*theme music starts*
"The best drink in existence is the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster,
the effect of which is like having your brain smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped 'round a large gold brick."
*screaming from figurative head-smashing*
The Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster is a legendary drink from Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
It is notorious for being very difficult to recreate on Earth, but I'm gonna give it a go.
Here's the official recipe:
"Take the juice from one bottle of the Ol' Janx spirit."
"Pour into it one measure of water from the seas of Santraginus V."
"Allow three cubes of Arcturan mega-gin to melt into the mixture
(it must be properly iced or the benzene is lost.)"
"Allow four liters of Fallian marsh gas to bubble through it,
in memory of all those happy hikers who have died of pleasure in the Marshes of Fallia."
"Over the back of a silver spoon, float a measure of Qualactin Hypermint extract,
redolent of all the heady odors of the dark Qualactin zones: Subtle, sweet, and mystic."
"Drop in the tooth of an Algolian Sun Tiger;
watch it dissolve, spreading the fires of the Algolian suns deep into the heart of the drink."
"Sprinkle Zamphuor, add an olive and then drink...
But...
...Very carefully."
Okay, let's get started, and oh! Don't forget the most important step to safely create this cocktail...
Make sure you have your towel close at hand.
And here we go.
First, we need that Ol' Janx spirit,
which is a potent alcoholic beverage and most closely resembles a vodka.
Start by adding about an ounce and a half to a mixing glass, or for those under the Imperial (metric) system, precisely 42 milliliters.
For the Santraginian seawater, we're gonna use a saline solution, four parts water to one part salt.
This will brighten up the cocktail.
Add three drops of the saline solution directly into the mixing glass.
Next up, we need three cubes of Arcturan mega-gin.
Now, fortunately, in Galactic Sector ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha where Earth is located, it's typically found in a liquid state.
Here we're gonna be using some "navy-strength" gin, adding again about 1.5 ounces or 42 milliliters.
Next, we need the gas from Fallian marshes, which we know emit a deadly hallucinogenic euphoria.
This is not unlike the euphoria that you get from nitrous oxide, which we happen to have right here.
We're gonna use this nitrous oxide to do a rapid infusion, using a technique from Dave Arnold.
The science behind this technique deserves its own video,
but we're gonna be inserting the nitrous oxide into the whipper to create a high pressure environment,
and infuse, in this case, some lemon.
I only recommend the iSi brand whipper as it's the safest on the market.
So grab your microplane and start zesting; we're gonna need the peel of two lemons for this.
Open up the canister, add in all of that lemon zest, and then pour in all the liquid from the mixing glass.
After sealing the canister tight, we're going to inject one of the nitrous oxide chargers by twisting it until we hear the gas discharge.
*Science!*
This has increased the pressure inside the canister and we're gonna give that a bit of a shake,
and then actually add a second nitrous oxide charger to maximize the pressure inside.
*More science!*
This high pressure is going to force the liquid inside the pores of the lemon peel.
Give that another shake, and then we're gonna let it sit for two minutes.
Then, we dispel the gas.
*Depressurized science!*
We do this into a glass to catch any liquid that might come out,
and this rapid dispelling of the gas will quickly pull out all the liquid from the lemon and create a really nice infusion.
You'll hear it bubbling as the gas continues to escape.
Then use a fine mesh strainer to catch all the lemon zest.
You'll see this beautiful yellow color as the infusion took hold.
What normally takes weeks to infuse, we did in just minutes!
Now that we've taken care of our Fallian marsh gas, we need our Qualactin Hypermint extract.
Here we're gonna use some crème de menthe.
As instructed, pour it over the back of a silver spoon; here we're using a quarter ounce, or about seven milliliters.
For the tooth of an Algolian Sun Tiger, we're going to dash a firewater tincture onto a sugar cube,
spreading the fires of the Algolian suns deep into the heart of the drink.
Try not to make a mess of things, but if you do, be a hoopy frood and use your towel.
Then drop your tooth of the Algolian Sun Tiger into the drink and watch it dissolve.
We now need to stir this drink with ice to chill and dilute it,
and this drink is potent, so make sure to stir for at least 60 seconds.
Then, double-strain into your signature Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster glass.
And then we need to sprinkle Zamphuor.
For our Zamphuor, we're gonna be using citric acid.
We've added some sweetness to this drink, which we now want to balance with some acidity,
and we didn't get any with that lemon infusion.
So sprinkle about one 1/2 teaspoon or two grams of your citric acid over the top of the drink.
And finally, add an olive, using the pick to stir in the citric acid.
And now we drink, but very carefully, to see if this is truly the best drink in existence.
OH!
The effect of this drink is intense...
But is it like having your brain smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped around a large gold brick?
There's only one way to find out.
Grab your channel knife and peel off a long, thin strand of lemon peel.
Wrap the slice of lemon around the gold brick, brace yourself, and remember... Don't panic.
*Award-winning acting*
Ugh...
The results of this controlled experiment have shown me that, yes, the effects are similar.
But do not try this at home without your trusty towel to break your fall.
If you wanna get the equipment I used in this episode or any of the tools from this show, I've just launched an Amazon page.
Almost all the equipment ships using Amazon Prime and purchasing through this page actually supports the channel.
Check it out by clicking the link on the screen or in the description.
Cheers!