Mix-up in tequila slammers resulted in chaos and hospitalisation

When clubbers in London's Tiger Tiger club were served tequila slammers, they were given caustic soda instead of salt. This resulted in four individuals being sent to the hospital with burns. Last month, police were called to a nightclub near Piccadilly Circus in downtown London after receiving claims of chemical-related injuries caused by a staff error. As a precaution, authorities closed down the Tiger Tiger club.

After drinking tequila containing caustic soda instead of salt, five horrified clubbers were left with bleeding mouths. Caustic soda, often known as sodium hydroxide, is an everyday alkali found in soap and paper manufacturing as well as strong cleaning products.

Chemical adventure

By licking salt first and then sucking a lemon, a shot of tequila can be turned into a slammer. After downing drinks from cups coated with caustic soda, the party of four ladies and a man vomited. A spokesperson for Metropolitan Police confirmed:

Police were called to Tiger Tiger at approximately 10.50 pm on Tuesday 7 December following reports of four people who had suffered burns after coming into contact with a substance, believed to be a strong alkali, at a venue in Haymarket.

Four females received treatment at the scene before being taken to hospital. None of their conditions are life-threatening. A fifth person, a male, also came into contact with the substance but has declined hospital treatment.

And added:

The incident is not being treated as suspicious and there have been no arrests. The Health and Safety Executive has been informed.

It has also been reported that emergency vehicles rushed to the area. The Haymarket location is famed for its Ibiza-inspired party rooms. The site is run by Novus Leisure, a British hospitality company that operates 41 bars, restaurants, and nightclubs across the country.

Same same but different

The situation was so bad that clubgoers thought it was a terror strike until they realised it was a staff error. The caustic soda and salt were kept in identical containers which led to confusion. Reportedly, one of the victims is still in need of hospital treatment more than a month after the incident. However, Tiger Tiger and Novus both have not yet commented on the incident. According to one of the witnesses,

A group of four women and a man necked the tequilas and used salt and lemon to soften the taste, then began to retch. One girl keeled over. Despite music blaring, everyone knew something was wrong. There was panic. People thought it was some kind of terrorist incident. It took a long time to establish what happened.

The event is not being seen as suspicious by police, and the Health and Safety Executive has been notified. According to their representative, the incident is being handled by the local authority's health and safety staff.