Ever been to a fancy place and decided to have a cocktail? Ever stop to consider the content of what is in your cocktail? Most people believe  that a cocktail consists  merely of mixed fruits with a little sugar and liquor. However, England recently got a warning that their cocktails may contain some liquid nitrogen. Liquid nitrogen, which is usually used in making fuel, and has disastrous effects when consumed in large doses. The existence of liquid nitrogen in cocktails was first discovered in United Kingdom when UK resident Gaby Scanlon started experiencing shortness of breath and stomach pains after she drank one such cocktails.

Scanlon, who was celebrating her 18th birthday, started experiencing these symptoms shortly after she imbibed the drink. Apparently the 18-year old had been heavily smoking that night and the mixture of smoke and liquid nitrogen in her system may have been what caused the symptoms. She was then rushed to the hospital where the doctors managed to remove a large quantity of the nitrogen and were able to save the young woman’s life. According to the doctors of the Lancaster Royal Infirmary, the young woman would have most certainly died if the procedure had not been done when it was.

This particular incident is what prompted the Foods Standard Agency to issue an alert about cocktails containing liquid nitrogen. Liquid nitrogen, though it seems harmless, has major negative repercussions on the body, as it is highly flammable when mixed with cigarette smoke. All beverage stalls have been warned against adding any liquid nitrogen to beverages and all cocktails and other beverages that have liquid nitrogen should be recalled to avoid another scenario like the one with Gaby Scanlon. It was unfortunate, but could have been avoided if the proper care would have been taken.