Should You Grab That Drink Before Or During The Flight

Should You Grab That Drink Before Or During The Flight?

All your bags are packed and you’re ready to go, you’re at the airport and standing outside a bar door…already craving a whisky shot or a wine so fine!

Does it sound like your story?

Are you that passenger who loves to grab that quick drink before boarding a flight, because –

1. a) you have travel anxiety and you absolutely feel the need to have some on board to calm your nerves;
2. b) you have some time to kill before the flight;
3. c) you are in a holiday mood and you possibly don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to have fun.

As it goes, most airports have lounges where you can drink, and most airlines serve alcobevs on-board. Your reason to drink may be varied, the question, however, is should you really be consuming that alcobev before and during the flight?

As it turns out, drinking alcobev to silence your travel anxiety (if it’s your reason to go for that drink) may not really be a healthy option after all. Additionally, being in an intoxicated state while boarding or during the course of the flight, you might invite some serious legal repercussions.

1. A) The airlines are well within the authority to refuse to accept a drunk passenger onboard; and
2. B) Intoxicated and disruptive behaviour can lead to flight diversion, which again involves a close call with laws of the land.
   And we’re very sure you might want to stay clear of the bad weather there!
   Now let’s move on to health aspects…

What happens when you consume alcobev before the flight?

It is a known fact that, when you consume alcobev, it takes between 30 to 60 minutes for blood alcohol content (BAC) to reach the maximum effect. Which means putting more burden on your body to cope with alcobev than what your liver can process. So, on a short duration flight, unmetabolized excessive alcohol will travel through your bloodstream, which increases the BAC.

Eventually, through the bloodstream alcohol reaches the brain and acts as a sedative.

It impairs your cognitive ability by slowing down the transmissions between nerve cells. It also leads to dehydration by making your kidneys work more.

What happens when you consume alcobev during the flight?

The in-flight barometric pressure is low. The body’s ability to absorb oxygen diminishes with the contained environment of decreased cabin pressure, which leads to a feeling of lightheadedness. Thus, due to a lower oxygen level in the blood, the same amount of alcobev would affect your body differently in-flight than it would on the ground.

What complicates the matter is that the dry cabin air along with the diuretic alcobev makes one dehydrated faster in-flight. There’s another drawback of drinking on-board, as one gets drunk faster the chances of aggressive and unruly behaviour arise. And we have already discussed the repercussions of such a scenario.

So, we say it’s better to be safe than sorry, right!?

How Can You Tackle It?

The thing is we don’t intend to whitewash your vacation vibe, that’s why here we are sharing a couple of tips, which you can keep in mind to combat the unfavourable effects of alcobev during the flight.

Drink plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated.
Minimize the intake of salty food as they tend to dehydrate you.

Here’s wishing you happy and safe landings, however, remember to always drink wisely!

Debunking Myths About Alcobevs

Debunking Myths About Alcobevs

As the world goes round and round in circles, so do the myths about consumption of alcobevs. With the numbers growing every now and then, it’s only fair to crack the code surrounding it. So here we are, presenting before you a handful of the commonest, tallest and shortest tales which are abuzz.

Myth: Alcohol is digestible

Fact: It couldn’t be funnier and farther from the truth! No, you can’t ‘digest’ alcohol for an important reason- it is absorbed in the bloodstream!

To elucidate it further, when you swallow alcobev, it passes through your food pipe right down to your stomach and small intestine, where it is absorbed into the bloodstream.

Myth: Darker alcobevs are healthier

Fact: Oh, the silly-silly reasons to drink!

Although dark alcobevs such as dark beer, bourbon and red wines have more antioxidants and flavonoids, they are also high in congener content. Basically, congeners are responsible for giving an alcobev its distinct flavour, they also contribute to giving hangovers and worsening them. So, it’s wiser to kick the dark and switch to lighter alcobevs if you want to avoid waking up with a bad hangover the morning after.

Myth: Coffee saves you from getting drunk 

Fact: So think about it, if it were really true, there would be coffee plantations near the bars!

Drinking coffee doesn’t save the day when comes to consuming alcobev. It doesn’t help in diluting alcohol content from the bloodstream, nor does it help in getting rid of that nasty hangover. Skip the coffee and go for that glass of water instead. It keeps you hydrated and helps you in recovering from a wild drinking session.

