In our last blog post, we told you all about our recent rise to fame, including head bartender Kevin’s appearance on Channel 2 KRPC’s Houston Life Halloween Special, where he made a drink using a unique special ingredient to turn it black.
Cool trick, right? If you watched the video, you already know that the special ingredient was charcoal.
Yes, charcoal. Not the charcoal from your grill, but still charcoal. This teeth-whitening, beauty care regimen staple is making a comeback on the bartending scene as bartenders give their best drinks a bit of extra intrigue by turning them black.
Like the indisputably classic Little Black Dress, the Little Black Drink is chic, sleek, and always so stylish. It’s no wonder bartenders at the Tales of Cocktails conference this year were all about it.
Perhaps you’ve heard of adding charcoal powder to drinks before, especially if you’re health food focused. It’s a powerful detoxing agent that absorbs chemicals and toxins, enough even to treat drug overdoses in hospitals. (I feel it’s important to mention here that if we have any recreational drug users among our readers, we here at Palace Party do not recommend munching on a charcoal briquette from your grill in the event of an emergency.) Additionally, rumors abound that charcoal can help prevent hangovers by absorbing the toxins that cause you morning-after pain. It sounds too good to be true, right? Healthy, hangover preventing, and cool looking…can all of my drinks be like that?
But I have for you a word of caution: charcoal powder is almost too powerful, and unfortunately that hangover rumor is pure myth. Even if charcoal powder isn’t the same charcoal that you use for grilling, it’s still not quite 100% safe.
While the sexy black beverage the bartender just slid across the bar to you will not have a high enough dose to cause effects in most people, it will cause effects in some. Charcoal absorbs indiscriminately. It won’t distinguish between toxins and nutrients, or chemicals and medication. If you are on supplements or medication that your body needs, you should avoid charcoal.
Regardless of your state of medication, if you’re consuming charcoal, be sure to eat well to replenish the nutrients it steals. Above all, remember to drink a lot of water if you’re going to have any charcoal, especially mixed with alcohol, because that combination will dehydrate you.
All of that said, if you’re just having one drink, you’re probably okay. Knowing that, we here at Palace Party accepted the challenge and tried some charcoal toting black beverages. Good news: they were yummy, and we lived!
So, what do you think? Do you dare to try the black drinks who owe their sultry hue to charcoal?
Photo credit: The Drink Blog
