Rashed Islam has found a way to pacify smokers struggling with the city’s recent ban on lighting up. It doesn’t entail huddling outside in the cold, wearing Nicoderm patches or sneaking puffs in the bathroom. His solution is perfectly legal, elegant and downright tasty — the nicotini.
Last month, the bartender for Viet Bistro (1346 W. Devon Ave., 773-465-5720) unveiled a line of nicotine-infused cocktails, enabling Marlboro men and women to stay inside and drink their fix.
“The key is the base, which is sugar cane juice steeped with Flying Dutchman tobacco,” said Islam, who approaches cocktails like a mad scientist. (Alcohol is taboo in his native Bangladesh, so the 33-year-old lives in America.)
“That creates a base with nicotine, then I can make a drink any way you’d like.”
Lemongrass nicotine fizz? Coming up! Nicotine chocolatini? Yes, ma’am! Islam will pair savory nicotine drinks with entrees at the French-Vietnamese bistro. Sweet cocktails go well with the sorbet dessert.
Does it work? The mixologist has field-tested his creations on himself; a pack-a-day smoker, he’ll drink one of his cocktails at the start of his shift to keep the desire at bay.
This reporter, who fondly recalls the cigarettes smoked in his youthful idiocy, sampled a nicotine fizz (lemongrass extract, peppercorn, vodka, rum, rhubarb gin and organic pear cider in addition to the base). I didn’t experience the tongue tingle some patrons receive from the stimulant but did enjoy the taste. And the perk I felt could have been the nicotine, could have been the three types of booze or could have been the irony of pairing a toxic alkaloid with an organic juice.
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So is drinking nicotine bad for you? Well, it ain’t health food. Nicorette gum chewers are consuming nicotine via digestion, but the gum also comes with several cautions about drug interactions and overdose symptoms. Too, nicotine is addictive.
That said, nicotinis cost $12 but are half price on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
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