Keep a bartender app on your smartphone for lounge drink options

Stuck in an unloved airport lounge at the end of a busy day, and only have a bottle of liquor and a couple of mixers (or "soft drinks", as some people call them...) to hand?

While Australia's airport lounges tend to be frequently refreshed, travellers further afield know that many lounges aren't always well-tended.

So keep a bartender app tucked away on your iPhone or Android device that will help you figure out how that fizzy drink fountain or fridge of tiny cans combines with the picked-over liquor shelf.

The trick is to make sure your bartender app goes in "reverse" -- rather than just telling you how to make a Manhattan (whiskey, vermouth and bitters, for reference) it'll help you figure what to do with what you've got.

For iOS, we like Top Shelf (a tiny 2MB and practically free 99c) with its Cabinet function:

On Android, Mixologist (a heftier 8.9MB and only slightly more expensive $1.49) has a slightly more comprehensive Liquor Cabinet feature:

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• How to pack wine safely in your luggage

John Walton

Aviation journalist and travel columnist John took his first long-haul flight when he was eight weeks old and hasn't looked back since. Well, except when facing rearwards in business class.