A man was left fighting for his life after his stomach was ruptured by a liquid nitrogen cocktail served by a celebrity chef during a corporate Christmas party in Moscow.
The incident reportedly took place at the Igra Stolov ‘Game of Tables’ culinary studio, where guests were being entertained by a flashy “cryo-show” led by an unnamed celebrity chef. The event featured theatrical cocktails chilled with liquid nitrogen, a substance commonly used in professional kitchens but extremely dangerous if consumed before it fully evaporates.
According to Russian outlet BAZA, the chef used liquid nitrogen to rapidly cool the drinks while creating a dramatic fog-like effect. Guests laughed and filmed as the mist poured over the cups, unaware of the danger.
At one point, a 38-year-old guest named Sergey was allegedly encouraged to drink the cocktail immediately.
A viral video circulating online shows him taking a sip from a paper cup before instantly recoiling as nitrogen vapor bursts from his mouth. Moments later, he collapsed in pain.
Celebrity chef’s liquid nitrogen cocktail causes chaos
Witnesses said guests were never warned about the risks of consuming liquid nitrogen, nor instructed to wait for it to fully evaporate. Emergency services were called as Sergey clutched his stomach in agony.
Doctors later determined that the liquid nitrogen rapidly expanded inside his body, causing his stomach to rupture. He was rushed into emergency surgery and admitted to intensive care. While he is now reported to be conscious and recovering, medics described his condition as serious.
Liquid nitrogen boils at -196°C and rapidly turns into gas at room temperature, expanding hundreds of times in volume. When ingested, that expansion can cause extreme internal pressure, leading to organ rupture, internal bleeding, and potentially death.
Experts have long warned that liquid nitrogen should never be consumed directly and must be fully evaporated before being used in food or drinks.
notapunk on December 30th, 2025 at 04:00 UTC »
I've seen like a half dozen stories of people drinking liquid nitrogen in the last couple of weeks - unsurprisingly none ended well.
As dumb as the people drinking it are the places serving it have to be completely braindead. This is a slam dunk lawsuit that'll bankrupt any restaurant/bar
DeadLettersSociety on December 30th, 2025 at 03:48 UTC »
Ouchy.
Wow.
And one of the things that bothers me is that, surely the chefs (and whatever other restaurant staff) would be aware about the liquid nitrogen being dangerous, yet the person was "encouraged" to drink it "immediately". I can definitely understand how a restaurant patron might not be aware of the effects, but the people serving it should have been sooooo much more careful.
deadfisher on December 30th, 2025 at 03:41 UTC »
It's nuts to me that people think it's ok to serve this stuff and use it for show.