New York’s Kabin creates fictional airline menu
Kabin in New York City’s Hudson Square has conceptualised a fictional airline called Nordic Air & Travel as inspiration for its latest cocktail menu.
The Scandinavian-themed bar, which opened just over a year ago, is also adding a daytime coffee offering to its repertoire, inspired by Norway’s ‘kaffe og vafler’ and Sweden’s ‘fika’ cultures.
The new menu has been designed to help guests ‘get into the travel mindset’ and is divided into three sections: See, Taste and Experience.
Each drink has been created by Norway-born general manager and partner Kristine Gutierrez.
The first section aims to represent the colours and beauty of the Nordics, such as in the Northern Lights cocktail. This serve is a split-base Highball with Tequila, mezcal and Svöl Swedish-style aquavit, which lights up like the aurora borealis.
Meanwhile, the Karpe is a milk punch made with Bareksten Aquavit, Yola Mezcal, Indian chai, and Egyptian rose water. The cocktail is named after one of Norway’s biggest music acts.
The Taste section aims to replicate flavours that define the Nordic table. The Kaffepause is a riff on a Carajillo that celebrates Nordic coffee culture, while the Kardamom Bun is inspired by the flavours of the region’s beloved pastry.
The final section, Experience, aims to evoke ‘the feeling of open skies, fresh air and togetherness that the Nordics are known and loved for’. It features serves such as a variation on a Penicillin called the Free Healthcare and a signature Martini called Six Months of Winter.
The food is equally Scandinavian-inspired, including Swedish meatballs with lingonberry jam, and Hasselback potato with Jarlsberg cheese béchamel and trout roe.
Alexandra Tangen opened Kabin in June 2024, drawing on her bilingual and bicultural upbringing growing up in London with Norwegian parents. Her intention was to create a space that celebrates ‘a new, more diverse Nordic identity’.
It’s been a big month for new cocktail menus, with launches from Sydney’s Maybe Sammy, Paris’ Little Red Door, and Oslo’s Himkok.
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