--- title: "Man in Intensive Care Unit After Slamming Liquid Nitrogen Cocktail That Ruptured His Stomach" description: "What happens when you down an ice-cold brew containing liquid nitrogen? One Moscow man is finding out the hard way." date: "2025-12-31" modified: "2025-12-31" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/health-medicine/liquid-nitrogen-cocktail-russia" categories: - "Chemistry" - "Health & Medicine" - "Medical" - "Science & Energy" --- # Man in Intensive Care Unit After Slamming Liquid Nitrogen Cocktail That Ruptured His Stomach ![What happens when you down an ice-cold brew containing liquid nitrogen? One Moscow man is finding out the hard way.]() *Getty Images* There's perhaps no greater shortcut to a bit of pseudo-scientific flare than a splash of liquid nitrogen, a long-time staple of experimental culinary drama thanks to celebrity chefs like [Heston Blumenthal]() and [Ferran Adrià](). Decades after the rise of molecular gastronomy, it seems the gimmick still hasn't fully evaporated. Case in point, a Moscow man was hospitalized recently after taking a shot which contained un-evaporated liquid nitrogen at an office holiday party, [per *Baza*](), a Russian-language online publication. The incident took place at a "culinary studio" called "Igra Stolov," a culinary edutainment space in Moscow offering cooking classes, children's events, and corporate retreats. According to *Baza*, a celebrity chef was using liquid nitrogen as part of a "cryo-show," which included fancy cocktails and shots flash-chilled with the stuff. The man who drank the chilling brew, described only as a 38-year-old named Sergei, apparently downed it immediately after the liquid nitrogen was poured, not allowing it time to safely evaporate. Instead, the cryogen made its way down his esophagus where it expanded rapidly, rupturing his stomach. Sergei was reportedly hospitalized in an intensive care unit, and required surgery to save his innards from the damage. Per *Baza*, he's now conscious, though his status following the surgery is unknown. As poor Sergei discovered, liquid nitrogen is extremely dangerous to consume. With a boiling point of −196 °C, liquid nitrogen expands rapidly into a massive amount of gas when exposed to room temperatures. The substance has a [liquid-to-gas expansion ratio]() of 696:1, meaning that one liter of liquid will vaporize into 696 liters of gas. That's on top of the risk of cryogenic burns, which has resulted in [permanent scarring](), [finger amputations](), and [throat burns](). The first recorded case of liquid nitrogen ingestion came in 1997, when a physics student in Massachusetts swallowed the stuff during a [lab demonstration](). Later in 2012, an 18-year-old in England had to have her [stomach removed]() after knocking back a shot of Jägermeister that had been treated with the cryogen. **More on chemicals:** *[Uncles Tremble as Man Invents Vaccine Delivered by Beer]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()