Celebrity chefs, master mixologists and medical experts from around the
world are steamed up about a report that a British teenager had a
portion of her perforated stomach removed after ingesting liquid
nitrogen in a trendy cocktail.
Gaby Scanlan was celebrating her 18th birthday at a Lancaster bar in
Northern England when she became "breathless" and experienced severe
stomach pain after drinking a Jagermeister digestif made with liquid nitrogen, according to the Telegraph newspaper.
After undergoing a gastrectomy to save her life, Scanlan is in serious but stable condition, according to Lancaster police.
Lancaster Royal Hospital, where the teen was treated, did not comment on the case out of "respect" for the family.
But others held nothing back. "Anything that is the least bit hazardous does not belong in the bar," said Ray Foley, editor of Bartending Magazine.
"People are getting out of hand with these products to show off and not
take care of their clients. This nitrogen cocktail; it's ridiculous."
Liquid nitrogen is about minus-321 degrees Fahrenheit and, if not used
properly, can cause permanent frostbite or cryogenic burns. It is used
primarily to flash-freeze food or to make ice cream. It also turns fresh
herbs to powder and can freeze alcohol.
But in today's scene, mad scientists of mixology use it for dramatic
effect to uber-chill glasses so that when served, the cocktail emits a
steamy vapor.
Bartenders have to be trained and take the "utmost care," according to
Sven Almenning, managing director of the Speakeasy Group in Australia,
whose staff is well-trained in the art.
"A guest should never be served a drink where the nitrogen still is in
liquid form, as this means it will turn into gas inside the person's
body," he said. "This is akin to trying to consume an open flame from a
lit Blazer cocktail."
Medical experts, who use liquid nitrogen to freeze warts and in cryosurgery, agreed.
"It's a great way to kill tissue instantaneously," said Dr. Corey
Slovis, chairman of emergency medicine at Vanderbilt Medical Center in
Nashville, Tenn.
"I imagine what happened was it completely devitalized the tissues and
froze it to the point where the gastric acid perforated the stomach,"
said Slovis, who did not treat Scanlan. "It would not be flexible
tissue. It would be hard frozen."
Surgeons would have tried to save as much of the stomach as possible, as when repairing a perforated ulcer, he said.
Others agree that it's risky business.
"This is a dangerous practice," said Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency
room physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, particularly as
Halloween approaches and young people attempt daring stunts.
Glatter said he had even heard of a so-called "porn star martini," where
liquid nitrogen is poured into champagne and other spirits.
The result can cause frostbite-like burns to the upper airway and
throat, as well as the stomach. Breathing can also be compromised.
The effect can be like an explosion in the stomach. "It's not safe to
ingest," he said. "Liquid nitrogen basically causes pressure to build up
as it turns into a gas and can lead to perforation. ...Ultimately it
can be deadly."
But celebrities in the fine art of mixology say that when used properly
by trained professionals, liquid nitrogen is safe and popular with
clients.
"It's mesmerizing," said Dave Arnold, head of culinary technology at the French Culinary Institute and partner in charge of cocktails at the trendy Booker and Dax bar at Momofuko in New York City.
"It's like so many things in life. If it is used improperly, there are
hazards," he said. "A deep-fryer also has dangers when people are using
it without training."
Arnold has written a primer on proper use of liquid nitrogen for aficionados.
Bartenders typically swirl it around the glass until it vaporizes, then pour in the alcohol, which has a lingering mist.
But handled improperly, it can be dangerous. A German man lost both
hands several years ago when he took home a tank of liquid nitrogen and
it exploded en route.
Science teachers have played tricks for years, putting liquid nitrogen
in their mouths, then spitting it out. In the so-called Leidenfrost
effect, a liquid in near-contact with a mass hotter than its boiling
point produces an insulating vapor that keeps the liquid from boiling
rapidly.
But in one famous case, the teacher's mouth was dry after talking to the
class and did not have enough moisture, Arnold said, and the liquid
nitrogen took the enamel off his teeth.
The first rule of using liquid nitrogen in the bar is to not to put it in the drink itself.
"It would be the same as pouring someone a cup of boiling soup in
365-degree oil," Arnold said. "The second rule is do not over-chill,
otherwise you'll ruin your sense of taste -- not forever -- but like
when you burn your mouth on pizza. It's weird for about an hour."
And if the liquid nitrogen does get into the cocktail itself, the
bartender can see it because it floats, he said. "You can see it
rolling around the top of the drink," he added
Several bartending experts told ABCNews.com that they had never heard of
an incident such as the one in Britain in which a patron actually drank
liquid nitrogen.
Jacob Briars,
head of trade training and education for Bacardi, wonders why a
"molecular mixology" technique that is expensive and requires skill
would be used in remote part of England.
"I think something is lost in translation here," he said, "or some facts are missing from the reporting?"
But Dale DeGroff, who is known as New York City's "King Cocktail" after
years bartending at the renowned Rainbow Room, said it is important to
flag the dangers of liquid nitrogen, as well as dry ice.
"Having said that, I don't think there is need for alarm because these
techniques are rarely used and almost always by professions with the
skill and knowledge to use the safely," DeGroff said. "This is the first
example of abuse I have seen in my long career."
Meanwhile, British police are interviewing witnesses at the bar where
Scanlan drank her liquid nitrogen cocktail and other places have been
told to stop selling those kinds of drinks.
The "stupidity" of what allegedly happened confounds Robert Hess,
founder of the Museum of the American Cocktail and author of "The
Essential Bartenders Guide."
"I'd equate it to a 'chef,' and I'll use that term loosely here," he
said, "reading about the practice of foraging and then going out to
their backyard and finding some random mushrooms and serving it at their
restaurant without realizing that most mushrooms are poisonous."
Copyright 2012 by The ABC News
