Thread: Teenager's stomach removed after drinking cocktail

A teenager has had emergency surgery to remove her stomach after drinking a cocktail containing liquid nitrogen.

Lancashire Police say the 18-year-old was out with friends in Lancaster on Thursday 4 October when it happened.

The woman is reported to have become breathless and developed severe stomach pain before being taken to Lancaster Royal Infirmary.

Officers say she would have died if doctors had not performed the operation.

The woman, from Heysham in Lancashire, was taken to hospital at 11pm.

She was diagnosed with a perforated, or pierced stomach. The 18-year-old is now in a serious but stable condition.

BBC - Newsbeat - Teenager's stomach removed after drinking cocktail

The person who came up with the idea that adding liquid nitrogen to a Cocktail is a star contender for this years Darwin award ....

I did some stupid shit as a kid, but drinking liquid nitrogen would never have crossed my mind. Reckon that bar is looking at a MONSTER lawsuit.

It's pretty stupid of her but whoever runs that bar is a world-class twat.

The bar which sold the drink was named by ITV News as Oscar’s in Lancaster.

It issued a statement saying it was ‘tremendously concerned’ for the teenager and that its ‘wishes go to her and her family’.

Last month the bar posted a picture on its Facebook page of a cocktail which contained liquid nitrogen called the Pornstar Martini.
Sold for £8.95 with a shot of champagne, the bar called it ‘amazing’.

Police said the bar has stopped selling all liquid nitrogen cocktails after last Thursday’s incident.

A spokesman added: ‘The premises involved have fully cooperated with all agencies and have suspended drinks involving liquid nitrogen. The investigation is still in its early stages and we are still interviewing witnesses to establish the full facts.’

Liquid nitrogen, which evaporates at minus 196C, has become increasingly common as a method for instantly freezing food and drinks or creating an impressive cloud of vapour – techniques popularised by television chef Heston Blumenthal.


Investigation: Lancashire Police said the Oscars wine bar have ceased selling the liquid nitrogen cocktail

But it should only ever be used as a method to chill glasses or freeze ingredients as it can cause internal damage when inhaled or ingested.

If swallowed, the liquid can freeze parts of the mouth, throat or stomach, causing severe cold burns which destroy the tissue.

The liquid can also rapidly boil inside the stomach, creating a huge amount of vapour which could potentially cause damage such as perforations.


Read more: Teenager has stomach removed to save her life after drinking trendy liquid nitrogen cocktail | Mail Online

German chef loses both hands in liquid nitrogen explosion
Kerstin Kühn
Wednesday 15 July 2009 00:00

A German chef has blown off both of his hands in a liquid nitrogen kitchen accident.

The young chef, known as Martin E from Stahnsdorf, near Berlin, was experimenting with a recipe involving liquid nitrogen, which is used to freeze food, when the accident occurred.

According to a report in German newspaper the Berliner Morgenpost, there was suddenly an “enormous explosion”.

The chef lost his right hand in the explosion and was rushed to hospital, where his left hand was amputated. Martin E also experienced a serious injury on his leg and genital area.

His condition was described as life-threatening and he remained on artificial respiration.

Liquid nitrogen can cause frostbite in humans upon contact, and can also create an explosion if the liquid turns to gas too quickly.

Heston Blumenthal, chef proprietor of the three-Michelin-starred Fat Duck restaurant in the Berkshire village of Bray, rose to fame cooking with the chemical - a technique known as "molecular gastronomy".

Molecular gastronomy, a culinary and scientific discipline, examines the physical and chemical processes that occur in cooking.


Marco Pierre White hits out at molecular gastronomy >>

Molecular Gastronomy: Exploring the Science of Flavour >>


By Kerstin Kühn


E-mail your comments to Kerstin Kühn here.

German chef loses both hands in liquid nitrogen explosion - 7/15/2009 - Caterer and Hotelkeeper

Thats why I like home cooking. and drinking. Old git I am. But alive and kicking.

No stomach, and dead. Nah pass on both.

no shortage of Liquid Nitrogen cocktails from various countries on youtube .

