T8191

Oh, dear, that reminds me of a very fine Naval Lt Cdr who happened to be the "Wines Member" at the Officers Mess at RAF Uxbridge many, many, years ago. For Christmas he bought in a huge selection of single malts, of which he was an expert. The un-beaten challenge was to "run the rail"

Cheers, Don ... after nearly 40 years you're still fondly remembered as a fine professional and a thoroughly nice human being [you drunken sod ]

Betteronacamel

That's one of the nicest posts I've ever read on FT ^

I suspect that MoD budget cuts would probably have seen this sort of activity off many moons ago

T8191

He was a lovely bloke, and rose to be the head of the RN ATC Branch. ^

However, on the tedious budgetary aspect ... the Wines Member buys what sells. And it's Mess Funds, not MoD Funds, that finance it. If the Mess members are content, you go for it ... an Officers Mess is remarkably democratic, and is independently funded though Mess Subscriptions in a Non-Public Account. Not a lot of people know that

e.g. .... 1969/70, RAF Tengah, Singapore. We had a prolonged detachment of the 2 RAAF Sqns of Mirages from RAAF Butterworth while their runway was being resurfaced. I'm not saying they were pi55heads, but Mess profits simply soared. So, a Mess Meeting was held to decide what to do with this huge surge of income ... Messes are supposed to be basically P&L neutral. We were going to build an Officers Mess swimming pool ... the Station one was a long way away, on the other side of the airfield.

Then the withdrawal from the Far East was announced: another Mess Meeting decided we would have a a Summer Ball to end all balls. The RAAF flew in wives and beloveds in their Support Flight Dakotas, the boys flew in the 30+ jets, and we had an humungous free Ball. Makan stalls from downtown Singers, the Mess careering staff pulled out all the stops, we had the Ghurka Signals Pipe Band, assorted dance bands, food and booze non-stop.

Dem's da Roooles ... an Officers Mess is not supposed to make a profit
And it was OUR money, not MoD's


Now ... where were we?

Betteronacamel

Sheer class....

Thanks for the story. My old man was RAF during WW2 and a bit afterwards in Jordan/Iraq in Meteors (I think). He enjoyed a cold drink too. Mad keen on flying which has rubbed off on me a bit too.

InsouciantYak

What's available from the bar in WT+? I assume it's the same as what's in WT except for that sparkling wine.

Red and white wines.
Vodka
Beer of some kind.

What else?

beachfan

I think a lot of people like it because it's a half step up form JW Black, but that doesn't make it premium.

Glenmorangie would be very nice, I'd also be happy with Glenfiddich 15 (not to shoot to high), or Macallan 12.

On a simpler note, how about tequila? Preferably Don Julio anejo but I'd be happy with Jose Cuervo gold (or better yet, JC 1800).

Littlegirl

I will happily pass your feedback on about Malts.

As for Tequila, in all my time in BA I can honestly say I have never been asked for it.
I think it is a drink that needs all the trimmings such as fresh limes Etc. I guess it could be something that you might see on certain routes to get you in the mood but I am not sure if the demand in general would be enough to stock it.

antichef

T8191 has set out how it is financed .... entirely P&L neutral.

Arranging to dispose of it when there was a surplus of funds for the current mess members brings back many happy memories Hic

RoseFPS

I'd prefer a nicer brandy than oTard. It always strikes me as the brandy equivalent of Lily OBrian chocolates, i e one that seems to exist almost solely on aeroplanes (presumably it's cheap), but is rarely to be had on the ground.

silonic

Ready to be chased for this thought.....

but during the summer months would be great to have Pimms available. Perfectly British. Is that the time already......??

G-AVFC

I remember the days when one could order a Campari and soda. Now it's relegated to Campari and sparkling Malvern water! Not quite the same.

Route specific bars might be an idea. Italian routes your grappa and Campari served properly again, French routes your calvados etc. may be a logistical nightmare but if possible might make a pleasant change.

And slightly o/t but why oh why is pasta or risotto not served with a little bit of Parmesan in CE? I know it is in First but it would be welcome on an Italian route.

LTN Phobia

I'd actually love to have Tropicana type of "not from concentrate" orange juice in CE. I think it is from concentrate at the moment, and for that reason I don't drink orange juice on board. I wouldn't go as far to ask for freshly squeezed, though.

I'd also love a still lemonade.

vla

Thank you very much indeed JAXBA and angatol.

Armed with this knowledge, I shall be having a new cocktail which I'm calling a "mid-air collision":

Campari, Cr�me de Cassis, Tia Maria, Jack Daniels, Tomato Juice, topped up with lashings of Fanta Orange, and Raspberry and Elderflower tea.

the_seeker1977

Please keep some gin on board - Gordan's is ok but is there any chance we could have fresh lime onboard please?

Betteronacamel

It's Pimms O'Clock!!!

Actually not such a bad idea as it can be bought pre-made in cans. Probably not as nice (never tried it myself) as a home mixed version, but do-able nonetheless if they invested in some bigger 'tumblers'.

I do like the idea of route/region specific drinks offerings; there are potential downsides - Blue Nun on German routes, non-alcoholic beers to the Middle East. I jest, but I think they manage to offer different wines in F and CW depending on routes - Aussie wines to SYD, South African wines to CPT and JNB, and Californians to the USA for example.

I suspect that too much complication will be beyond the caterers though, and I imagine this is a smokescreen for a cost-cutting excersize resulting in a smaller choice of boring options.