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The Latest News from Delta Will Nurse That Cinco de Mayo Hangover

It’s been quite some time since we heard about Delta and their partnership with Avión Tequila, but it sounds like all must be going well as the spirit is headed toward the in-flight beverage cart.

The two companies are hooking up to offer some tasty drinks aboard plenty of Delta flights, and the new beverages made their debut over the weekend. If you flew between JFK and LAX, you may have just been part of a little Cinco de Mayo celebration as flight attendants also passed out some complimentary chips and salsa.

If you’re flying this week however, you'll miss out as it sounds like the planes won’t be loaded up with the new drinks and mixers until later this month. Delta is promising that that the tequila and margaritas will be available on plenty of flights heading around North America, the Caribbean, and Central America for the summer months. We hope they stick around into the fall as well, because we’re pretty sure margaritas are equally tasty no matter what the calendar says.

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Virgin Atlantic's Revamped Upper Class Bar is Crystal-Covered and Pretty Kinky

Look at the image above. Now scroll down and look at the image at the very bottom. Now glance back and forth and we dare you to tell us that the new, improved onboard Upper Class bars on Virgin Atlantic aren't crazy awesomer. Yeah, we said "awesomer." Things like this call for words like that.

Let's handle all this goodness bit by bit: yes, Virgin Atlantic has a bar onboard each of their planes. They're only for Upper Class passengers, however, but all the drinks are complimentary and a bartender will shake that Vesper Martini no problem. Yes, the revampment of Upper Class means the bar has been overhauled and now it looks like something torn from a Starship Enterprise-themed kink club or Tron's cut scenes, and we're more than cool with that.

Oh, and there will be Swarovski crystals. *cue the Marvin Gaye*

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If You Only Have One Cocktail at Virgin Atlantic's JFK Clubhouse...

Without naming names, we'll just say that some airlines have taken away many of the cushy lounge benefits that come with purchasing a seat at the front of the plane. Specifically we mean free booze—it's rarer than ever in lounges at American airports, but we know a few that will keep the liquor flowing freely, for free. Here's one: the Virgin Atlantic's new Clubhouse at New York-JFK Airport.

In fact, Virgin Atlantic is well known for having quite the comprehensive complimentary bar offerings, some of which we've previously profiled—Virgin Redhead, Indian Summer, 'New' New York Sour and Virgin Kiss.

The opening of the new lounge however necessitates a fresh addition. A contest was had and two concoctions emerged victorious: the Big Virgin Apple and Virgin Rose. A quickie taste test by Sir Richard Branson put the Kiss over the Apple, and we chatted up the bartenders to get the recipe.

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Inside the Brand New Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at New York's JFK Airport

Spoiler alert! The new Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at New York's JFK Airport is awesome. We've been in it, sat in its designer chairs, sipped its specialty cocktails, marveled at the tarmac views and—yes—it's passed the test of "do we want to live here?"

The 10,000-square-foot Clubhouse sprayed the champagne during a grand opening party last night, complete with words from Sir Richard Branson and three unplugged songs from KT Tunstall. Upper Class passengers flying that evening were treated to all the fanfare as well; imagine grabbing a bite and checking your email, then Branson waltzes in and shakes your hand.

Wiping the stars from our eyes, let's get down to business. The new lounge is indeed new; it's not simply a renovation, since the old lounge was before security, in a far less convenient part of JFK Terminal 4. You'll find the fresh space after security, directly upstairs from the Virgin Atlantic gates. No more rushed Virgin Redhead cocktails before making a dash for your flight. If the plane is leaving without you, you'll now be watching it do so directly below. Wave to the pilots!

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Our Kind of History Lesson: In-Flight Cocktails Through The Years

We're not the only ones who like to sip on in-flight cocktails. The San Francisco International Airport is also a bit of a boozehound as evidenced by this SFO Museum exhibit at Terminal 1 which centers on in-flight cocktail service during the 1960s, 70s and 80s.

The small display features glassware, swizzle sticks, coasters, drink menus and even cocktail napkins served by old-timey airlines like Pacific Southwest Airlines, National Airlines and Pan American Airlines as well as from still alive airlines like United, American and KLM.

Of course, the winner of the coolest glassware in the case award belongs to KLM for their ceramic Bols gin Delftware containers which are shaped like Dutch houses and filled with Bols Jenever gin. These ones here were given to first-class passengers in the 1980s. But if you're flying World Business Class today, you can score a Delft house of your own.

The exhibition is titled "Hydration, Libation, and Lift: Airline Inflight Beverage Service" and can be found in Terminal 1 at the A3 Entrance lobby from now until July 2012.

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In-Flight Cocktail of the Month: Virgin Atlantic's 'Virgin Kiss'

As many already know, we have a serious obsession with airline cocktails, and so much is our passion that we've created a whole first-Friday-of-the-month feature called In-Flight Cocktail of the Month, which highlights the special concoctions that flight attendants whip up with only a cocktail shaker, some tiny liquor bottles and a whole lot of hope that it won't make you drunk and unruly.

