The Boozy Beverage A Flight Attendant Strongly Advises Against Drinking Mid-Air

When you get on a plane, what drink do you order from the beverage cart? Are you an orange juice person? Maybe you like the bubbles of ginger ale or think it will calm your stomach, even though it's best to completely avoid this common type of drink on a flight. If your in-flight drink of choice is alcohol, however, there is one type that a flight attendant believes you should never order in the air. That drink is a bloody mary. Sure, these cocktails made with vodka, tomato juice, lime juice, and a spicy ingredient like tabasco sauce (or bloody mary mix) sound great to many travelers. In fact, you might have heard that they taste better on a plane. That can be true, and we'll get to the science behind it, but there are some drawbacks as well. 

While it seems like the perfect spot to order a special drink you likely never have outside of brunch get-togethers, being in the air does things to our bodies. A bloody mary is actually one of the worst things you can drink on a flight. Some flight attendants do not recommend it, and they also have a good reason why you should probably just bring your own water instead.

If you've ordered a bloody mary on a flight because you heard they taste better, you're right. According to a 2016 report in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, the level of sound in your surroundings can change the way humans perceive taste. Participants in a study were asked to taste and rate concentrates of solutions by intensity — salty, sweet, bitter, sour, and umami. As the background noise was raised to the levels on a plane, the intensity of sweetness was lowered, but umami intensity was raised. A bloody mary is going to taste great up in the air, so why shouldn't we order them? 

The issue with a drink like this is the salt. Bloody marys have a high sodium content and that can cause your body to retain water, making you uncomfortable. Flight attendant Sue Fogwell told Travel + Leisure, "Due to the very high sodium content, I always avoid drinking Mr. & Mrs. T/bloody mary mix and tomato juice." She's not the only one. American Airlines flight attendant Andrea Song told The Sun: "I always avoid high sodium foods in the days prior as joints especially in the legs, feet and ankles tend to swell as a result of this food group. When flying, I also avoid this food group and advise to avoid tomato juice at all costs. I say this because a bloody mary mix contains 12-times more sodium than a soft drink."

Perhaps you're reading this on a plane, and you're already two bloody marys in. First, switch to water to rehydrate your body. A report from Texas A&M University's Vital Record explains that too much sodium can dehydrate you by pulling water out of your cells. It also raises your blood pressure. The alcohol isn't making you feel great, either. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says, "Alcohol decreases the ability of the brain to make use of oxygen." Because the drink will dehydrate you, drinking water is going to help flush the sodium out of your system and keep your cells hydrated. 

There is a caveat to the water as well, however. It's worth bringing an empty reusable water bottle through security and filling it at a water fountain in the airport or buying a bottle there. (You can always add your own low-sodium or sodium-free flavoring to it). Do note that you should avoid beverages made with water on the plane, including the water itself unless it comes from a bottle. That includes never having ice in the drinks you order on an airplane. Studies have found E.coli in water tanks, and that's on top of what we already know about the unsettling details about the safety of your in-flight meal. Drinks from a carton like orange juice or ones you bring in yourself are always the way to go.