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Dangerous Cocktails – Five to Avoid on Your Next Trip

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Fox News has advice for you on combinations to avoid on your next trip to the bar (and surprisingly none of them involve liberals)!

Their top five “dangerous cocktails” are:

  1. The Hurl Hurl
  2. The Zombie
  3. The Vaportini
  4. The Tequila Blue Blazer
  5. Corpse Reviver #2

While I find their list interesting, it just seems too tame to me as a traveler – and heck, a Corpse Reviver #2 is one of my favorite “drinking serious cocktails” kind of cocktails.

I decided to put my own list of dangerous cocktails together of ones I might be likely to encounter on trips I have planned in the next few months:

1. the Arak Attack – This cocktail is often served in Bali and the surrounding islands and includes arak (a locally distilled rice liquor) and variations of citrus mixers (I’ve had them various combinations of Sprite, orange juice, sweet and sour, and like juice).  They are generally cheaper in dive bars than beverages with imported liquor and can sometimes prove fatal when tainted arak or methanol is involved.  Reputable establishments rarely carry arak-based cocktails but it’s the beverage of choice in more remote areas.

2. Hand Grenades – A trademarked cocktail sold only licensed New Orleans bars and served in green plastic patented containers, this sweet and potent cocktail is a favorite among tourists who often overestimate their ability to consume multiples of the beverage.  Many can be found each weekend getting sick in the streets – and it’s an unconfirmed rumor that some have even taken Hand Grenade-induced naps in Bourbon Street bathroom stalls.  My advice?  Skip these and go enjoy a Sazarac or Brandy Milk Punch at the Carousel Bar instead.

3. Three Wise Men – One part Jim Beam, one part Jack Daniels, and one part Johnnie Walker – this is a shot for individuals that don’t appreciate the subtleties of whiskey and/or those hell-bent on hitting oblivion quickly.  A friend of mine drunkenly nicknamed this the “Blind Moses” when we were in college (she got the Biblical part and blinding is what it was).  This one makes the list as I keep running into it – I’m pretty sure these (or something similar) led to the incidents that caused a group of friends to get thrown out of a bar in Brussels one night. Really – ANY shot goes on this list for me. If it needs to be downed quickly, my motto is PASS!

4.  the Singapore Sling – A signature tourist experience for first-time visitors to Singapore is to have one of these at the Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel.  One Singapore Sling is a nice splurge and the gin/brandy-based cocktail isn’t too potent.  But stop at one because the sugar content combined with heat, humidity, and jet lag can have you feeling queasy quickly.  If the drink doesn’t do it, the price tag will – one cocktail will set you back nearly $30.

Singapore Sling

5. Any drink you don’t watch being poured/served – It bears repeating that any drink you don’t see go from the bottle to your glass can be dangerous. When cocktailing alone or with new friends, especially in foreign countries, try to order your drinks from the bar yourself. Never accept a drink from a stranger or new acquaintance that you have not seen poured/opened in front of you. And leave a few digital breadcrumbs, just in case.

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