Leave it to the Brits: Pub air laced with gin and tonic

For those of you who hate the taste of alcohol but love the buzz, there is hope. In the words of Pink Floyd, "Breath, breath in the air," of the London (U.K) pub, 2 Ganton Street. The air, you see, is part oxygen, part nitrogen, and part gin-and-tonic.

The owners outfit patrons in plastic jumpsuits before allowing them to enter the alcohol-infused atmosphere of the pub. Breathing the G&T air for 40 minutes reportedly is the equivalent of a strong mixed drink. The flavor of the air inside is, as one might expect, reminiscent of juniper berries and quinine.

Wired U.K. reports that the only downside so far experienced is hair styling failure due to the humid climate. I imagine a hardcore alcoholic might also develop a mold problem.

The temporary pub is a project of two British artists who have created other performance pieces such as scratch and sniff cinema. Atmospheric delivery of mind-altering chemicals is familiar to marijuana users. A wide variety of humidifiers are sold for the purpose of pacifying the cranky stoner.

Atmospheric alcohol is certainly a better choice than that of a Texas man who won the 2007 Darwin Award (which is always awarded posthumously). Apparently the dude had a penchant for consuming his alcohol in enema form. One evening his wife helped him pour two 750-ml bottles of sherry into his rear end. When he subsequently passed out, the alcohol had nowhere to go, so it kept trickling into his bloodstream. The autopsy reported his blood alcohol level reached .47%.