We’ve been at this crossroads before. We’ve heard about the health benefits of drinking cockroach milk or feasting on crickets.
Now scientists are extolling the virtues of drinking (drum roll!) cricket juice. According to StudyFinds, “Insects and bugs aren’t exactly the most appetizing food items, but that doesn’t stop a quarter of the earth’s population — an estimated two billion people — from eating insects on a daily basis.” Which seems to prove that misery loves company.
It’s not only crickets that are nutritious. Grasshoppers and silkworms are also rich in antioxidants, the compounds that prevent a chemical reaction that produces evil free radicals, which damage the cells of organisms.
Still not convinced to raise your glass? What if I told that insects are good for the environment “because of their incredibly small carbon, land, and water footprints compared to livestock.”
If that’s still not enough to induce you to give it a shot, maybe the little creatures will be more palatable if consume them while plastered. Writer Adam Clark Estes had the same thought several years back. As he wrote at Gizmodo in 2015:
A little over a year ago, I was presented with a funny quandary. A couple of designers and I were hanging out in a backyard wondering how to make a cocktail that would highlight the flavor of crickets. Moonshine was a must.
It’s Friday afternoon, you’ve made it through the long week, and it’s time for Happy Hour, Gizmodo’s weekly booze column. A cocktail shaker full of innovation, science, and alcohol. Also sometimes bugs.
Putting crickets in a cocktail is weird, I realize. I’m not talking about going out into the yard, scooping up some little green critters, and using them like ice cubes. The two designers in question, Lucy Knops and Julia Plevin, had already concocted a recipe for bitters based on the essence of toasted crickets. Part of the idea behind the design was to create a product that would warm people up to the idea of eating insects. Plenty of people around the world eat insects, and lord knows, there are plenty of insects in the world. Why go hungry?
I just couldn’t stop wondering how to craft a weird ass cocktail out of bugs and fun. I’m a Tennessee-born hillbilly at heart.
After over 18 months of research and development, Lucy and Julia perfected Critter Bitters.
I don’t know if you’re any closer to consuming insects than you were at the outset of this post, but I’m beginning to give some serious thought to trying one of these cocktails. After all, it’s been brutally hot lately. Any escape would be welcome.
Stay tuned. I’ll let you know if I muster the courage.
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