Internet pirates hard-to-swallow alcohol.
TikTok users have found that adding a milk frother to a liquor of their choice changes the taste of the drink — seemingly for the better.
TikToker @timthetankofficial, who has 2.8 million followers on the app, attempted the hack in a video posted on July 24.
JUST ONE ALCOHOLIC DRINK A DAY MAY RAISE BLOOD PRESSURE, STUDY SAYS
After frothing a serving of silver Patron tequila for about 30 seconds, he gave it a taste compared to an “unfoamed” shot of Patron, confirming the major difference.
“It’s 100 times smoother than the original,” he said. “I can’t believe this actually works.”
TikTok users have found that adding a milk frother to a liquor of their choice changes the taste of the drink. (Angélica Stabile/Fox News Digital)
So what’s really going on inside the shot glass?
Fox News Digital spoke with Texas Christian University chemistry professor Dr. Eric Simanek, who discussed how using a frother could alter the chemical properties of alcohol.
WINE QUIZ! WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE DELICIOUS DRINK?
The foam introduces “a bit of heat,” which can speed up chemical reactions and change the composition of the drink, Simanek explained.
Dr. Eric Simanek, professor of chemistry at Texas Christian University, revealed how using a frother can change the chemical properties of a liquor. (Angélica Stabile/Fox News Digital)
The froth also introduces oxygen, which can “react with tasty molecules,” the chemist added.
“However, this reaction is likely to be very slow (if it hadn’t already happened in the bottle or keg, etc.),” he wrote in an email response.
The reason for the change in flavor profile could be as simple as the presence of bubbles, an expert says. (iStock)
The professor suggested the change could also be physical, altering the way humans perceive the taste of the drink.
“Taste depends more on smelling with the nose than tasting with the tongue,” Simanek said.
TCU chemistry professor Dr. Eric Simanek suggested that the reaction to alcohol foam could be both chemical and physical. (Angélica Stabile/Fox News Digital)
The reason for the change in flavor profile, in this case, could be as simple as the presence of bubbles.
“The foam introduces bubbles…in large quantities,” Simanek said. “The bubbles reorganize the molecules of the drink and collect tasty and fatty molecules on the surface of the bubbles…just like a soap bubble.”
“Anything that impairs your ability to perceive the amount you have consumed will be dangerous.”
“I would say that when you drink those fine bubbles, they burst, sending those fatty, flavorful molecules flying through the air to your mouth, allowing you to smell them with your nose,” he continued. “That process is probably what affects the flavor.”
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
If the bubbles are causing a change in flavor, Simanek speculated that the drink would return to its “normal” state as soon as the bubbles dissipated, which was reported by the experimenters.
While this trick may encourage some to drink hard liquor more frequently, Simanek cautioned drinkers to be careful when trying to lather alcohol. (Angélica Stabile/Fox News Digital)
“This is the case with champagne, where the fine bubbles are associated with a finer product”, he specifies.
“Scientific publications in very prestigious research journals address this phenomenon.”
While this trick may encourage some to drink hard liquor more frequently, Simanek cautioned drinkers to be careful when trying to lather alcohol.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“Anything that impairs your ability to perceive how much you’ve consumed will be dangerous,” he said.
“And sometimes the extra experience just isn’t worth it.”
Fox