Back in 1994, energy drinks, like Red Bull or Monster-blue-windshield-wiper-fluid-whatever, did not exist. Really, the only things that did, were vile vials of 50% ginseng root/50% dirt water and the occasional energy elixir shot, like Bacchus D, that could be purchased in China Town. As a result, my group of friends and I would frequently take it upon ourselves to concoct our own energy drinks, like quadruple-brewed coffee, boiled sassafras root, clove water — basically anything in the herb cabinet. According to Tim, during one of these evenings, he had too much coffee and vowed to never drink coffee again. I always thought Tim was making his bad coffee-trip up just to be different. Recently however, I found evidence that proves my me wrong. These are pictures from one such evening and feature my friend Lee, myself, and finally Tim, in a heated moment of drinking something, perhaps even coffee, on his mythologized run-in with it.
Ah, my dear sweet boys. Dad and I never worried about drinking and drugs; we fretted over what they were concocting in the kitchen! Maybe Timmy should not have drunk it out of my half-gallon sized plant-watering pitcher!
At least you didn’t overdose on nutmeg. Apparently in large doses it’s a hallucinogen (and not a fun one) and can also cause poisoning:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutmeg#Psychoactivity_and_toxicity
http://boingboing.net/2008/09/02/poisonous-recipe-rec.html
I don’t think this was the instance. That time involved getting fresh ground coffee at the grocery store, getting it ground on the turkish blend setting (really really fine) and then brewing a pot of espresso on the strongest setting on the espresso maker at home. The resulting liquid was tar-like and stained the mug. It was disgusting.
Another time we made tea using cloves. And clove-sicles. Those made your tongue numb.
Bacchus D was vile shit. I remember the smell – like a mixture of Vix-Vaypo-Rub and NyQuil. How anyone could drink something that smelled that bad…..
Answers a lot of questions in retrospect.