# drink -40F rum and die; T.C. Boyle/Drop City: Pan's death **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 8, 2004, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drink-40f-rum-and-die-t-c-boyle-drop-city-pans-death/233104 "2004-03-08T08:18:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![T.Mehr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@T.Mehr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T.Mehr)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drink-40f-rum-and-die-t-c-boyle-drop-city-pans-death/233104/1 "2004-03-08T08:18:41Z")
I just finished T.C. Boyles latest novel Drop City. It’s about a bunch of hippies that move to a cabin in Alaska in 1970. In it a guy dies after drinking from a bottle of rum at -40F. The supercooled liquid supposedly eating him up inside: > [@](#): > > he kept gagging till all that cellular material that constituted the lining of his pahrynx and esophagus sloughed loose and the tensed muscles of his limbs couldn’t keep him off the ground any longer. My own experience only streches to drinking whiskey at -25F, but the only danger was to frezze with your lipps to the bottle, else it was very good. So, is it dangerous or even lethal to drink (very) cold liquor? Any sourdoughs out there? ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drink-40f-rum-and-die-t-c-boyle-drop-city-pans-death/233104/2 "2004-03-08T08:45:36Z")
> [@T. Mehr](#): > > I just finished T.C. Boyles latest novel Drop City. It’s about a bunch of hippies that move to a cabin in Alaska in 1970. > In it a guy dies after drinking from a bottle of rum at -40F. The supercooled liquid supposedly eating him up inside: > My own experience only streches to drinking whiskey at -25F, but the only danger was to frezze with your lipps to the bottle, else it was very good. > > So, is it dangerous or even lethal to drink (very) cold liquor? > Any sourdoughs out there? Didn’t you say “Novel”? ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drink-40f-rum-and-die-t-c-boyle-drop-city-pans-death/233104/3 "2004-03-08T09:05:49Z")
Trivia: If it’s -40, you don’t need to specify that it’s Fahrenheit. ---
**Author:** ![yola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/48db29/32.png) [@yola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yola)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drink-40f-rum-and-die-t-c-boyle-drop-city-pans-death/233104/4 "2004-03-08T09:14:59Z")
I have not read the book in question but I heard not to do that 24 years ago when I worked at the Anchorage Pioneer Home. Seems alcohol freezes in a somewhat liquid form. Was the rum 151 proof? That would have killed him. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drink-40f-rum-and-die-t-c-boyle-drop-city-pans-death/233104/5 "2004-03-08T09:23:23Z")
Well, considering that people have drunk liquid nitrogen and lived, I’d be doubtful that taking a swig of rum at -40F would be guaranteed lethal–though I suppose it would depend on how much you drank. ---
**Author:** ![Achilles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dc4da7/32.png) [@Achilles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achilles)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drink-40f-rum-and-die-t-c-boyle-drop-city-pans-death/233104/6 "2004-03-08T10:51:07Z")
> [@Hunter Hawk](#): > > Well, considering that people have drunk liquid nitrogen and lived, I’d be doubtful that taking a swig of rum at -40F would be guaranteed lethal–though I suppose it would depend on how much you drank. I hate it when people do this, but - Cite ? It’s just that it sounds like BS - would you even be able to swallow at that temp (c. -170 IIRC). Wouldn’t your muscles just refuse to work - like if you try to swallow something to hot e.g. very hot water ? ---
**Author:** ![dre2xl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/34f0e0/32.png) [@dre2xl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dre2xl)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drink-40f-rum-and-die-t-c-boyle-drop-city-pans-death/233104/7 "2004-03-08T13:30:53Z")
> [@Achilles](#): > > I hate it when people do this, but - Cite ? > > It’s just that it sounds like BS - would you even be able to swallow at that temp (c. -170 IIRC). Wouldn’t your muscles just refuse to work - like if you try to swallow something to hot e.g. very hot water ? [http://www.darwinawards.com/personal/personal2000-25.html](http://www.darwinawards.com/personal/personal2000-25.html) ---