Up until now, Virgin Atlantic's In-Flight Cocktail of the Month accolades have been the liquidy soundtrack to our past two summers. But a cocktail is for life, not just the hot months, so for December we're warming up with the SFO Clubhouse's signature cocktail: the Virgin Kiss.

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Virgin Atlantic's Complimentary Welcome Cocktails Finally Hit Economy

For a year and a half, we've featured an In-Flight Cocktail of the Month and managed to get mighty tipsy in the process. Over the course the last 18+ months, one airline has had the most stand-out cocktails worthy of the feature and that is Virgin Atlantic with their Virgin Redhead, "New" New York Sour and Indian Summer.

Free drinks on flights? Awesome, right? Well, not so awesome if you're flying economy because the free cocktails were limited to meal service. A change in the economy menu, announced this week, now brings a complimentary welcome cocktail to those in the back of the plane.

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Don't Be That Guy: Angry Drunk Threatens to Stab British Airways Pilot Mid-Flight

As a site that tracks the best in-flight cocktails on a monthly basis, we like to think that our credibility on booze travel is pretty good. While we do occasionally post the random teetotaling dispatch, on the whole you're more likely to find Jaunted posts with phases like "Avion Tequila" and "Eucalyptus Liquor". We are not uninclined toward mixing travel with fine spirits, is what we're saying.

That's why it's so frustrating to have to write about people like this douchebag, who got so drunk he threatened to stab a British Airways pilot with a shard of glass after flight attendants cut him off.

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In-Flight Cocktail of the Month: Virgin Atlantic's "'New' New York Sour"

As many already know, we have a serious obsession with airline cocktails, and so much is our passion that we've created a whole first-Friday-of-the-month feature called In-Flight Cocktail of the Month, which highlights the special concoctions that flight attendants whip up with only a cocktail shaker, some tiny liquor bottles and a whole lot of hope that it won't make you drunk and unruly.

Last summer, we dubbed Virgin Atlantic's Virgin Redhead the In-Flight Cocktail of the Month for June 2010. This summer, it's about time to highlight another Virgin drink, especially since their airport lounges feature an impressive signature cocktail selection.

Therefore, for July 2011, we're in love with the "New" New York Sour, a traditional whiskey sour with a surprise: a float of claret. Served up at Virgin Atlantic clubhouses—we downed this one in the New York-JFK Airport lounge—and possibly on flights in Upper Class (ask nicely), the "New" New York Sour is served in a chilled glass with a nice foam. When ours arrived, both tables on either side of us asked after it and ended up ordering their own; it's a conversation-starter!

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American Airlines Busts Out Happy Hour on 5pm Flights All the Month of May

Oh, happy day! American Airlines is bringing back a fun little thing they tried last December—the 5@5 In-Flight Happy Hour—for the month of May (and to celebrate Cinco de Mayo). The deal is simple and straightforward in that, if you're on an American, American Eagle or AmericanConnection flights that departs in the 5 o-clock hour, then alcoholic drinks onboard are discounted to $5 each:

...Enjoy cocktails, wine and beer for $5 on American or American Eagle domestic flights departing between 5:00 p.m. and 5:59 p.m. Domestic flights are defined as those within the continental U.S. and those between the U.S. and Hawaii, Alaska, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. The happy hour will offer customers a savings of $1 on beer and $2 on liquor and wine.

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All December, American Airlines Will Host Happy Hour on 5pm Flights

Even though the year's biggest travel day is next Wednesday, November 24, American Airlines will wait until December 1 to begin a new treat for holiday travelers: the 5@5 In-Flight Happy Hour. The deal is simple and straightforward in that, if you're on an American, American Eagle or AmericanConnection flights that departs in the 5 o-clock hour, then alcoholic drinks onboard are discounted to $5 each:

Throughout December, the 5@5 happy hour will be available onboard domestic, Canada, Caribbean and Mexico flights scheduled to depart between 5 p.m. and 5:59 p.m. Customers will enjoy a savings of $1 on beer and $2 on liquor and wine as a thank you for their loyalty. Happy hour prices will be offered for the duration of the flight. As always, American serves complimentary non-alcoholic beverages onboard.

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Flights on a Flight: A Guide to Air New Zealand's Wines

You know the only thing we like better than a glass of fine wine…is a glass of fine wine at 35,000 feet. That’s why, whenever we take to the skies, we also take extra care to check out airlines’ wine programs to see who is making the friendly skies even friendlier.

Here’s a fun fact of the day: Air New Zealand serves over 6.5 million glasses of wine in-flight each year, making it the largest single server of wine in New Zealand. Thus, they take their job as an international promoter of Kiwi wines very seriously, as we discovered on a recent trip on the airline.

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