Looks exciting, but one young girl nearly paid with her life at the weekend after drinking a cocktail containing liquid nitrogen whilst out celebrating her 18th birthday. The phenomenon is becoming increasingly popular in trendy bars but the incident that led to her stomach being removed in an emergency procedure has raised issues over the wisdom of such behaviour.
The girl was with friends at Oscar's wine bar in Lancaster city centre when she began to feel ill, becoming breathless and developing severe stomach pain. She was taken to hospital where she was diagnosed with a perforated stomach and surgeons operated immediately to save her life. Lancashire police said: "Medical opinion is that this would have proved fatal had the operation not been carried out urgently." Doctors stated that they had no option but to remove her entire stomach.
An investigation is taking place into the circumstances of how she was given the drink. Once added to alcohol, liquid nitrogen makes the drink appear surrounded by a cloud of white or grey vapour as the liquid boils. In a statement, Oscar's wine bar said it was "tremendously concerned" about the girl and sent its best wishes to her family. Last month, the bar posted a photograph on its Facebook page of a cocktail which contained liquid nitrogen and champagne, and was being sold for £8.95.
Police said the bar had ceased selling all liquid nitrogen cocktails following the incident and had co-operated with all the agencies. The investigation is in its early stages and officers are still interviewing witnesses to establish the facts. Liquid nitrogen, which boils at −196 °C, has become common as a method for flash freezing food or drinks and creating a dramatic vapour cloud. It is stored and transported in vacuum flasks, but can cause severe internal damage if it is ingested.
