Qatar Airways elevates its inflight drinks programme with Lorenzo Antinori collaboration
The new signature cocktail and non-alcoholic programme, comprising 15 drinks, will be served across first and business class cabins and the 380 Inflight Lounge.
Qatar Airways has partnered with Lorenzo Antinori, co-founder of Bar Leone and the mixologist behind the world’s best bar, to create a 15-drink signature cocktail and non-alcoholic program served across its First and Business Class cabins and the Airbus A380 Inflight Lounge.
The collection is built around four core cocktails: The Aviator – a Cognac, Champagne and orange juice drink; G&Tea, a tea-infused gin and tonic; Golden Delilah, featuring vodka, Champagne and apple juice; and Havana Punch – a rum-based serve built around tropical fruit flavours. First-class passengers are offered an extended premium range including Tokyo 75 and Japanese Old Fashioned, while business class receives the Italian Highball and Old Smoke.
The spirit roster is premium and includes gin brands like Roku, The Botanist or Bombay Sapphire, Hennessy Cognac, Bacardi Añejo Cuatro Rum, and Hibiki Japanese Harmony Whisky.
Antinori, who shot to fame when Bar Leone was named The World’s Best Bar in 2025, brought the same technical rigour to the skies that made his Hong Kong-based bar a global success. The program took several months of research and development, requiring close work with Qatar Airways on logistics and cabin crew training. “Most drinks are made fresh à la minute,” he said. “It was truly a great collaboration.”
Designing cocktails requires a specific approach. “At 30,000 feet, our taste buds—and your sense of smell—are significantly less receptive,” Antinori explained. “Our perception of sweet and salty flavours drops by about 30%, so cocktails packed with citrus or umami flavours tend to work best.”
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His personal highlights from the menu include Tokyo 75 and Italian Highball. “I really love the Tokyo 75. It’s a combination of Japanese gin, lemon, sugar and mint, topped up with Champagne. And the Italian Highball, crafted with Italian extra dry vermouth, bitters and soda. They are elegant, refreshing and perfect to be enjoyed at high altitude.”
The program also includes a dedicated non-alcoholic selection – Sunrise Punch, Oriental Fizz, White Blossom, Virgin Bloody Mary and Pineapple Margarita – reflecting the growing demand for sophisticated non-alcoholic options.
For Antinori, the partnership is a natural extension of a year of high-profile collaborations. Since Bar Leone’s global recognition, he has been tapped for partnerships including the Oscars Governors Ball.
The Qatar Airways program is an honour, he said. “To have the opportunity to do it in the sky, with the greatest airline. Being able to take a bit of our philosophy in making drinks on the aircraft is truly special.”
For Qatar Airways, the collaboration is aimed at further elevating the award-winning carrier’s premium hospitality across its First and Business Class cabins in the competitive aviation industry.
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