The One Cocktail Science Says Tastes Better on a Flight

So you’ve made it to your flight on time. Congratulations. Once you’re at cruising altitude and the crew member comes by with the drink cart, it’s time to snag your reward—a nice, tasty cocktail. If you’re not sure what to order, may we suggest a Bloody Mary? According to science, they taste even better at 30,000 feet.

A study by a group of Cornell researchers published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance found that tomato juice—the main ingredient in a Bloody Mary—tastes better in the air. This is due to the noise level on an airplane, which influences a human’s perception of taste.

To come to its conclusion, the team had 48 participants sample an array of tomato juices with different flavor profiles, including sweet, salty, and bitter options. While tasting the juices, the team increased the noise levels and asked participants to rate the intensity of each flavor throughout the process. The team found that the noisier the environment, the harder it was for participants to detect sweetness. However, savory flavors (known as umami) were still easy for participants to pick up.

“Our study confirmed that in an environment of loud noise, our sense of taste is compromised. Interestingly, this was specific to sweet and umami tastes, with sweet taste inhibited and umami taste significantly enhanced,” said Robin Dando, assistant professor of food science, as reported by the Cornell Chronicle. “The multisensory properties of the environment where we consume our food can alter our perception of the foods we eat.”

Cornell scientists aren’t the only ones to confirm this tasty finding. Lufthansa also commissioned a study conducted by Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics, which found the combination of dryness and low pressure also reduces the sensitivity of taste buds for both sweet and salty by 30 percent. This again points to the fact that umami-rich foods are the best tasting in the air.

“The multisensory nature of what we consider ‘flavor’ is undoubtedly underpinned by complex central and peripheral interactions,” Dando added. “Our results characterize a novel sensory interaction, with intriguing implications for the effect of the environment in which we consume food.”

Basically, things can taste different based on the sensory environment of our surroundings, so loud airplanes make Bloody Marys taste less sweet and more umami. Whether you’re already a Bloody Mary enthusiast or are willing to give the drink another chance, order it on your next flight and see if you can taste the difference.