British Airways is to refresh its lounges at Edinburgh, Seattle and Heathrow this year, alongside an ongoing refurb of its Heathrow T5B facility.
The carrier said that it would add a “brand-new bar and an enhanced menu offering” at its Seattle lounge, as well as “new touches” at its Edinburgh facility.
At Heathrow BA is also replacing furniture at its T5 Arrivals and T3 lounges, as well as adding new day beds and areas for working at its Concorde Room.
Last month the airline unveiled a new Whispering Angel rosé wine bar at its Heathrow T5B facility, as part of a wider refresh of the lounge.
The big picture: British Airways opens Whispering Angel bar at Heathrow T5
Back in the Concorde Room, BA has partnered with mixologist Mr Lyan to create an exclusive ‘Turbine Martini’ recipe using gin partner Aviation American Gin.
A moving bar has been created with built-in scales, and a bespoke mixer has been designed by luxury watch firm Bremont and design and engineering company CALLUM.
According to BA the mixer has “a motorised mixing paddle engineered to carefully stir the cocktail at the perfect speed of between 120-160 revolutions per minute, elevating the citrus and floral notes to create a smoother martini blend balancing the ultimate combination of aeration, dilution and cooling”.
The mixer is also available to purchase for the princely sum of £2,995, at callumdesigns.com/martini-mixer.
British Airways’ chief customer officer, Calum Laming said that it was “one of many steps we are taking to invest in our lounges both in the UK and further afield, with some more exciting news coming later this year”.
The carrier has also introduced the full range of Don Julio Tequilas into its UK lounges, and will be the first airline to offer 1942 Anejo in its Concorde Room and First cabins from September.
Commenting on the news Mr Lyan said:
“Over the past couple of years, I have worked closely with British Airways to create a variety of unique drinks that celebrate the motion of flight, and we have taken this one step further to develop a modern version of the ultimate classic cocktail, The Martini.
“Using expertise from every partner, we’ve balanced the perfect combination of ingredients, aeration and temperature to highlight Aviation American Gin’s unique profile. Through our precision-engineered mixer, we created the Turbine Martini to celebrate the bespoke nature and wonder of the classic drink, with a brand-new contemporary twist.”
To read our recent Air Miles interview with Ryan Chetiyawardana, better known as Mr Lyan, see:
