gas chamber

One of the many unpleasant hazing rituals U.S. Army recruits are forced to endure during basic training. It consists of closed room into which CS tear gas is introduced. Recruits enter wearing their gas mask. Immediately, one begins to feel a slight burning on any exposed skin. Also in the room are instructors and drill sergeants, who give a short lecture on the dependability of the chemical warfare protective equipment the recruits are issued. Recruits are then required to demonstrate the proper procedure of clearing a gas mask by closing their eyes, holding their breath, removing the mask, replacing it, clearing it, and breathing normally again. Any recruit that fails this task will be immediately given away by his/her choking and gasping behavior. After this brief reliablilty demonstration, recruits are required to remove the mask with their eyes open, and try to breath normally. Eyes immediatly close involuntarily with stinging pain, and breathing turns to gasping, wheezing, and choking. Recruits feel as if they are dying. At this point most of them are heading for the exit, where they are greeted by a drill sergeant, who, while still wearing his own gas mask, stops them and forces them to answer a series of questions about themselves before being allowed out the door. By the time the safety of the outdoors is reached, opening the eyes is almost impossible, and the gasping recruits are covered in copious amounts of saliva and nasal discharge released by the tear gas. Some of them vomit. Anyone judged to be being a baby about the whole thing may be taken aside and forced to do pushups. All of this is ostensibly to demonstrate the reliabilty of the gas mask. It does accomplish this, but it makes one wonder why he/she is allowed to take the reliability of most equipment more or less for granted, while that of the gas mask must be demonstrated so painfully.

Warning: Someone informed me that this may be an unhealthy way of taking your alcohol. I have not found any information that supports the claim that inhalation of ethanol fumes is more dangerous than simply ingesting them, but I think it's still worth warning about.

Gas Chamber is also a rather fancy shot, aptly if politically incorrectly named.

You will need:
Sambuca
A shot glass
A cognac glass
A saucer
A lighter
A drinking straw (the kind with a bend)

One important thing: Since Sambuca is usually around 38-42% ABV, this drink must be served with the drink keeping room temperature. I tried to make this once, with a bottle that had been lying in the cooler, gave up and just drank it bare.

You know where this is going by now...

The shot glass should be standing on the saucer, and you will fill it so that it flows over and some Sambuca is spilt in the saucer. Readying the cognac glass in one hand, you then proceed to light the Sambuca, and quickly move the cognac glass over it, opening down, so as to catch the alcohol fumes. Slowly lower the glass, and let the fires die. Now, here comes the trick. Put the straw inside the glass and inhale the fumes. Alcohol, and I suppose a lot of other unhealthy stuff, goes right into your lungs, and your red blood cells will turn into happy little blood cells they as turn up at the oxygen delivery counter to find that instead, they get alcohol.

Obviously, since we can't throw away good alcohol, you shot the Sambuca afterwards.