Bartenders warned over liquid nitrogen in cocktails

Bartenders across the UK are being warned against the use of liquid nitrogen in cocktails, following an incident at the weekend. Lancaster teenager, Gaby Scanlon, was rushed to hospital with a perforated stomach after drinking a cocktail containing liquid nitrogen to celebrate her 18th birthday. An emergency operation meant that she had to have her stomach removed.
The custom of adding liquid nitrogen has been around in the US for the past six years, but it is only in the last 12 months that it has become prevalent in cocktails in the UK. DRAM Editor, Susan Young, comments, “Liquid nitrogen is used for effect, and I would imagine that it will now come straight off the cocktail menu. No-one can afford this to happen to a customer. It is just not worth the risk.”