Backdraft (drink)

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The Backdraft is a cocktail that is noted for its elaborate preparation and extreme potency. Named after the Backdraft which occurs in some fire situations, this drink produces a similar condition on purpose using flammable alcoholic drinks and an enclosing container, such as an upside down pint glass. The potency of the Backdraft drink is in the types of liquors used, and in the order they are consumed. Below is a typical procedure for producing one variation of the Backdraft drink. The combination of warm alcohol, followed by inhaling vapourized alcohol, and then finishing with a highly spiced warm alcohol, makes the drinking of this drink difficult, and while it tends not to have an immediate effect (since it is drunk quickly), the warmth of the alcohol and the vapour, make the concentration and absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream quicker than other drinks, and produces a more profound impact.

The procedure listed below is a typical illustration of how the drink is presented, and the steps used to produce the backdraft effect. The alcohols listed are strictly for demonstration purposes, and can be substituted with others, as there are various recipes. However, the steps of this procedure are required to be taken in this order to produce what is know as a classic backdraft drink.

[edit] Backdraft preparation (typical)

It contains the following ingredients:

• Sambuca
• Cointreau
• Cinnamon
• Fire
• Ice

In the case of the cinnamon not being available, Black Pepper is often used instead. This creates a much harsher backdraft, also known as the Pepperdraft.

The procedure is as follows:

1. Place a saucer on a counter or table.
2. Put a shot glass in the center of the saucer
3. Fill the shot glass with Sambuca
4. Take a pint glass (about 1/2 litre) and add about 1 - 2 shots of Cointreau. Swirl this in the glass to coat the sides
5. Light the Cointreau and let burn until side of glass become warm to hot
6. Pour lit Cointreau into shot glass containing Sambuca, igniting both liquids
7. Sprinkle Cinnamon (or black pepper in the case of a Pepperdraft) into flaming alcohol from about 1/3 of a meter (1 foot) above the shot glass and watch it ignite.

   Important: All the while keep the pint glass upside down above the flames to catch the alcohol vapour coming off of the burning liquids.

8. When approximately 3-6 good shakes of cinnamon has been dispensed, place the pint glass over the flaming liquid.

   Note: the liquid on the outside of the upside pint glass will still burn and needs to be gently blown out. The upside down pint glass is smaller than the coffee cup saucer, and will thus seal to the saucer extinguishing the flames inside

9. Watch as the alcohol cools inside the pint glass it will try to suck the alcohol on the outside back into the upside down pint glass. This is known as the backdraft effect!
10. Give the customer (victim) a straw and instruct them to follow your directions to the letter, doing only what you tell them to do...
11. Remove the upside-down pint glass and add 2-3 pieces of ice into the glass, and immediately cover the opening of the pint glass with your hand to seal it.
12. While shaking the glass a few times (keeping it covered as you do) instruct your customer (victim) to drink only the contents of the shot glass - as fast as they can. Berate them several times for being slow, and tell them your mother could suck it down faster.
13. When they have finished, open a small hole between your fingers and have them quickly insert the straw between them. Instruct them to inhale the now condensed alcohol vapour in the glass, as fast as they can.

    Remember: Don't let them stop until the glass is again completely clear.

14. Put down the pint glass, and slowly lift the edge of the saucer to move the alcohol towards the customer (victim). Now have them suck up these remains as fast as they can.
15. Check the customer carefully for any signs of nausea - if visible, vacate the area opposite them. If not, congratulate them on finishing a backdraft.
16. Offer them another one, trying to keep a straight face. Remember, presentation is key to this drink, and should not be attempted by amateurs, as they may embarrass themselves, and deprive the customer of the full experience.

[edit] Backdraft Physics

Why is it called a backdraft? Once a gas has been warmed up, it tends to expand to fill a volume. It will replace other gasses and expand due to its heat content. If this is done in an enclosed sealed space, and then the heat is taken away, as the gasses cool, they condense, and decrease in volume, and create a vacuum. Thus when the flaming alcohol in a backdraft is covered with a pint glass over a saucer, the air (a heavier gas) is replaced with warm alcohol vapour (lighter gas)and warm air. As the remaining oxygen is used up, the fire in the pint glass goes out, and the heat source goes away. The alcohol vapour/air mixture now in the glass cools and begins to create a vacuum. This vacuum is responsible for sucking any liquid at the outside bottom of the pint glass further inside (as the seal of the glass and the saucer is not perfect). Once the majority of the liquid is inside the upside down pint glass, sometimes further oxygen can be seen to bubble up into the glass. At some point an equilibrium will occur, where the internal vacuum will hold the liquid inside the glass. This can be great enough at times, that the glass can be lifted, and the saucer will remain stuck to its underside.

When the pint glass is removed, ice is immediately added, thus causing the condensation of the alcohol vapour, creating a white mist in the glass. By covering the glass with the hand, this vapour it trapped until it is extracted by the process of inhalation, usually through a straw.

[edit] References

• "Backdraft" from Joe Bartender
• "Backdraft 1" from Barmeister.com