Liquid nitrogen cocktail warning

[meditrina]

BBC article about a teenager who needed her stomach removed after ingesting liquid nitrogen in a cocktail.

I had no idea that it was used in this way - to give the cocktail a wow factor appearance. No word yet on how it went so horribly wrong. But it sounds like a drink to swerve, and one to tell your older DCs to swerve too.

I wondered whether to start a thread on this, I was horrified reading the report. The poor girl, what an 18th birthday.

Can you imagine what the bar staff must feel like, presuming that this was human error rather than anything malicious?

I heard this on the radio and thought WTF? Why would anyone drink liquid nitrogen tis insane!

It was a cocktail with liquid nitrogen added rather than just liquid nitrogen. Heston blumenthal uses it in some of his dishes doesn't he?

Poor girl, she'll be affected by this for ever now. You'd assume if a bar was selling it that it was safe.

Blimey. That sounds dreadful. Poor girl.

Hopefully this will stop bars and people using it.

I though HB used it to achieve really quick freezing, rather than it being any part of what was meant to be eaten. Or does he use it to give the smoking effect too?

I've no idea what one of these cocktails is like - is the liquid nitrogen meant to be on the outside somewhere to give the smoke effect? It's not yet clear what happened, and if some got into the drink itself by mistake.

DS1 said it is used to make cocktails like a Slushpuppy!

I am really shocked, that as it is so dangerous, that it is legal to be used in this way!

Horrendous story, that poor girl - of course she would assume that any drink sold to her was safe!

I can understand using liquid nitrogen to freeze things but actually putting in a drink is madness - so dangerous.

Apparently putting it in a drink makes it smoke as the nitrogen boils away. You are supposed to wait til all the smoke has gone before drinking as otherwise it boils and expands in your stomach causing it to burst. But fgs! In a dark, crowded, noisy bar that bit of very important safety advice could easily get misheard.

I would have no idea that drinking a smoking drink could be so dangerous.

I've had fancy cocktails with liquid nitrogen smoke before and noone ever told me to wait until all the smoke had gone before drinking! not in busy bars either, in quiet fancy places where you get lots of attention from servers/bar men

Another BBC article explaining the uses and dangers.

Who, with half a brain, would consume liquid nitrogen -200C boiling point!!

I, with half a brain, didn't really know what liquid nitrogen was and had no idea of it's boiling point until this story, and if a barman serves me a cocktail I assume it is for drinking.

I have a science degree, and have consumed it when out with uni friends (who actually work in science unlike me) because I guess we don't expect to be served ingredients that aren't fit for human consumption!

I wonder what you thought was creating the misty effect ? Just out of curiosity

We knew what was causing it, but assumed that by the time it was placed on front of us with a straw plonked in it it wasn't as dangerous as it was where it was stored.

why would you NOT think you can drink your drink?

Just thought I'd give this a little Hallowe'en bump, in case anyone (ort heir teen DC) missed the story first time round. Take care with spooky cocktails!