The Bizarre Cocktail Straw That's Banned In Maryland

Cocktail trends can get pretty crazy; people are always looking for new exciting ways to enjoy a drink, from cocktail foam making a comeback to meat-flavored beverages. But one forgotten cocktail trend, originating in Chicago in 2013, didn't involve drinking alcohol at all –- it involved inhaling it.

The Vaportini is less a type of drink and more a device to consume alcohol differently. The Vaportini is made up of a standard pint glass with a tea candle at the bottom, a metal ring and glass sphere that rest on top, and a straw. A shot of liquor sits in the sphere where it's heated up by the candle and releases vapors and aromas that the user inhales through the straw. The result is alcohol delivered straight to your bloodstream for faster intoxication.

In April 2014, Maryland became the first state to ban the device due to concerns over safety. The law bans "AWOL devices," defined as "an Alcohol Without Liquid device, a Vaportini, or any similar device that mixes an alcoholic product with pure oxygen or other gas to produce a vaporized product that can be inhaled" (per Casetext). Anyone possessing or offering use of the device can face a misdemeanor and a fee of up to $1,000.

The Vaportini isn't alone, though. In 2011, New York City banned a cocktail called the Nutcracker.

Maryland's ban of the Vaportini expanded on a previous law that simply banned AWOL devices, which Vaportini did not fall under, so they expanded the definition to include it. As of 2014, 29 states had laws against AWOL devices, but only Maryland specifically included Vaportinis.

Although the Vaportini is still legal in other states, you likely won't find it at any cocktail lounges. Its bar of origin, Red Kiva, closed in 2015, and searching for "Vaportini" doesn't pull up much information past that same year. If you really want to try inhaling your alcohol, however, Vaportinis are still available to purchase online for home use.

Still, many reviewers who tried out the Vaportini craze were unimpressed, not recommending the device. Some said the Vaportini mostly made them tired, and its effects wore off after a few hours. Others have found that it was unsatisfying, giving nothing more than a light buzz that disappeared fast.