**Author:** ![Achilles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dc4da7/32.png) [@Achilles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achilles)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drink-40f-rum-and-die-t-c-boyle-drop-city-pans-death/233104/8 "2004-03-08T13:43:04Z")
> [@dre2xl](#): > > [2000 Personal Account: One Cool Dude](http://www.darwinawards.com/personal/personal2000-25.html) Good jesus. Words fail me. My previous assumption was based on the (obviously flawed) argument that people are smarter than jellyfish. Oh well. ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drink-40f-rum-and-die-t-c-boyle-drop-city-pans-death/233104/9 "2004-03-08T13:55:04Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > Trivia: If it’s -40, you don’t need to specify that it’s Fahrenheit. Are you really suggesting that there is no such thing as minus 40 celcius, or minus 40 kelvin? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drink-40f-rum-and-die-t-c-boyle-drop-city-pans-death/233104/10 "2004-03-08T13:58:49Z")
This question has been asked a few times, but I don’t think we have ever come up with a definitive answer. Here’s one of the previous threads: [Could You Actually Kill Yourself Doing This?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=176366) ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drink-40f-rum-and-die-t-c-boyle-drop-city-pans-death/233104/11 "2004-03-08T13:58:55Z")
[Already done](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=176366&highlight=Drop+City) ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drink-40f-rum-and-die-t-c-boyle-drop-city-pans-death/233104/12 "2004-03-08T14:00:46Z")
> [@askeptic](#): > > Are you really suggesting that there is no such thing as minus 40 celcius, or minus 40 kelvin? 😃 -40 Celsius is the same temperature as -40 Fahrenheit (that’s the trivia)! But your point about Kelvin is well taken. ---
**Author:** ![T.Mehr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@T.Mehr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T.Mehr)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drink-40f-rum-and-die-t-c-boyle-drop-city-pans-death/233104/13 "2004-03-08T14:01:50Z")
> [@askeptic](#): > > Are you really suggesting that there is no such thing as minus 40 celcius, or minus 40 kelvin? 😃 actually -40 F = -40 C -40K does not exist ---
**Author:** ![T.Mehr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@T.Mehr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T.Mehr)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drink-40f-rum-and-die-t-c-boyle-drop-city-pans-death/233104/14 "2004-03-08T14:04:28Z")
> [@dre2xl](#): > > [2000 Personal Account: One Cool Dude](http://www.darwinawards.com/personal/personal2000-25.html) But in this story the problems seem to arise from liquid Nitrogen turning into gas. That wouldn’t happen to alcohol at body temperature. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drink-40f-rum-and-die-t-c-boyle-drop-city-pans-death/233104/15 "2004-03-08T14:19:11Z")
> [@askeptic](#): > > Didn’t you say “Novel”? So, stuff in a novel can never be true? Do editors make sure every fact is wrong, and make the author change the ones that are true? ---
**Author:** ![smoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@smoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smoke)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drink-40f-rum-and-die-t-c-boyle-drop-city-pans-death/233104/16 "2004-03-08T14:45:27Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > So, stuff in a novel can never be true? Do editors make sure every fact is wrong, and make the author change the ones that are true? It took almost 30 years, but I think I’ve found my dream job! ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drink-40f-rum-and-die-t-c-boyle-drop-city-pans-death/233104/17 "2004-03-08T14:45:35Z")
> [@askeptic](#): > > Are you really suggesting that there is no such thing as minus 40 celcius, or minus 40 kelvin? 😃 I was just going to say that. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drink-40f-rum-and-die-t-c-boyle-drop-city-pans-death/233104/18 "2004-03-08T14:47:26Z")
[Kalhoun donning dunce cap] How come -40C and -40F are the same? They aren’t the same in the “+” column. [/Kalhoun donning dunce cap] ---
**Author:** ![T.Mehr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@T.Mehr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T.Mehr)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drink-40f-rum-and-die-t-c-boyle-drop-city-pans-death/233104/19 "2004-03-08T14:59:37Z")
I just read that old thread. (And as an excuse I might say that it wasn’t easy to guess from the title what it was about.) One thing that is most probably bullshit came to my attention. It is stated that the rum was _supercooled_. Now, to my knowledge, that means it must instantly crystalize upon contact with the lips or any other rough surface. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drink-40f-rum-and-die-t-c-boyle-drop-city-pans-death/233104/20 "2004-03-08T15:01:37Z")
> [@](#): > > -40K does not exist I dunno, it just might be. True, theoretically you can’t get below that, but I’ve heard a few rumors that with some odd circumstances, it’s possible. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drink-40f-rum-and-die-t-c-boyle-drop-city-pans-death/233104.md?page=2)