The Ice-Worm Cocktail

This bright green cocktail boils furiously, and when the mist finally clears, the drinker spies, "drowned in alcohol, an ice-worm... bilious blue... eyes a bulbous red... gross... and hideous of head."
We served this cocktail first as graduate students years ago, and we toyed with a variety of names: "Snakebite", "Venom", "Ice-green" all seemed pretty lame and cliched. It was only earlier this year when a learned, witty and Arctic-obsessed colleague proposed calling it "The Ice-Worm Cocktail", after the Robert W. Service ballad. Despite the name, no Mesenchytraeus solifugus are sacrificed in the preparation of this beverage.

Step 1 Ingredients

This is no ordinary cocktail; it requires an ingredient you won't easily find at your local liquor store. 

Galliano ~ green creme de menthe ~ gummi worm ~ liquid nitrogen

Comments

[ilpug]

You might try a piece of food-grade dry ice

[makendo]

Yeah, dry ice works well, and is easier to source and less hazardous.

[CaptainNemo]

You might try also adding a led illumination device to the cocktail to give it a added effect. 

[makendo]

I can't figure out if you're joking or not, but LN2 + LEDs would make it a true instructables cocktail, that's for sure!

[loqk]

true :-D

led throwies (minus the magnet) work perfectly well, (if a bit dimmer) while frozen in water, i suspect they would be less flashy immersed in LN2. they probably better be on the outside of the glass shining in.

though, now i must get some LN2 and try it, just to see what happens :-D

[CobaltBlue]

You would have to figure out some excuse to use a laser cutter.

[TalonX]

Kinda new here but this sparked a memory of working at a novelty store in the mall. We used to sell liquid activated LED shot glasses that flash when they have something in em. probably make bigger glasses too but I'm not sure. i think I'm gonna go the dry ice route because its much easier to get. But this sounds to me like a winning combo for some crazy drinks. if it works i might try writing it up. a quick search led me to this page that might be worth checking out seems to have lots of fun flashy things. http://www.windycitynovelties.com/211828p/blue-l-e-d-shot-glass.html

[makendo]

An internally lit dry ice cocktail would look cool, for sure. Looking forward to the 'ible.

[cmanuel1]

This seems rather dangerous. But since I could be mistaken, is liquid nitrogen diluted with another liquid safe to drink? And would dry ice in maybe a glass of water be essentially the same as carbonized water?

[makendo]

It is rather dangerous, because you're handling a liquid that can burn you. However, we all handle boiling water without too many problems, and it's dangerous, too. Liquid nitrogen can't really be diluted with another liquid, because it will just boil and freeze the other liquid at the same time. So it just cools the drink and disappears in doing so.
Dry ice is safer, for sure. It will carbonate the water, but only weakly because it won't be under pressure.

[loqk]

I'm pretty sure you can mix it with liquid oxygen, though, that may not be what the questioners meant...

[Evil Bike]

 where can you get liquid nitrogen?

[makendo]

Universities and other users tend to buy it from companies like Praxair or have their own cryogenic plant. Here's how Eric got his. It's not freely available for good reason, but dry ice is a decent and safer substitute.

[snarke]

 It isn't? I called Praxair here in Seattle last summer to ask about buying LN2 for making ice cream. They told me as long as I had a suitable container (which is to say, a dewar), they'd be happy to sell me some liquid nitrogen. I wouldn't need a special license or secret password or anything. 

 

I rather suspect that they figure anybody who knows enough about LN2 to figure out where to get it and how to transport it can have some. After all, it's not nearly as dangerous as, say, fireworks. 

If your local supplier seems less inclined to cooperate, you could try approaching them as a doctor or chef. Doctors use LN2 for removing warts; chefs, well, if you don't know that, you don't watch enough programming on the Food Network. Both of these professions would be (to the supplier) individuals buying small amounts. 

I do not recommend lying to them, by the way. "Approaching them" as in "We're looking at revising our menu/adding some new cocktails to our bar menu [true], and I'm looking for a source for small amounts of liquid nitrogen." 

