Alaska Airlines. Caught Off Guard.

*UPDATE* Alaska Airlines has changed mixes! Look for an updated review of Wicked Bloody Mary Mix coming soon! * Similar in both taste and consistency, this bloody mary initially caught me off guard.  Perhaps I had too heavily expected The Delta Mix.  Countless hours spent on long haul Delta flights has, for better or worse, ingrained certain expectations.  But this was Alaska, and I should have known better.  My initial contact left me with a firm belief that this was in fact Mr. and Mrs. T’s Bloody Mary Mix.  Perhaps watered down, perhaps with an excessive amount of ice, but I nonetheless thought for sure, this was Mr. and Mrs. T’s.  It was not until my return flight that I discovered my error.

I didn’t get a good look at the brand, but as the friendly flight attendant reached for a large, white square box, I knew that I had been greatly mistaken.  This wasn’t Mr. and Mrs. T’s at all.  A short bout of self-pity and self-doubt left me asking how my taste buds could have led me so far astray.  Had all this hard work and training drinking bloody marys day in and day out been all for naught?  Or could I chalk this up to just tasting what I wanted to taste?  Either way, I had to persevere.  I had to review this bloody mary, and I wasn’t going to let my mind play tricks on these well trained taste buds.  I quickly returned my attention to the matter at hand.

Slightly sweeter, slightly less spicy, more tomato.  Yes, this was different.  Perhaps not better or worse than The Delta Mix, but served with a lemon instead of lime and Sobieski vodka instead of Skyy.  Whatever brand this was, it was close, very close.  And like its Delta counterpart, this satisfying, savory and soothing bloody mary also stood the test of 35,000 feet, providing not only a stress-easing cocktail, but also a salty mid-flight snack.

For its near perfect replication of my long esteemed Delta Mix, Alaska Airlines receives 3 Celery Stalks.