Alcohol-free gin makes appearance on Air New Zealand

The cocktails are made from Asian Spice and London Dry alcohol-free gins by Kiwi distillery Ecology & Co

Throughout July, Air New Zealand's Business Premier customers on flights between Auckland and San Francisco can sip on blended cocktails made with boutique homegrown distillery Ecology & Co's alcohol-free spirits.

The Muriwai Mule with Ecology & Co Asian Spice and the Tahi Rua Tonic with Ecology & Co London Dry will be served on flights NZ7 and NZ8 until the end of the month. The alcohol-free spirit can also be ordered with soda and ice.

Niki Chave, Air New Zealand's Senior Manager Customer Experience, said in a statement from the airline: "Indulging with a delicious drink is a travel ritual many customers enjoy, but 11 percent of our customers tell us they don't drink alcohol and around one in 10 say they enjoy spirits but would never drink spirits in the air, as they want to avoid becoming dehydrated or feeling sluggish at their destination.

"There's also a rising global interest in 'cleaner' drink choices to complement the growing clean eating movement, while many customers just want to hit the ground running.

"Like Ecology & Co, we want to give customers fresh flavors so we're very excited to be able to add its Asian Spice and London Dry distilled spirits to our cocktail selection."

Di Miller, co-founder of Ecology & Co, agreed, saying: "Unlike traditional gins which use alcohol to preserve taste, our spirits are made exclusively of distilled botanicals and spices which we hand blend to create our unique flavors. The result is a sophisticated, adult drink, without the hangover.

"We could only have dreamed of the global exposure our Air New Zealand partnership will give Ecology & Co. It's a brilliant showcase for a Kiwi product that literally began in our garden shed and we can't wait to see how it goes down on board."