That's Plan B, though. Odds are very good that if you call them up and say "Hi, I've got a party coming up and I'd like to serve some special cocktails. I have a recipe that involves liquid nitrogen. The instructions include instructions for safely handling the LN2, but don't have much advice on where to get it. Can I get it from you guys, and is there any advice about handling it that you'd like to make sure I know about?" that they'll be quite happy to explain how not to hurt yourself, and what they'll expect when you show up at their plant to buy yourself some chilly chilly N2. 

As a matter of fact, it was the helpful guy at Praxair that explained to me the main difference between a beverage thermos and a dewar. The dewar has a pressure relief valve built in so that the slowly evaporating gas doesn't build up pressure until it explodes. (And that's why they won't let me take my nitrogen home in a thermos.)

[makendo]

Many thanks snarke - some excellent advice. I've never bought liquid N2 from a company, so your experience is really useful. I'm a little perplexed by their definition of dewar though - both it and thermos are just different names for a vacuum flask. If you buy a vacuum flask designed for liquid N2, you'll probably pay well over $100 for it, and in my experience it does no better than a $20 stainless steel beverage thermos - and I've never had the latter explode on me. I suspect that the main reason Praxair won't dispense it into a thermos is that they're worried someone will screw the lid on and inadvertently make a small bomb. The "pressure relief valve" on vacuum flasks sold by scientific suppliers usually consists of a loose-fitting, expanded foam cap that can't seal but does a decent job of insulation.
I also agree with you about safety. LN2 is much safer even than boiling water - a substance most of us handle daily without giving it much thought - I certainly know which I'd rather spill on myself!

[Shela]

It look great and the effect is eerie.  I just need to fine the liquid nitrogen.  Can dry ice be added and get the same effect?

[makendo]

Thanks. The effect is similar with dry ice - you won't freeze the drink, it will last longer, and it's safer. Check out the Color-Changing Martini to see what you can expect from dry ice.

[AngryRedhead]

I like Grasshoppers and other minty drinks (or just straight mint leaves).  I like gummies.  I admit I don't like Galliano because all I taste is the anise, but this flavor combination seems a bit confusing despite existing cocktails which include creme de menthe and galliano.  Assuming you wanted the green color and the gummi worm, why not Midori and Mango Rum? or Sour Apple Schnapps and Currant Vodka? or some other combination such as with Tequila so the gummi is a "true" mock worm?

For the record, I do like this Instructable, and I'm certainly intrigued by a gummi worm in a cocktail.

 

[makendo]

 All your suggestions are good ones; any colourful, clear margarita recipe would work well, too. The historical reasons for this particular combo are lost in a mild alcoholic haze, but I think it went something like this: we were looking for cocktail recipes that were visually striking, and I think that at least one cocktail book calls the Galliano/green creme de menthe drink a "Snakebite" (though more commonly, a snakebite is a mixture of lager and cider), which is how we came up with the gummi worm (called a "lolly snake" in NZ). We figured a snake in the bottom of a venomously green drink would look cool. When we tried out all the drinks we'd made with liquid nitrogen, this one worked best, especially because the snake (worm) is hidden until the boiling stops. I'd like to make a blue one, but I've never tried a blue cocktail that has been anything better than vile.

Now, I have a question for you - how do you get the beautiful seamless white backgrounds in your photos?

[AngryRedhead]

Ah ha, now I get it.  I still don't think it's my bag, but the reasoning behind it does make sense now.

Blue curacao isn't so bad (use it like triple sec), and you can get a nice blue color with very little of it so long as all the other ingredients are clear.  Of course you don't want the curacao to be the overwhelming flavor because that would be a bit ick in my opinion, so use rum, vodka, other white liqueurs, etc.  For a lovely violet/plum color, use chambord.

I'll give you 3 guesses as to how I do it for less than $1, and I'll tell you now it's not a photoshop/GIMP trick.

 

[AngryRedhead]

Also, if you don't get it in 3 guesses, I'll do a quick Instructable on it.

 

[makendo]

Thanks for the tips.
I think you should do an instructable on it anyway! Do you 1. use a large flexible piece of white stuff, perhaps formica, white painted hardboard, or plastic, that you bend up out of shot? 2. a piece of white cloth in the same sort of fashion? 3. a white table pushed against a white wall?

