h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

One of my favourite cocktails, if only for the looks you'll get as you walk back from the bar:


Take one of those curved vase-shaped half pint glasses.

Pour in a double measure of Baileys.

Add a measure of blue curacao.

Admire the green marbled effect that this causes.

Open a small bottle of fizzy cola drink.

Start to pour this directly into the middle of the glass (do not tilt the glass, or even attempt to pour down the side), with a smooth steady flow (not too slow, but not so fast that you get excessive turbulence).

Stop pouring when the glass is about half full. (Or half empty, according to taste.) The knowing precisely when to stop requires practice - it depends on the brand of fizzy cola drink selected and the ambient temperature - there is a knack to watching the fizz rise up the glass, and knowing at which point to stop pouring to avoid spillage, and yet fill the glass precisely. (You should however pour the cola in with a single action - topping it up after an error will spoil the effect.)

If you get the coke pouring just right, you will now have a glass full of green foam. (Experts will get the foam to extend a considerably distance from the glass without quite breaking free.) This is a Toxic Waste.


It looks slightly better than it tastes. Actually opinion is divided on the matter - I always rather liked them because they are essentially Baileys-flavoured Aero (the foam sets after forming), but some people find them repulsive. The most alarming aspect however is the stuff that forms beneath the foam. It's not that it tastes bad, it's just that its texture is, well, unfortunate... When you drink it, your throat sends you these messages saying "No, I remember this stuff, it's supposed to go in the other direction."

But so long as you can suppress the gag reflex, it's a perfectly enjoyable drink.

Don't leave the glass to go dry after drinking, otherwise it'll need several intensive soaks in nearly-boiling water before you can get the crud off it. It's best not to drink these from a glass you would be upset to have to throw away.

Thanks IanG, I only just spotted this while I was making a few alterations. The description is so eloquent I'm going to leave it here in the forum and point people to it .

BS

Glad you liked it. (You might change your mind after drinking it. )

You could even make the bit on the main page link directly to this Forum thread by using the following:

<a href="http://www.h2g2.com/forumframe.cgi?forum=37272&thread=49109">Toxic Waste

(Don't try to click on that here - the parser for the forum has misjudged where the end of the URL is... Should be OK as GuideML though.)

...although looking into it in more depth apparently:

<LINK H2G2="forumframe.cgi?forum=37272&thread=49109">Toxic Waste

is preferred in GuideML. (According to Bruce, who would know.)