Earth is estimated 48.5 tons Meteorites and meteors hit Earth every day, and while most of them burn up as they hurtle through the atmosphere, sometimes small chunks of ancient space rock crash into our planet at the end of a journey that can last billions of years. 82,000 meteorites It’s quite likely that only one mineral ever discovered on Earth has ever been bottled in a liquor bottle.
Earlier this year, Pegasus Distillery Announced Shooting Star Vodkaa limited edition vodka,Ordinary chondrites“Meteorite. Discovered in Nebraska in 1977, this meteorite weighs 22.5 pounds, according to experts.Huntsman (b)“Space rocks actually arrived on Earth” In 1910A meteorite with the same composition was discovered about three miles away from its sibling, leading astronomers to theorize that the two meteorites were originally a large piece that broke up as it entered the atmosphere around that time.
Regardless of when it arrived, however, the Huntsman(b) eventually ended up in the hands of the founders of Pegasus. Maxime GirardinGirardin, who was introduced through an Arizona intermediary to a family that has been making wine in Burgundy, France for generations, wanted to take his new company in a different direction, experimenting with ingredients that come not just from Earth, but from the depths of space.
But creativity reaches its limits when your drink ends up tasting like moon dust. Luckily for Pegasus, that’s not the case at all. Official Popular Science The bottom line is that Shooting Star Vodka is actually very tasty.
[Related: Watch a meteor’s incredible light show above Spain and Portugal.]
This boutique alcohol has been rigorously evaluated (multiple times) by the authors of this article, who confidently conclude that this spirit is a unique variation on the classic wheat vodka. Shooting Star definitely has spring water notes on the nose, and while it is still a bit on the sharp side when compared to similar vodkas, the surprisingly sweet flavor profile counteracts any harshness, providing a satisfying, refreshing taste. Girardin explained earlier this month.Considering vodka doesn’t contain sugar, it’s unclear how injecting it with meteorites would achieve this effect — the drink might just have a slight effervescence.
But before you can infuse vodka with alcohol, you need actual alcohol. Pegasus’ distillation process uses locally sourced, organic French wheat and barley, and spring water from an underground river that runs through limestone formations about 150 meters (about 492 feet) below the company’s Burgundy distillery. Once the vodka is made, it’s time to mix in the meteorite.
Infusing drinks with alcohol dates back thousands of years and follows a relatively simple process called osmosis, in which alcohol seeps into the cell walls of the added substance and takes on some of its flavor-causing chemical properties. While alcohol infusions rarely contain minerals such as stones or space rocks, they contain a surprising amount of organic matter that influences the flavor characteristics of spirits like Shooting Star Vodka.
Shooting Star’s unique flavour is further enhanced by the use of amphorae during its up to 18-month infusion process: the porous terracotta vessels allow oxygen to pass through to the outside and act as a binding agent between the vodka and the dissolving meteorite minerals.
[Related: Mars might have an asteroid problem.]
Of course, it’s easy to imagine some unexpected consequences might come from drinking a libation made from space rocks exposed to billions of years of interstellar radiation, but to ease the mind of hesitant tasters, everything around us, including ourselves, is at least slightly radioactive.
All substances are Star thingAfter all, you are more likely to sign up Increased radiation levels on kitchen counters It’s far more harmful than meteorite chunks on Earth. Similarly, radioactive elements in space rocks decay quickly when they land on Earth. The “vodka” part of Shooting Star Vodka is probably its most unhealthy ingredient.
Whether Shooting Star is worth shelling out $200 to try ultimately depends on how badly the drinker desires to get a taste of space, and maybe that’s because of meteorites.