Reaching legal drinking age is considered a rite of passage across cultures and generations. For many Americans,* the 21st Birthday can be cause for raucous celebration. English young adults get to celebrate at 18; this is clearly due to class and sophistication that dominates their culture.
The need to incorporate elegance and grace into every aspect of daily life permeates into the Birthday Ritual as well. Many bartenders (aka mixologists) have dedicated their careers to experimenting with creative new approaches to serving spirits. Sure, the shaken-not-stirred vodka martini has a classic James Bond-ian feel to it, but it doesn't quite command a room the same way as a flaming shot of 151!
It is therefore interesting to note that the field of Mixology, the study of designing and serving mixed drinks and cocktails, actually mirrors that of compounding pharmacy: understanding how the proper substances, mixed in the proper proportions and delivered in just the right way, will produce a desirable end effect. Compounding pharmacists understand that improper use of pharmaceuticals can have disastrous consequences, however; a recent news story suggests mixologists are becoming more aware of the field of Toxicology.
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.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/liquid-nitrogen-cocktail-injury-steams-debate-flashy-drinks/story?id=17425885#.UHRWUkf_dCA
Though the toxicological impact of improper administration of a flaming shot should be fairly self-explanatory, ingestion of liquid nitrogen can potentially cause frostbite-like symptoms within the upper-digestive tract. As this story suggests, it appears that an English teen was given a shot of Jaegermeister that had been chilled using liquid nitrogen cooled to below -300F. The ultra-cold temperature would have caused her stomach lining to solidify, allowing the "boiling" nitrogen to cause a massive increase in pressure, leading to rupture. It is clear that, given the global reaction this story has already produced, much more information about this situation will be learned in the days and weeks to come.
Does this mean bartenders shouldn't be allowed to use liquid nitrogen anymore? Of course not! It just means we toxicologists have an opportunity to educate the public on the proper administration of wine and spirits. Which is, I'm sure, exactly what a young adult wants to hear when celebrating at the pub.
* Because I was living in Germany at the time, I was able to enjoy my first legal ale at the Hofbrauhaus in Munich at age 16.
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