The Red Kiva Lounge in Chicago has apparently taken mixology to a new level with Vaportinis: a shot of alcohol that’s heated, and, instead of being drunk, is inhaled as it evaporates from the heat. The result is a head rush akin to smoking a cigarette as the alcohol is absorbed through the lungs.
The owner of The Red Kiva got the idea for Vaportinis after a trip to Finland, where vodka is poured over hot coals and then inhaled during an annual winter festival. After developing a special container that heats the alcohol and then allows the customer to inhale through a straw, The Red Kiva started offering several different types of alcohol in their Vaportinis.
The more exotic mixology gets, the more interesting the ways people will find to ingest alcohol. The quest for the next trendy drink continues to yield innovations like the Vaportini. The biggest hurdle to this drink is reminding people that inhaling alcohol still gets you drunk. No word on how a breathalyzer reacts to someone whose been “smoking” alcohol.