Non Alcoholic Drinks Offerings

[Johnol]

I’m curious what people’s experiences have been with non-alcoholic drink options on board.

It seems to me that airlines go to great lengths (and expense) to source and promote premium alcoholic options, particularly in business and first, yet the non-alcoholic offering is so poor, often still limited to soft drinks, juice, and water.

Fewer people seem to be drinking these days, especially among the younger generations.. I’m wondering whether airlines are actually keeping up with this shift?

From my experiences on Qantas (Business) , Emirates (First) and Singapore (Business) - the offering was pretty poor overall, Singapore being about the best.

Keen to hear what others experiences have been like, or thoughts are, especially on long-haul.

 

[Human]

As a (relatively) light drinker of alcohol I’ve really enjoyed some of the signature non-alcoholic drinks on various long-haul airlines: Finnair’s blueberry juice, Qatar’s karak chai and (especially) their signature mint drink. I’ve also had the pleasure of drinking a whole bottle of JAL’s Queen of Blue Royal Iced Tea in First class.

There are also pretty good non-alcoholic signature drinks on Cathay Pacific and Malaysian Airlines. And one or more of the American Airlines (I forget which ones) apparently have pretty impressive cold brew coffees.

I do, though, recall feeling a little underwhelmed by a mocktail on Emirates First which was a weird combination of mint, cucumber and some other things… didn’t really work. It was definitely a relief to return to the Hennessy Paradis after that!

I knew I’d read this somewhere…

Airlines Serving The Best Non-Alcoholic Drinks, From Rare Tea To Blueberry Juice

While plenty of airlines serve great champagne in first and business class, which airlines serve the best non-alcoholic drinks?

onemileatatime.com

 

[Forg]

It’d be an interesting shift in product presentation, boozle is expensive so they’ve been selling themselves as “premium” by serving something which is known to be expensive. Plenty of airlines serve something with priority of “expensive” over “good” (waves at EK) for this reason.

So … how to present a product as “premium” if the stuff being served isn’t well known for being expensive?

 

[Daver6]

I’m curious what people’s experiences have been with non-alcoholic drink options on board.

It seems to me that airlines go to great lengths (and expense) to source and promote premium alcoholic options, particularly in business and first, yet the non-alcoholic offering is so poor, often still limited to soft drinks, juice, and water.

Fewer people seem to be drinking these days, especially among the younger generations.. I’m wondering whether airlines are actually keeping up with this shift?

From my experiences on Qantas (Business) , Emirates (First) and Singapore (Business) - the offering was pretty poor overall, Singapore being about the best.

Keen to hear what others experiences have been like, or thoughts are, especially on long-haul.

If it makes you feel any better, as a wine nerd, the QF wine offering is pretty terrible. So at least QF is consistent

 

[Scarlett]

As a teetotaller I must remember to ask for the list of ‘premium’ sparkling waters… my go to order in J is always sparkling water: PDB or with the meals.

The raspberry refresher drink on TK is always nice. Have never found a decent coffee on US airlines, but QF do well when they have their nice strong plunger coffee. Oh, and the silver service tea in UL J was excellent.

Remember people, every alcoholic drink is another 25 minutes on the treadmill!

 

[ols]

Remember people, every alcoholic drink is another 25 minutes on the treadmill!

Then I must have have run several ultra marathons

 

[RooFlyer]

QR's lemon-mint drink is always a delicious welcome on board (together with Arabic coffee and date(s).)

On a recent flight to Jeddah, I was encouraged to try their So Jennie non-alcoholic sparkling. I didn't ask for a top-up. There's a range of 'mocktails' but I'm afraid I haven't photographed those pages.

The raspberry drink on TK was memorable (I asked for seconds!).

 

[Scarlett]

Then I must have have run several ultra marathons

I think I see the problem here...

 

[Captain Halliday]

Remember people, every alcoholic drink is another 25 minutes on the treadmill!

Where is this treadmill? Somewhere aft of the business cabin I presume.

 

[Forg]

Yeah the treadmill is in Y … they wouldn’t crack the whip on J & above passengers to keep those turbines spinning!

The relative scarcity of non-boozy beverages is, when you think about it, slightly odd. When you consider the percentages of beverages over the entire world that’re non-alcoholic vs alcoholic, you’d kinda expect a greater percentage of non-alcoholic in the premium cabins in the air than currently exist, wouldn’t you?
I guess it’s just lazy marketing.

 

[Human]

Remember people, every alcoholic drink is another 25 minutes on the treadmill!

Or, in your case, another 9 holes on the golf course?

 

[anat0l]

The best carriers offering non-alcoholic alternatives are the Middle Eastern carriers.... which maybe shouldn't come as a complete surprise as strict Muslims abstain from alcohol.

A range of fruit juices, non-alcoholic grape juice (intended to imitate wine by including some acidity), wide selection of teas and mocktails.

I suppose the western carriers, including Qantas, haven't really cottoned on to expanding their non-alcoholic range because it hasn't really become critical in number on board. Yes, young people might be drinking less, but sometimes that's just an economic excuse more than a cultural one, viz. if the booze were freely available, they wouldn't be teetotalling. Being a teetotaller pre-2000s in Australia probably made you a social outcast (in a similar way to pre-1990s if you didn't smoke), and the kids today have parents that came from that era.

Those who don't want to drink alcohol in Australia probably got used to whatever limited they could get at the bar - e.g. soft drinks, sparkling water, juices - and, except for the fairly upscale bars, the range is no more impressive than what Qantas have on board. That said, Qantas do have kombucha which does appeal to youngsters. Doesn't make the range impressive, but so there.

There are few active threads in this forum - this being one of them - that actually make a serious discussion about the non-alcoholic range on board. You'd sooner be laughed at and told to hand in your FF card if you didn't drink alcohol in a premium cabin. There are reasons for both of those.

The main disadvantage is that nearly everything non-alcoholic can be high in sugar. I suppose drinking alcohol doesn't make you healthier as such - choose your poison: alcohol intoxication or sugar. Mocktails are lots of juices and sodas put together and often are one-dimensional because it's just a sugar hit (the good ones IMHO try to include acidic flavours to give some variety). That said, mocktails are often composed from stock already provided as beverages on board, so carriers don't typically lose much in offering them. But the typical Australian would probably laugh at Qantas if they had a whole mocktail offering, and similarly mock someone who orders one instead of alcohol.

I've had Qatar's So Jenny before, and I don't mind it. I don't think of it as a faux wine, but since it is a bit sour it has some character to it, but I probably wouldn't drink a whole bottle of it unless I was parched. Qantas for a while had Maggie Beer's Ruby Cabernet on board, which I liked (worked nice as a mixer with alcohol, too). Middle Eastern lemon juice is tasty and refreshing, but it does have a whack of sugar in it.

 

[Cynicor]

I suspect as the current generation transition to flying paid J more airlines will pivot too, in the same way that non alcoholic degustation pairings have taken off, and mocktails with decent combinations have exploded in restaurants.

 

[ols]

I think I see the problem here...

Leave me alone
I'm an elite athlete

 

[Scarlett]

Give me a mango or papaya smoothie any day!

QF should get a partnership going with the ‘Frosty Mango’ folks on the highway north of Townsville. It’s a mandatory stop for the Scarlett’s if passing by.

For papaya smoothies, Mindil Beach markets in Darwin is the go to. Pairs perfectly with a Sri Lankan curry and roti.





Tastes even better when sitting on the beach watching: