straight drink of iced tea and lemonade, dedicated to the golfing legend?
Vodka
iced tea
Lemonade
Stir down, serve over ice.
4. Dark rum daiquiri
Take on board 60mL of fresh lime juice and you've got yourself a Carribean party in the sky.
What you need:
Rum
Lime juice
Sugar
Ice
Add to a shaker, make some new friends, strain and consume.
Details: carryoncocktailkit.com, $24