The woman, Gaby Scanlon was aged 18 at the time. She was celebrating her birthday, socializing with friends at Oscar’s Wine Bar in Lancaster in 2012. The bar was advertising and making cocktails containing liquid nitrogen. The cocktail shots were selling for £3.95 ($5.)
The shot was a Nitro-Jagermeister. The idea behind adding liquid nitrogen to Jagermeister was to create an effect of smoke coming out from the shot glass. Jagermeister is a German digestif, prepared with 56 herbs and spices at a strength of 35 percent alcohol by volume.
Liquid nitrogen has a boiling point of -196 degrees Celsius. It is used across a range of industries, from computer coolants to removing unwanted skin. Latterly, liquid nitrogen has been used by some restaurants for instantly freezing food and drinks. The chemical creates a cloud of vapour when exposed to air. It is this smoke effect that has inspired some bars and pubs to add it to drinks for an atmospheric effect — a smoky, bubbling “cauldron effect.”
After consuming a shot, the Daily Mirror reports, Scanlon became ill and was taken to hospital. In the hospital she spent three weeks undergoing treatment. The liquid nitrogen caused a perforation in her stomach and she almost died. The only way her life could be saved was for her stomach to be removed, via a gastrectomy.
The hearing into the incident has now been completed (September 2015) and a large fine has been issued to the wine bar’s management. The fine levelled by the court was not because such drinks are illegal. The fine related to the way the drink had been prepared. Scientific evidence given in court stated that the liquid must completely evaporate before the drink is safe for consumption. Otherwise consumption will cause cryogenic burning on contact with body tissues. Liquid nitrogen can also displace oxygen in the air and asphyxiate people.
The lawyer representing the bar, Kevin McLoughlin, told BBC News: “The company…are truly sorry. At no time did they see anything warning them of the risks of ingestion. The essence of this calamity was the ignorance on the part of the company.”
