29 New Jersey Resteraunts caught selling rubbing alcohol

reply to post by djmarcone


It doesn't even have to be name-brand, just a bunch of activated carbon from your local Foster & Smith and some cheap coffee filters will do.

Its not uncommon for bars on the east coast to mix there expensive bottled booze with cheap moonshine.

When you distill moonshine you dump the first pint("foreshot") because it contains more then a trace of methanol.

Some moonshiners don't do this and just mix there whole run to hide any methanol.

reply to post by Klassified

Isn't that like our government investigating itself. I think we know the end results of that investigation.

Well if the stores at issue are all owned/run by the same franchisee I don't really think TGI Fridays is to blame (automatically). Even if they were run by different folks I don't think you should be blaming corporate. To me that's like blaming QFC (Kroger) for one store having an awful manager that changes the dates on the milk (albeit more serious).

At this point it's too early to tell if it's even the franchisee pulling this nonsense. I have no idea how these things are structured, if the guy has a restaurant manager for the restaurant managers. I have some suspicions though.

I would think they would most certainly be performing their own investigation, and doling out punishments for those not following the rules. It hurts their brand for franchisees to be pulling this kind of BS. Now that being said, I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that filling the more expensive booze with cheaper stuff isn't tolerated/secretly encouraged to increase profit margins. I just highly doubt that any corporate folks would turn a blind eye to actively poisoning the hootch or using water "not from a tap" *shudder*.

I am incredibly irritated that the restaurants involved aren't being publicly outed. In my mind they should be closed until things are worked out, and there is a complete guarantee the establishments are safe. And the possible punishment? Losing your liqour license? WTF. Let's get some teeth involved and set a freaking example. I believe these people should be facing some serious jail time not a possible revocation of their funny juice license. Jackasses.

I've never been to a TGI Fridays. Is it as bad as Olive Garden? Hate Olive Garden so much. I actually think it would be a deal breaker for me in a relationship, I don't care how many breadsticks she can stuff in her purse. It's just awful.

I've never drunk rubbing alcohol, but I would imagine it would not taste exactly like liquor. But then again, it very well might. I've heard about certain alcohols making one go blind, but I am not certain that rubbing alcohol would accomplish this. It would depend on what the alcohol was made from, like what was fermented. I made alcohol from newspaper for the science fair back when I was in high school, but I would never have drank it. That probably could have made me go blind.

So all of a particular franchise's restaurants just happened to get this bright idea at the same time and the franchise office is claiming complete ignorance?

Man, they really do think the general public is stupid.

So none of the customers complained? They didn't taste any difference?

So it was all about the brand that was important to be seen drinking.....

I live and work at the clubs in south beach and I can tell you this goes on everywhere. putting well liquor in grey goose and belvedere bottles is a very common occurence, but the rubbing alcohol comes as a bit of a surprise. although I have my suspicions about some local establishments.. my girl and I had a lychee martini recently and both of us threw up 5 times in the next 12 hours.

Read the post carefully.. 29 were under investigation only 1 was selling rubbing alcohol... Fix the title idiot

Originally posted by winofiend
But in NJ ??
I can't read any of the linked articles as I'm not logging into a M$ account just to read the news, so they can stick their logons and tracking and shenanigans.

Damn. The clown who owns the TGIF's lives one town over from me.

Another reason why I avoid eating out much. As a former restaurant owner I would rather just cook for myself.

i once dined at an american themed restaurant in Melbourne (Australia) and my long island iced tea tasted and smelled like ammonia or something similar... everyone smelled it and said it was probably bleach... somehow the sugar syrup had been mixed up with beach... to compensate they gave me the biggest drink they could...

I have returned to the place, cos i love it... (No it wasnt TGI, somewhere out in the sticks)

I don't know about yall but I get my rubbing alcohol at the store for cheaper prices before I go chugging it.
You can save a ton of dough and get the same experience.

reply to post by muzzleflash


Since we're on the subject....though you might like to know you have a namesake cocktail out there.

MuzzleFlash
Created by Eric Carlson of Bastille restaurant Seattle, WA
1.5 oz Bourbon
.5 oz Grapefruit
.5 oz Lemon
.5 oz. Cocchi Americano
.25 oz Cinnamon syrup
2 dashes of Angostura bitters
1 dash of Laphroig(peaty Islay Scotch.
Orange twist for garnish

Shake shake shake, strain into chilled cocktail glass.


I find this cocktail works best when rubbing alcohol is NOT substituted for any of the other ingredients.

reply to post by moxxfulder


I've worked in bars for years and I can't say I've ever seen well vodka put into premium bottles or anything like that.

But when it comes to vodka that would be an easy one to pull off. Once you mix it, and pretty much even before that they are basically indistinguishable form one to the next. People who spend a lot of money on vodka are just wasting their cash.

"Resteraunts"? Really?

Sadly, RESTAURANTS have been doing this forever.

Originally posted by Klassified

I say publish every damn one of them by name, address, and phone number. Why are these criminals being protected?

I believe it is called "innocent until proven guilty" in a court of law.

Originally posted by hellobruce
So none of the customers complained? They didn't taste any difference?

So it was all about the brand that was important to be seen drinking.....

I read about a taste test conducted with various brands of Vodka, with professional tasters.

Generally speaking they could barely tell the very best from the most cheap. They were not very consistent in their ratings at all. Some of the most expensive vodkas were ranked anywhere close to the middle up, The cheapest brands were rated from the upper tier ranging towards the bottom. .

Bottom line, when it comes to vodka you probably could very well get away substituting a cheaper brand for the more expensive one.

reply to post by Beartracker16


I'm sure glad there are all those people fighting for less regulation... we should continue to model ourselves after the free capitalistic state of China.

After all, the free market will sort it out... sucks for the dead, sick and maimed, though.

wow, this is why I do not go out to drink. that and the probability of getting drugged.
personally I enjoy mixing my own drinks that way nobody can screw it up, intentional or otherwise.
also I just enjoy mixing drinks

Surely someone would know the difference between common rubbing alcohol and premium scotch after tasting it

Originally posted by Baddogma
reply to post by Beartracker16

 

I'm sure glad there are all those people fighting for less regulation... we should continue to model ourselves after the free capitalistic state of China.

After all, the free market will sort it out... sucks for the dead, sick and maimed, though.

Now you just sound like an uneducated extreme liberal-because-it's-hip. Join us in the discussion when you pull yourself out of the dumpster.