Charleston's Most Amusingly Ridiculous Cocktail: The Cotton Candy Nitrotini

While in the midst of Cocktail Week 2014 research, we may have found the most over-the-top, outrageous libation in the Lowcountry. At posh Market Pavilion Hotel exists the Cotton Candy Nitrotini. It's one part county fair food, two parts science experiment, and, we assume, all parts a pain in the ass to make.

During the last visit to the lobby bar, the ingredients for the dessert martini were unavailable, but the bartender told us the cocktail starts with 1. rolling the rim of the glass in crushed candy, 2. melting sweets to the bottom of the glass to hold the stick to which the sugary strands are attached, 3. mixing the cocktail (which is mostly cotton candy-flavored vodka), 4. and pouring liquid nitrogen over the top. Yes, if the cotton candy wasn't ridiculous enough, the concoction comes to you with a smoke-like vapor. The martini has a warning sticker:

Liquid nitrogen is served at -320°fahrenheit. Nitrotinis should be given the same respect as fire. Avoid Rapid Ingestion of any Nitrotini! Before consuming the Nitrotini please allow a minimum of 3 minutes. Wait for the cloud-like Liquid Nitrogen (LN2) to completely dissipate or evaporate entirely. Do not attempt to inhale the water vapor during dissipation, as it may disrupt the balanced ratio of nitrogen to oxygen gas in the air that you breathe. Failure to follow this warning in its entirety may result in severe burns, permanent internal organ damage and other detrimental health problems. Please enjoy safely and responsibly.

You must wait until the drink stops giving off vapor before enjoying the $19 libation. After all the pomp and circumstance, we hear the cocktail "tastes like type 2 diabetes." It is amusing-looking spectacle, however.

Market Pavilion Hotel