How to revive a dead pig
Science journal Nature reported on 3rd August that scientists at Yale University had managed to restart the key organs – liver, kidneys, brain and heart – and to restart circulation in a pig that had been dead for over an hour (Pig organs partially revived in dead animals — researchers are stunned). As an aside the pig was itself stunned, electrically, in the first place. Nice irony.
This experiment means that a mammal could be brought back to life hours after it has been declared clinically dead. It also means that death is not quite the absolute black-and-white event that we have all thought. The scope for vivid book and film plots, and for bioethical debate, is huge as explored by DNA Science OrganEx Revives Pigs an Hour After Death, Holding Promise for Transplants. What a shame Mel Brooks is no longer making films – he would have been making the pig noises !
The key to this amazing experiment is a technology called OrganEx (NB not the fertiliser !) which builds on Yale’s success at restarting a pig brain in 2019 using BrainEx .
This is a build-up to one of the most famous recipes from bartender Harry Craddock, famed author of the Savoy Cocktail Book, a classic volume that every mixologist should have in their bookshelf. That recipe is the Corpse Reviver #2. So if you can’t lay your mitts on some OrganEx try this !
Corpse Reviver #2
This drink is one of the many pick-me-ups that are based on the “hair of the dog” principle (or should that now be “hair of the pig” ?). A sort of Gestalt theory tactic involving prodigious amounts of alcohol.
1.5 parts gin
1.5 parts Cointreau
1.5 parts Lillet Blanc
1.5 parts lemon juice
2 drops absinthe
1 Maraschino cocktail cherry
Mix and chill in a shaker and garnish with cherry.
Photo Adobe Stock Images
Beware ! Harry Craddock said :”Four of these taken in swift succession will unrevive the corpse again”.
A seriously frivolous book – now available, along with its sister App
The above recipe is an extract from Shaker, a brilliant App containing “over 400 cocktail and mocktail recipes in the palm of your hand”. It also has handy features that will help you to plan your party with panache. Shaker is a sister to Cocktails & Kicktails – Life-saving Recipes and Rhymes to Lift Body and Soul, a seriously frivolous book of anecdotes, recipes and rhymes, with beautiful photographs and cartoons that are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. It is published by Rowan Books and priced at £13.99. Shaker is downloadable as a stand-alone App for £3.99 or is free if you buy Cocktails & Kicktails from Rowan Books. Learn more from the Rowan Books website.
Responsible Drinking
The Shaker App and the Cocktails & Kicktails book contain recipes for cocktails, most of which are alcoholic (by the way, the non-alcoholic ones are delicious). They often contain more than one alcohol. So please enjoy these cocktails but don’t let alcohol become your master. Stay within your limits and within prescribed guidelines, be aware of the risks and if you’re worried that you’re becoming dependent seek advice for example from Drinkaware.
KNOW YOUR LIMITS: The UK Chief Medical Officers recommend that adults do not regularly drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week. A single pub measure of spirit equals 1 unit. Drink responsibly.