Its become popular because people think the cocktail looks good with all the smoke coming off it because of the liquid nitrogen.
Yeah that looks good but what happened to all that health and safety the U.K is plagued with these days,seem to have missed that one.
To be honest quite surprised this cocktail is not being sold in Thailand,most likely is somewhere though.

how does one live without stomach?

^by eating a little bit regulally.


They do or had a stall in the paragon that does/did make icecream using liquid nitrogen, but that's the only time I've seen it used in Thailand.

In my student days I mucked around with this stuff a lot and to be honest in the litre quantities it's not really that dangerious as long as you don't use it in a confined space or seal it in something. You can put your hand in it quickly scoop it up and throw it, pour it over your hand with no ill effects beyond a little skin reddening around the hairs on your hand. And it makes exstreamly smooth ice creams, fudges and toffees, though I must say I was never been tempted to try it in drinks, seemed obviously stupid and with icecream we would let it warm up in a freezer before eating it.

As for the chef I am quite curious what he did, I've had domestic thermos flasks fail with liquid nitrogen and whilst it's a high energy event, it's not an explosion. One has to wonder if he was mucking around with the stuff in a pressure cooker or he stealer the thermos with a threaded stopper. Horrible thing to happen to anyone.

Liquid Nitrogen Primer

some interesting liquid nitrogen facts and info , including why the german chef was injured, yes he put it in a sealed container.

it's not really that dangerious as long as you don't use it in a confined space or seal it in something.

Such as a stomach.

My ex Mrs was from Lancaster, shame it wasn't her

Originally Posted by taxexile

Last month the bar posted a picture on its Facebook page of a cocktail which contained liquid nitrogen called the Pornstar Martini. Sold for £8.95 with a shot of champagne, the bar called it ‘amazing’.

A teenager has had emergency surgery to remove her stomach after drinking a cocktail containing liquid nitrogen.

That's gonna cost them.

they'll probably go conveniently bankrupt before being held accountable..

cheers

Originally Posted by alitongkat

how does one live without stomach?

Originally Posted by taxexile

Liquid Nitrogen Primer

some interesting liquid nitrogen facts and info , including why the german chef was injured, yes he put it in a sealed container.

That's an excellent artical with some very sane advice, though saying that every lab I worked in used domestic thermosflasks with cotton wool bungs, and gloves only when filling those containers.

One danger they didn't mention is that of condensing oxygen, which depending upon the circumstances can be rather dangerious, I once did a demo and some cotton wool caught fire and I decided to. Put it out with some liquid nitrogen, unfortunately i picked up the flask with liquid oxygen, which is a lovely blue colour. I ended up with a bright flash and the loudest wosh I have ever head leaving the room filled with small bits of floating chared Collin wool. It's

You would think chilling cocktail glasses to such a low temperature would make the bloody things too brittle to pick up

Depends upon the material. But glass and copper don't get brittle. Rubber, some plastics and steels do. I believe that some of the hardened steels they use on padlocks become brittle under these circumstances and will shatter with a hammer blow. Personally I have never tried this, so I cannot vouch for it. But I can say that freezing a mortise lock with liquid nitrogen and then jamming it up with water. Can keep the lock jammed for many many hours with the owner non the wiser as to what happened when it all thaws out and starts to work again

Can't see how this fad gained any followers. Wouldn't the glass stick to the lips or face? A very reduced quality of live for the young lady involved, I do feel sorry for her.

Originally Posted by hazz

Depends upon the material. But glass and copper don't get brittle. Rubber, some plastics and steels do.

In a prevoius job I had to use liquid Nitrogen to freeze peices of extruded rubber barstock, these would then have complex shapes machined in them on a CNC lathe.

Originally Posted by hazz

I believe that some of the hardened steels they use on padlocks become brittle under these circumstances and will shatter with a hammer blow. Personally I have never tried this, so I cannot vouch for it.

Your quite correct, this used to be a favorite method of stealing expensive motorbikes, until the padlock and chain manufacturers improved the metallurgy to make the steel resistant to low temperature embrittlement.