Parisista

It has been a while since I posted something. Thanks to the new gig and attempting to build some world changing technology, the elements of giving gyaan have been taken over to writing and reviewing code, and then there are better gyaanis around.

For the last six-odd months, I have been shuttling between Silicon Valley and Bangalore and found a favourite airline that does a 15 hour haul from Dubai to San Francisco via North Pole which does a comfortable coach class. Haven’t found the lucky upgrade to business class, yet. Though, the best I got was a leg from Dubai to Bangalore, once.

The usual drinks served by the hostess are plain boring so I have been doing some mixing/fixing the drinks and making some cocktails with a usual cheers with the neighbour on the next seat.

Here’s what you would typically find as ingredients of interest on the plane:

• Lemon wedges, club soda, salt, ice, sugar, pepper
• Coke classic, Tonic water, 7Up, Fanta, etc
• Gin, whiskey, rum, brandy, scotch, vodka
• Worcestershire and tobasco sauce

With the above ingredients I could make White Russian, Tom Collins, Gin Rickey, Presbyterian, Rum cola, etc. I usually stick to non-alcoholic when not faking. Instead, I made some simple masala coke to keep me kicking for the next many hours.

You need:

• Coke 330ml. Or two small 200ml cans. The hostess may serve you from a big 1.5L bottle, request a can instead
• 4 cubes of ice
• 2 sachets/tubes of pepper
• 2 sachets/tubes of salt
• 2 lemon wedges

You do:

1. Make sure that the hostess does not pour the coke. Get the ice and the cup
2. Add a tube of pepper and two of salt. Make sure that the pepper goes below the ice
3. Squeeze the lemon wedges and trap the wedges below the ice
4. Pour the coke slowly. Watch out for the froth spilling over
5. Add another pepper tube at the brim. Enjoy the flakes when you take a sip
6. Let it stand still for few minutes to allow flavour of pepper disperse in the drink

Cheers!

Update: A conversation at the dinner table at home resulted in a promised attachment of black salt for the next flight.