Video by Tom Compagnoni
Fancy a chilled glass for your cocktail? Look no further. While ice might be nice, it’s got nothing on liquid nitrogen.
At a seriously chill -196.4 degrees celcius (yes, you read right) liquid nitrogen doesn’t so much chill your glass as instantly freeze it. Which, when you’re ordering a delicious martini on a balmy Friday night, can only be a good thing. (Plus, it turns into fog when exposed to air -- in other words, it makes your drink look like some kind of delicious science experiment.)
So why doesn’t this super-cold substance shatter your glass into a million frozen pieces? Glad you asked. You know when you have a really hot pan and you sprinkle a few drops of water on it, and they just skitter about before evaporating? It’s called the Leidenfrost effect and the same thing happens with liquid nitrogen. Because the temperature differences between glass and liquid nitrogen is so extreme, it causes a little barrier of evaporated gas to form around the actual liquid of the nitrogen -- meaning they don’t actually touch.
But enough of science. Another great thing about the ‘ole LN is it means your drink isn’t diluted from ice -- which means a) more bang for your buck and b) more alcohol. How can you lose?
For the record -- The Huffington Post Australia doesn't recommend trying this at home. Try popping your martini glasses into your freezer for a chilled effect instead.
But for now, check out our video of cocktail guru Aaron Gaulke working his magic at Sydney’s Bennelong Restaurant -- if that doesn’t make you want to have a drink this Friday, we’re pretty sure nothing will.