Mixing the PSAde
The PSAde is a spring summer drink all the way, tall and refreshing, boozy and complex, with bright zesty tones of freshly muddled tangerines and blood orange It has no direct affiliation with the sadly defunct Pacific Southwest Airlines, but the inspiration of the company’s iconic fresh and bright sixties style, and friendly stewardesses in uber Mod micro-mini uniform dresses serving up in-flight libations runs deep in this cocktail recipe.
It is a spring summer drink all the way, tall and refreshing, boozy and complex, with bright zesty tones of freshly muddled tangerines and blood orange. The PSAde arrived via a natural progression from the Emma Peeler, by far Flighty’s most popular drink ever. The Peeler is a sexy li’l number named for Diana Rigg of Avengers fame. A mixture of gin, Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur, and Campari, with lemon, cranberry and layered cucumber. The PSAde takes the cue from Dame Diana and outfits her liquid counterpart in the finest fashion forward elixirs.  In the early days of the Emma Peeler, many bar patrons were not keen on the idea of Campari, hesitant to embrace her bitter herbal elements and her added dimension to recipes that threatened to be flat or too sweet. Alberta found that when mixing up her daily specials a divide emerged where fruits like pear and peach were matched with Pimm’s #1 for balance and complexity, while berries, pomegranate and cranberry seemed to pair with the Italian red bitter. In no time at all and to the delight of the doubting drinkers, Campari became a staple in the Flighty arsenal.
When Aperol arrived in San Francisco it offered up a myriad of possibilities for your mixtress on the fly. The flavor is bitter, but only slightly, and has subtle notes of orange, rhubarb, and spice. Flighty’s cocktail repertoire opened widely, as if a jet held on the tarmac was cleared for take off. A splash of Aperol went went far and wide and customers were eager to experiment, thus the PSAde was born. Viola!
The PSAde is a vodka Aperol refresher with rounds of tangerine, blood orange, and muddled cucumber for the brightest freshest flavor. If there is no time or material for the Spa Mix, plain cucumber wheels sliced with a mandolin slicer will do the trick. Also try adding peach or mango for variety and some bright orange flair. I think its safe to say by now, mix up a PSAde, crank up the go-go music, Catch our Smile and sip in style.
PSA Stewardesses Back in the Day
