Monday, February 20, 2012

Learning Today: The Los Alamos Cocktail

In the early days of Los Alamos the mesa town was full of science--but not fun. Though there was a twice-weekly movie night (at fifteen cents a head) besides that, the only other form of recreation was the single woman's dormitory--a small number of the residents of which started to charge single men for the privilege of female company. That and horse riding. The many young male scientists at the base had a critical case of boredom.

So those single scientists, blasting their brains on physics and fizzling away their youthful energies--they did what any pre-thirty year old would do. They partied like freshman girls at a state school. And now you can, too--
with this authentic recipe for Los Alamos hooch.

Fill a 32-gallon G.I. can half with grapefruit juice, half with lab alcohol.

Add dry ice.

Serve.

????

Profit!

All the taste of the nuclear arms race, none of the hassle!

This is according to Martin Sherwin's biography of Oppenheimer, American Prometheus.

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