Myth: Beer is a fantastic post-workout beverage

Fact: This makes for a crazy brain twister! Many people regard beer as a post-workout re-hydrating drink primarily because of the following three reasons:

1) The carbonation helps in quenching thirst;

2) It is rich in antioxidants and vitamins; and

3) The carbs in the beer give instant energy.

It is, however, a known fact that alcobevs are diuretic, which means drinking alcobevs makes one pee more, which in turn leads to dehydration.

One of the side effects of consuming alcobev on liver and pancreas is that oxygen leaves the bloodstream faster, this slows the muscle growth and leads to diminished metabolism.

Moreover, consuming sports drinks after a long run or a workout session can be an alternative because they contain salt, potassium and sugar which rehydrate the body, without the negative effects of alcobevs.

Think again before grabbing that pint of your favourite beer!

Myth: Add juice to your drink to reduce its effect on body

Fact: Please understand a fact, that if and when you drink, mixers won’t score the home run for you! Mixers such as fruit juices and energy drinks only alter the taste of your drink, they do not reduce the effects of alcobev. The alcohol content of your drink remains the same as does the morning after hangover!

We hope that with this short article, we were able to break the false glass ceiling of myths about alcobevs.

A Beginner’s Guide To Understand The Taste Of Whisky

So, you enjoy your occasional glass of whisky but do you ‘understand’ how different whiskies carry different flavours and complexities?

‘Guzzling down whisky is one thing but understanding its taste is like an art.’

Beginning with this perfect surmise, let’s dig a little deeper into it.

Let’s clarify here that one need not be an expert to understand the intricacies of a particular drink, and it is perfectly alright to still enjoy that fine whisky if you so wish. However, if you’re that curious beginner who’d like to delve a little deeper into the glass, here we spring up to bring you the essential key points to help you to appreciate your drink a little better.

Why Does Whisky Taste The Way It Does?

The geography, method of distillation, the size and types of barrels used to age whisky, charring, the duration of ageing, are the key factors which essentially determine how your whisky tastes like.

To understand why does the whisky taste the way it does, you need to open your senses to it and remember the importance of patience and practice.

The Right Glassware

The type of glass used for whisky tasting plays an important role in helping you understand the ‘mystery of whisky’ better.

It is preferable to use the tulip glass or nosing glass or tasting glass which is specially designed to concentrate the aromas of whisky, thus, helping you to get the most of your drink.

Appearance of Whisky
At the risk of sounding shallow let’s announce that appearance matters, in the context of whisky of course!

The appearance and colour of your drink can generally give you a fair idea about how long it was aged.

And when you swirl the glass, you’ll notice the viscosity of whisky legs which is a good indicator of its character & age.

Swirl It Right
So as it turns out, that dramatic swirl is not at all meaningless. When you swirl the glass, it releases the aromas of the whisky which in turn lets your senses register them.

Nosing Your Drink
Did you know that about 80% of the taste is understood by the sense of smell and our nose can pick up hundreds of aromas which are linked to the memory?

Supported by this logic, with nosing whisky tasting actually begins even before we take a sip of the drink.
But how do you nose a drink?

Pour your drink in the glass and swirl it. As the aromas get released you then bring your nose to it, letting your mind register their distinctiveness.

Remember to be cautious though, nose your whisky gently, because, the high ABV content in whisky may end up overwhelming your senses.

Time To Taste It!

Reaching this step is indeed as rewarding and tempting as it sounds!

Once you’ve covered the initial steps, it is time to move onto the next level to gauge the character of the whisky. The point to remember here is to let it linger in the mouth, experiencing the mouthfeel as the flavours are pronounced. Notice if the whisky is creamy, smooth, light or fruity?

Experience The Finish Line
The after-taste of swallowing the whisky is called as ‘finish’, which is the differentiating factor. While swallowing leaves a slight alcoholic burn, it is important to remember that each whisky brand reacts differently to water and ice.

Things to notice here are whether the sensation & the flavour stay for a short or long duration of time, which is called the length of ‘finish’, and reveals the whisky’s character.

Let’s Conclude
It is essential to understand that whisky acquires the flavour and character through time, so there’s no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ when it comes to its taste since ‘taste’ is also a matter of personal choice. However, the familiarize yourself with its basic character, one needs to be analytic let the senses speak.

Lastly, do remember to enjoy your drink as you embark upon this delicious learning experience.