Two and Half out of Four

Why?

…better than average selection of wines.

…but the cocktails are, how do I say this, really bad.

…serves me right for ordering cocktails at a wine bar. You’ll definitely want to stick to wine here.

…champagne flutes are sanitized in something that kills the bubbles — ironic for a place called Bubbles. This has happened all three times I’ve been here.

…bartenders are incredibly nice and want to make you happy.

…they do have a full bar of spirits and will try to make you what you want.

…small plates are prepackaged and presented unappetizingly in their plastic trays. …

Three and a Half out of Four

Why?

…Real cocktails designed by Jim Meehan who’s a pretty famous mixologist (from PDT in NYC for you true cocktail mavens.)

…Everything is free! (Don’t forget to tip!)

…Great selection of geeky spirits and mixers: Frenet Branca, Falernum, Carpano Antica, Bittermens Shrub.

…hand crushed ice for some of the drinks!

…Buffet is pretty good (designed by Chef Dean Fearing.)

…Free facials, massages and mani/pedi in spa (book in advance)

…Adorable vintage design elements hearkening to the glory days of American Express travel

…bar seats are pretty uncomfortable. Tables are incrementally better

…the cocktails are a bit on the sweet side. I’m thinking they mixed for what they think the palate of most Americans demands (Disney does the same thing.) A good cocktail is about balance tho’ and I wish they had a bit…

Three (and a wing tip) out of Four

To paraphrase Napoleon: Booze. In victory you deserve it, in defeat you need it.

Travel is war these days. As seats become smaller, planes become more crowded, TSA becomes more baroque and mercurial, the only way to remain sane is to partake in one of the few cherished traditions that remain from the golden age of travel — the pre-flight cocktail.

Craft cocktails, artisan cocktails, good cocktails, whatever you call the current movement, has been one of the most positive developments of humanity in the new millennium, It’s time we take advantage of it in the one place where we really need it — airports. …