Screen Shot 2014-08-19 at 12.24.24 PMAirplanes have played a huge role in the growth of modern civilization and making it feel like the whole world is accessible to anyone with a simple plane ticket. Pretty cool, right? To celebrate the gift of flight, today – August 19th – is known throughout the country as National Aviation Day. It pays tribute to the history and development of aviation, and also coincides with the birthday of Orville Wright, an aviation pioneer.

When Orville and Wilbur Wright first had their great idea, they probably had no clue how it would evolve over the years. We doubt they pictured the huge commercial airlines that jet us across the country now, and we’re almost positive they didn’t picture us cruising at 30,000 feet and enjoying some delicious cocktails. And it’s not just the most basic cocktails we are able to order; some commercial airlines even have their own signature drinks or cocktails that go beyond the typical Jack and Coke:

Delta has a “Medallion Signature Cocktail Series” with four cocktails that represent their four Medallion levels: Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond. They sound super exclusive, but anyone in coach can purchase them; the fancy folks in First Class and Business Elite get them for free. The drinks are called The Silver Horizon (Avion Silver Tequila, Fresca, lime garnish), The Gold Status Symbol (Jack Daniels Whiskey, Sprite, lime garnish), The Platinum Takeoff (Woodford Reserve Bourbon, Minute Maid cranberry apple juice, club soda), and The Blue Diamond (Bombay Sapphire Dry Gin, Seagram’s Tonic Water, Minute Maid apple juice).

Hawaiian Airlines brings a little bit of that island hospitality right to your airplane seat with their complimentary (yes, that means free) Koloa Breeze cocktail. It’s made with Koloa Rum, which is distilled from rain water on the island of Kauai and home-grown sugarcane made into raw crystal sugar. It’s a simple mix of Koloa Rom and Passion Orange Guava juice, but it’s yummy, free, and definitely helps you get into vacation mode.

If you are an international traveler, Fiji Airways announced some recent upgrades – one of which involves a new signature cocktail (and mocktail, if you’re traveling with someone who doesn’t want any booze). We aren’t even positive what is in the cocktail yet because it’s so new, but we do know it involves a partnership with Fiji Rum.
Did you have an in-flight cocktail recently that knocked your socks off? Is there one airline that always seems to get their cocktails right? Tell us about it!

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