Is it possible to make a beverage that evaporates on contact with the consumer's tongue?

Question

In one episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation Guinan makes a Tzartak Aperitif, which is described as:

When made properly, the evaporation point of the drink's main ingredient was one-half degree lower than the body temperature of the consumer. Thus, the liquid evaporated immediately after it touched the tongue, and the flavor was carried entirely by the vapors.

Now I know that this drink is completely fictional, but it got me wondering if a similar effect has ever been achieved in the real world?

Are there any (edible) substances, which can be used to create a beverage that evaporates on contact with the consumer's tongue?

And for bonus points, are there any such substances which make a beverage that actually tastes good?

GdD · Accepted Answer

In the Star Trek world you have plenty of beings with body temperatures higher or lower than humans, so if you had a being with a body temp of 79C then ethanol would work out perfectly! However, with humans the liquid which would fit the bill of vaporizing just below body temperature would be Pentane, which not only smells bad but is also toxic. The science behind it is wrong anyway, you'd want a liquid with a much lower vaporization point than body temperature so it would boil off quickly. If you pick a liquid that boils just below body temperature it would take some time to vaporize and you wouldn't have the same effect.
All is not completely lost, you can still have some cool effects with liquids that are safe for consumption. What you have to remember is that the closer a liquid gets to its boiling point the more it evaporates, and any volatiles in it will tend to remain suspended in the vapor and be detectable by the nose. This is the effect you get when you sniff brandy or cognac that has been brought up to body temperature. You can savor it by holding it on the tongue for a few seconds and letting the vapors fill your nasal cavity. So all you need is some strong (at least 80 proof) and flavored (or more accurately scented) alcohol, and the right glasses. Brandy snifters would work best as they are designed to capture the vapors so they can be inhaled. You could then heat the liquid to just above human body temperature and then serve.
Keep the quantities served down unless you want some very drunk guests!

SAJ14SAJ · Answer

There are three main liquids humans can consume without harm: water, ethanol, and certain lipids which are liquid at room temperature, such as olive oil or vegetable oil.   Any beverage would have to have at least one of those as its bulk ingredient.

None of these evaporate instantly upon contact with the tongue, or at anything like body temperature.

So, no, this is not reasonably possible; it was just fiction.

Wayfaring Stranger · Answer

Diethyl ether has a boiling point just under human body temperature, so theoretically it'd work. However, judging from the smell, the stuff would taste horrible, if you did manage to swallow any, you'd belch uncontrollably, and it'd knock you out quite quickly.

The other option would be to lower the ambient air pressure to something where alcohol boils at around body temperature. With a boiling point of 78.1 °C, perhaps one quarter atmosphere might do it, and might be survivable with enhanced oxygen content. Still, 95% ethanol burns going down as a liquid, and I doubt the gas'd be much better.

Dalton · Answer

I was actually watching an episode of 'Brew Dogs' last year that dealt with something similar. The show is based on a couple of Scottish guys who own Brew Dogs brewery and they went all over the USA, making beers that had elements of the places they created them. They'd create all kinds of weird concoctions, but people usually like them.

When they went to San Francisco, CA, they made a beer where they collected condensed fog that rolled in off the bay to make their beer from. Where your idea came in was when they created a vaporized portion of the beer with the help of a device that created flavored vapors. Its been a while and I can't really look it up do to the firewall I'm behind right now, but I did find that the company was called 'Le Whaf'. If you search that combination, I'm sure you'll find a video where they use it. So it's not exactly a liquid that evaporates on your tongue, but a flavored fog. I think it's pretty cool and it's something available now.

Is it possible to make a beverage that evaporates on contact with the consumer's tongue?

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