Template:Westarctica.wiki:Today's featured article
A blowtorch is an alcoholic cocktail invented by members of the 1928 Byrd Antarctic Expedition. The recipe calls for mixing lemon powder with grain alcohol and diluting the mixture with ice until it's drinkable.
Although the crew had a sizable stock of liquor with them, the majority of the stores were probably consumed during the voyage to Antarctica or simply left behind on the ship while they commenced exploration of the continent. In any case, it is evident there was no liquor readily available when the team wintered over at the Little America base.
Dr. F. Dana Coman, the expedition's physician, and the man with the keys to the liquor supply, took some of the grain alcohol and mixed it with the lemon powder and the crushed orange juice concentrate. The men dubbed this extremely potent drink a "blowtorch." Richard Byrd himself participated in the festivities and every couple of weeks, he would authorize a tub of blowtorches to be made up and a party held to help the men relax and unwind during the long winter.