Virgin Atlantic Is Making Mocktails the New Cocktails

Hearing the beverage cart roll through the aisle of a plane is typically enough to make the average passenger lift their sleep mask or pause their movie. It's the best time of the flight — the time for free drinks and snacks. Now, Virgin Atlantic has reshaped its cart inventory with the introduction of a collection of low- and no-alcohol beverages for the month of January.

The menu of beverages, called No Lo, was created in partnership with Seedlip, the world’s first distilled non-alcoholic spirits, and Regal Rogue, the Australian quaffing vermouth. And all of the current mouth-watering options are available to all classes — that is, economy, premium and first.

The four current beverages (two without alcohol, two with low alcohol) on the menu are the Red Sky at Night, Shepherd's Delight, The Bold Mule and The Bold Spritz.

The menu's introduction comes at a time in which there are varying opinions towards alcohol, specifically in the airline industry. We're in the midst of an era when airlines like Ryanair are trying to limit passengers' consumption of alcohol following incidents of rowdy customers onboard.

In the words of Mark Murphy, Food and Beverage Manager at Virgin Atlantic, "there’s a big focus across the airline industry on reducing the amount of alcohol consumed in flight, and we’re delighted to be leading the way by offering our customers across all cabins a selection of zero and low alcohol alternatives.”

At the same time, younger generations are backing away from alcohol and have expressed that beverage options beyond soda, juice, coffee and alcohol would make for a more inclusive experience.