Bar shots: Don’t play with fire

Restaurants in Bengaluru are serving liquor with a burning flame. The visual appeal is dramatic, but it comes with serious safety hazards.

Flaming shots, or drinks embellished with a burning flame, are being served in restaurants across the city.

A woman complained last week that a bartender asked her to gulp down a flaming shot with a burning flame inside, and she suffered burn injuries.

Sharath Rice, managing director of Hangover, Koramangala, says ‘flaming shots’ should never be consumed with a live flame.

“We always warn our patrons not to sip or gulp down the drink with the fire. The flame is meant for artistic appeal and is not to be consumed,” he says.

The flame does not add to the taste, and customers should not try to drink from a burning glass even with a straw, he says.

Many customers like to record visually dramatic moments for social media sites such as Instagram, which is why bar staff warn patrons not to play with fire.

“Women with long hair are always at risk. We always tell them to be at a safe distance and to use the straw after the fire is put off. The fire is only for the visual experience,” he says.

One of the newest bars in town, Night Owl, Ulsoor, serves eight variants of flaming shots.

“There is a lot of care taken when shots are served. Alcohol catches fire, and a flaming shot is not left burning for too long. Also, the glass can become too hot and explode,” explains Nihal Peres, partner.

Blowing at the flame is not a good idea either.

“Also, more alcohol should not be poured into a flaming shot. Before consumption, a flaming shot should be doused with an empty glass being put over it,” he says.

Staff also tell customers to be careful while holding the glass.

If precautions are not followed properly, the restaurant could catch fire and customers injured, managements warn.

Another trend in the city is to challenge food lovers to take up fiery spice challenges.

Thashvin Muckatira, managing director and executive chef, Plan B, says customers can take up the ‘ABS chicken wings challenge’ only after they sign a document saying they are aware of the risks.

“The challenges requires one to consume 12 super spicy chicken wings with a hot sauce in four minutes. Completing the challenge means the winner’s photo will be posted on our Wall of Fame,” he says.

A two-page liability waiver is signed before a customer takes up the challenge. “We also check their IDs,” he says.

Bamey’s Restro Cafe’s runs a spicy momo challenge: those who take it up have to eat 10 pieces of momo with ‘Bhut jolokia’ (ghost chilli) paste, and within 10 minutes.

Winning the challenge fetches the customer 100 days of free momos. The spice levels are high, and customers must sign a declaration before they bite into the momos.

Babiraj Rai, manager, says, “The chilli is more than 70 per cent spicier than regular chilli and our staff always explain the challenge to our customers.”

The cafe offers honey and milk to participants to help them cool off after the challenge.

“The declaration states that any untoward incident because of the challenge would be the customer’s responsibility,” he says.

Hair down

Anyone who tries to gulp down a shot with the fire is inviting danger, but women with long hair are at higher risk, say restaurateurs.

Gulp!

Last week, a woman from Delhi visiting Bengaluru for a conference sustained injuries while consuming a flaming shot at a restaurant in Whitefield.

She alleged the glass broke because of the flame. The bartender had asked everyone to gulp the shots down, she said.

Spice document

Customers who take up the spice challenges in Bengaluru are first asked to sign a document saying they are aware of the risks, and the restaurants are not responsible for any harm or injury caused by eating fiery hot chilli dishes.

What goes into a flaming shot?

There are several types of flaming shots. The most popular one in Bengaluru is the Flaming Lamborghini, which includes kahlua, sambuca, blue carcao and Bailey Irish cream.

Sharath Rice, managing director of Hangover, explains, “The bartender forms a glass pyramid, with the big-mouthed glass/martini glass at the bottom. The blue carcao and kahlua is poured into the bottom glass. After this, slightly heated sambuca is poured with blow torch from top. There will be a cascading effect. The Baileys is either poured from the top to douse the flame or is had separately.”

The bartender lets the patrons sip the drink from the bottom glass and later ask them to sip the Baileys, for a cooling effect. He adds, “Some bartenders also use cinnamon powder dusting on flames which gives fire sprinkle effect.”