雙語閱讀：最複雜雞尾酒——“血腥瑪麗”配方大公開

介紹:血腥瑪麗，雞尾酒名，這種雞尾酒由伏特加、番茄汁、檸檬片、芹菜根混合而製成，鮮紅的蕃茄汁看起來很像鮮血，故而以此命名。“血腥瑪麗”是一個鬼魂的名字，來源於一個傳說。這款酒在地下酒吧非常流行，稱爲"喝不醉的蕃茄汁"。

2011 is the International Year of Chemistry. So scientists at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Anaheim raised a glass. (Or a beaker.) And they celebrated as only chemists can—by carefully analyzing its contents. [Neil Da Costa, "Flavor chemistry of the "Bloody Mary" cocktail"]

在美國化學學會於阿納海姆舉辦的全國會議上，科學家們共同舉杯慶祝(沒準舉的是一燒杯...)2011國際化學年，同樣值得慶賀的是隻有身爲化學家才能分析杯中美酒的成分。

The drink they dissected was the Bloody Mary, perhaps the world’s most chemically complex cocktail. A mix of tomato juice and vodka, along with lemon or lime, horseradish, Tabasco and Worcestershire sauces, black pepper and celery salt, the Bloody Mary packs a punch. And it lights up nearly our entire range of taste receptors, giving us sweet, salty, sour and savory.

化學家們研究的是“血腥瑪麗”，它堪稱世界上化學成分最爲複雜的雞尾酒。這種酒由番茄汁、伏特加、檸檬片或青檸片、辣根、塔巴斯科醬汁、沃賽斯特郡醬汁、黑胡椒、芹菜鹽調和而成。“血腥瑪麗”能夠觸動我們的各種味覺感受器，甜甜的、鹹鹹的、酸酸的、辣辣的。

To find out the Bloody Mary’s secret, researchers shared one with a chromatograph, which identified the various compounds that contribute to the drink’s flavor and bouquet. The scientists turned up plenty of antioxidants, as well as a few bartending tips.

爲揭開“血腥瑪麗”的祕密，科學家們用色譜儀對“血腥瑪麗”進行了分析。色譜儀能夠分析出“血腥瑪麗”的各種味道都是由哪些化合物產生的。科學家們通過分析發現“血腥瑪麗”中含有相當多的抗氧化成分，還給了酒保們一些小建議。

First, make it fresh. The acids in tomato juice can degrade the drink’s other ingredients. Also, make it cold—ice slows the degradation. Use the best tomato juice—the major source of flavor. But feel free to cheap out on the vodka. Its taste gets lost in the complex mix. In other words, chemists say to save the Grey Goose for other experiments.

第一，保鮮，番茄汁中的酸能夠降解酒中其他成分。第二，加冰，冰塊會減緩降解速率。第三，使用優質番茄汁，番茄汁可是主角。第四，伏特加沒必要太貴，它的味道基本會被掩蓋。美味的灰雁伏特加就藏藏好，以備下次實驗之用吧......