- As London Cocktail Week gets underway, new research commissioned by Heathrow has revealed two thirds of Brits enjoy an airport drink to kick start their holiday
- Heathrow is launching limited edition ‘Airportifs’ for holidaymakers to celebrate this Great British tradition
- The cocktails and mocktails have been created in partnership with Gordon Ramsay Plane Food and Heston’s The Perfectionists’ Café using ‘Best of British’ ingredients
- Social media pro Paige Benattar of @TravelsByPaige has shared her top tips for capturing the perfect airport Insta-brag, as over a third of passengers say the first holiday snap they take is in the airport
- The purple drinks are available now for the month of October, Heathrow reminds passengers to always drink responsibly when travelling
Thursday 12 October, London – British travellers love to enjoy a tipple at the airport to get in the holiday mood, with new research commissioned by Heathrow finding that for two thirds (66%) of people, a celebratory cocktail or mocktail at the airport is a ritual that signals the holiday has officially begun.
To mark this unofficial Great British tradition, Heathrow has partnered with Gordon Ramsay Plane Food and Heston’s The Perfectionists’ Café to create four bespoke Airportifs (two cocktails and two mocktails), perfectly crafted to get passengers in the holiday mood. While an aperitif is usually enjoyed at the start of a meal, the Airportif will help holidaymakers get their trips off to a flying start.
The Airportifs are purple cocktails and mocktails designed by expert mixologists at Gordon Ramsay Plane Food in Heathrow Terminal 5 and Heston’s The Perfectionists’ Café in Terminal 2, with the purple shade reflecting Heathrow’s iconic brand colours.
The Airportif from Heston’s features London gin, British elderflower, blue Curaçao, grenadine, and soda, while the cocktail from Plane Food features Beefeater Gin, blue Curaçao, lime, grenadine, and Prosecco, with each ingredient carefully chosen to both represent the best Britain has to offer and to kick start the holiday feeling. Non-alcoholic mocktail versions of the Airportifs are also available, ensuring no traveller misses out on this Great British tradition.
Jose Cortés, Restaurant Manager at Heston’s The Perfectionists’ Café, commented: “Our Airportif has been designed with passengers in mind, with each ingredient carefully chosen to represent premium British flavours that prime holidaymakers for their travels. Hopefully it’ll be love at first flight!”
With over a third of passengers (36%) revealing the first holiday snap they take is in the airport, and a fifth (21%) of passengers stating these snaps usually include their airport tipples, Heathrow has recruited renowned social media pro @TravelsByPaige to share her top tips for capturing picture-perfect shots of the new cocktail menu.
Travel influencer Paige Benattar, of @TravelsByPaige, has amassed over 83,000 followers on Instagram by sharing flight and holiday hacks and experiences. Paige commented: “As an avid traveller I’m frequently passing through the Airport and like many I love a pre-flight tipple! Heathrow’s Aiportifs are available throughout October, as cocktails and mocktails depending on what you fancy! Capturing the perfect shot of your drink is a bit of an artform at times, so I’ve shared my top five tips below so everyone can show off their pre-flight drinks before jetting off to paradise!”
Fraser Brown, Retail Director at Heathrow commented: “At Heathrow, our priority is ensuring passengers can relax and get in the holiday mood from the moment they step foot in the airport. For many, this means grabbing a drink from one of our restaurants. We’ve created our limited-edition Airportifs with these travellers in mind, so there’s something for everyone to enjoy and get in the holiday spirit – and maybe share a not-so-subtle brag on social media while they’re at it!”
The Airportifs are available all day at Gordon Ramsay Plane Food in Terminal 5 and Heston’s The Perfectionists' Café in Terminal 2 now until 31 and 24 October respectively, with prices ranging from £9.50 - £14.50. Heathrow reminds passengers to always drink responsibly when travelling.
@TravelsByPaige’s top tips for capturing the perfect airport drinks selfie are as follows:
- Position your drink so that it catches the light. A little bit of light from behind or to the side of you will mean the light goes through the liquid – this way you’ll see every bubble and those ice cubes in detail.
- Turn on grid view and use the rule of thirds. Go to settings > camera > and switch grid on. This divides your camera screen into a three-by-three grid. Placing your photo’s main subjects (in this case, drinks) along these lines creates a more aesthetic image.
- Shoot from the side, straight on and not too close up. You want to capture the side view of the drink and be able to see what’s inside the glass, not just what’s on top of it. The most interesting element of the drink should take up the most space, so angle your camera accordingly.
- Focus your phone onto darker spots of the image to brighten things up. On iPhone – tap and hold where you want the camera to focus, this will lock the focus on your drink and you’ll see a slide bar pop up to allow you to adjust exposure – it’s a game changer!
- Be mindful of the arrangement and what else is in shot. Add your passport cover or a pair of sunglasses to set the mood for your trip, but watch out for dirty plates, cutlery or napkins – they are not so picture perfect! Our brains like some symmetry, but not too much. To strike a balance, try to have unequal elements on opposite sides of the frame.
– Ends –
Airportif menu:
Your Journey Starts Here, available at Gordon Ramsay Plane Food from 12-31 October – Beefeater Gin, blue Curaçao, lime, grenadine, Prosecco – £14.50
Clear Skies, available at Gordon Ramsay Plane Food from 12-31 October – Seedlip Grove 42, blue Curaçao, lemon, lime, grenadine, Fever-Tree Lemonade – £9.50
Heathrow’s Journey Elixir, available at Heston’s The Perfectionists’ Café from 12-24 October – Chase Gin, British elderflower, blue Curaçao, soda and a dash of grenadine – £12.75
Safe Journey, available at Heston’s The Perfectionists’ Café from 12-24 October – Blackcurrant, British elderflower, grenadine and British apple juice – £9.50
About Heathrow
Heathrow is Europe’s largest airport and has reclaimed a spot as one of the top 10 largest airports in the world and second largest for international travellers. The airport is home to more than 80 airlines and is Britain’s most valuable cargo port, helping to drive British trade growth by connecting the nation to more than 200 destinations around the world. Heathrow was recently ranked as ‘Best Airport in Europe’ at the Business Traveller Awards 2022.
About the One Too Many campaign
The One Too Many campaign is a cross-industry campaign led by the UK Travel Retail Forum (UKTRF), the Airport Operators Association (AOA), Airlines UK and the International Air Transport Association (IATA). It was launched in 2018 and promotes the personal and legal consequences of disruptive behaviour at airports.
The One Too Many campaign utilises a combination of in store signage (printed and on-screen), social media assets, media activation and industry awareness. Through its partners’ respective memberships, it is in place physically at most major UK airports. The selected airports participating in the geofenced advertising campaign are Heathrow, Gatwick, Bristol and Belfast International. More info can be found here: www.onetoomany.co.uk
