It numbs the tongue, tickles your lips, and causes a sensation “between tingling and cramping” in the throat. Delightful! Just what you want in a summer cocktail! It’s the Aragog, named after the giant spider in the Harry Potter books, and it was created by Romeo Palomares, chief mixologist at the Luciferina Bar, in Mexico City, after his boss challenged him to come up with a cocktail that would impress patrons.
Via Oddity Central:
While browsing the unusual wares of the Sonora witchcraft market, Romeo recalls being drawn to the stall of a female vendor, who he asked about an interesting ingredient that he could add to a cocktail for an extra kick. She pulled out a dose of tarantula venom and encouraged him to try it, assuring him that it wasn’t enough strong enough to cause serious health problems.
Palomares was afraid to taste the venom at first, but his curiosity got the better of him in the end, so he took a sip. In an interview with Infobae, he describes the taste as “acidic, salty, special, like oysters”, but with mild side-effects. Within seconds, his tongue went numb, and he began to feel tingling and inflammation around his mouth. “My mouth felt like I had just been to the dentist,” he said. It was just what he was looking for!
Aragog is made with Mexican mezcal, Chilean pisco and Brazilian cachaça, mango juice, a touch of lemon and 0.05% tarantula venom per 500 ml of the drink. Palomares says that it’s not a cocktail for the faint of heart, not only because of his special ingredients, but also because it’s made with three kinds of spirits.
Asked about the health consequences of consuming Aragog, its creator said that he consulted with a doctor before serving it to customers, and came up with a dosage that is safe for consumption. He now works with a laboratory that supplies pure tarantula venom.
And despite these side-effects and people’s fear of taratulas, the Luciferina Bar usually sells up to 200 Aragogs a night.
So what do you think? Should we try it? Will you be serving it at your next summer soiree?