[AngryRedhead]

Ha!  You got it with guess #1!  It's a piece of white poster board bent onto the inside of my tripod (obviously when it's not being used) with a tiny piece of electrical tape to hold it in place - I use electrical tape because it's easy to reposition without tearing.  Then I rig my lights to the tripod or lay them on the surface.  The lights and bulbs were purchased as grow lights originally, and I already had the tripod.  So it's all for less than $1. 

Sometimes I have to use two sheets of poster board ($0.78 + tax) and do some very minor editing in GIMP to remove the seam, not always but sometimes if it doesn't disappear in color editing.  And I have done a white tablecloth against white poster board which isn't very seamless at all but sometimes necessary for the large shots without any other options.  Cloth is wrinkly and likes to warp.  Poster board is ideal because it's easy to bend and will stay smooth, and it's hella cheap.  However, you're limited by space (i.e., they're only so big) and lighting schemes (i.e., they aren't transparent).

So there you have it.  You were able to figure it out very quickly, clever boy!  Maybe I'll do an Instructable on my next photography/lighting scheme which I already have brewing in my head.

 

[makendo]

 Nice. Look forward to seeing it.

[Glockenator]

i thought you said a drop. you must of put close to 1/4 cup in there

[makendo]

 I used the word "dollop", which may well be a British-ism. It's supposed to convey the idea of a "big splash" - basically an indeterminate amount that gives you whatever effect you want. We never bothered measuring it, but your guess of 1/4 cup is probably pretty accurate.

[ycc2106]

Thanks for the tips, smoky drinks does add a lot at halloween parties.
I think you should add:
DO NOT directly drink liquid nitrogen, even a small sip (unless your aiming a suicide effect)
1st time I saw one was at the Giger bar in Tokyo.

[makendo]

Agreed, you do not want to drink liquid nitrogen. Though I have seen people try to eat LN2-chilled food, and their instant reaction is to blow steam out their nostrils. Highly entertaining for onlookers, but also not recommended.

[skylane]

 That is NOT steam coming from the nostrils.
It's more like FOG.  It's condensed moisture from 
the extream cold.
Liquid nitrogen is so cold that it will make a tennis ball
shatter like a cheap wine glass, when dropped.
"Dry ice"... solid carbon dioxide is MUCH less dangerous
and probably quite adaquate for this stuff...

[makendo]

You're quite correct, I should have written "...and their instant reaction is to blow fog out their nostrils" (I have a weakness for metaphor).
Dry ice will certainly make a neat looking drink - it will happily bubble away, making a nice smoky effect (note: not actually smoke). It will also last much longer, is readily available, and is safer. It won't, however, crackle menacingly, shatter tennis balls, or boil furiously, and as SamuelLeung83 put it... that's freakin' cool!

[SamuelLeung83]

So freakin' cool! No puns intended.

[ycc2106]

Don't know how LN reacts if you drink it but I've heard that people have died by ingesting sub-zero vodka in quantity: so cold that as they imbibe, it freezes all that it comes in contact with.  (seems to happen in places where temperature goes below -80F)

[makendo]

 As you can see in the pictures, some of the cocktail freezes after the LN2 is added. However, liqueurs are only ~25% alcohol, so I'd be surprised if the temperature is much colder than say 10-15 degrees below zero (Celsius). The drink tastes cold, but not extraordinarily so. I imagine that you're right - ingesting really strong, really cold vodka is dangerous, since it could stay liquid to much lower temperatures. -80F is crazy cold though, not exactly party weather!

[thepelton]

Something you should read:
"Ballad of the Ice Worm Cocktail" by Robert Service
http://plagiarist.com/poetry/4158

[makendo]

Before getting all indignant, you could have at least read more than the first sentence of the intro. Read on a little...

[thepelton]

I took no offense.  Your whole presentation just brought that poem to my mind.  8>)

[Jayefuu]

Fantastic! Got my vote. Amazing photos.

[makendo]

 Thanks Jayefuu.