Skip to main content

Vaportini is the best way ever invented to get drunk and light your face on fire

The art of libation has elevated the human condition for millennia. Alcohol is part of our history, our cultures, our collective existence. “I think; therefore, I drink,” a wise man once said. And yet, the technology of enjoying a nip has remained relatively unchanged since the invention of the cup. That is, until now. Enter the Vaportini, an elegant rig that transforms any spirt from simple swill into an intoxicating cloud.

Really – the entire point of the Vaportini is to turn your drink of choice into a small, contained cloud of nearly-pure alcohol, which you suck out of a glass globe with a straw. Why on Earth would anyone want to do this, you ask? Good question. And after giving Vaportini the ol’ college try, I am proud to say that I still don’t have a good answer – but I do have a bad one.

Recommended Videos

The setup

Vaportini has six components: A glass globe, a globe holder, a pint glass, a candle, a glass straw, and a funnel. Oh, and booze – but you have to buy that separately.

Vaportini diagram grey
How to build your Vaprotini Image used with permission by copyright holder

To set up your Vaportini, simply place the candle in the bottom of the pint glass, position the metal globe holder on top of the glass, and put the Vaportini globe on top of that. Simple, right? A four-year-old could do it (not recommended). Only … it’s a bit more complicated in practice.

First, you need to fill the Vaportini globe with about 1oz of liquor – a single shot – using the provided funnel before you place the globe over a lit candle. Loading the globe takes a bit of practice, and you’ll probably waste a bit of precious booze before getting your pour just right – it’s quite easy to overflow the funnel, sending a cascade of spirits dribbling down your globe.

Another charming discovery I found at the start: Pushing the funnel into the globe will instantly break it. Fortunately, my test unit only suffered a hairline crack, which didn’t spread during use. But it could have easily shattered before taking a single puff. It’s a rookie mistake, one that I imagine a good many Vaportini buyers – if such people actually exist – have made. The correct way to do it is to place the tip of the funnel in the Vaportini hole, but don’t push it in any further.

Also, because the globe is perfectly round, you’ll want to place it on the globe stand during the filling process. Otherwise, it’ll just roll off the table and smash. You’ll cut yourself on the shards, get rushed to the hospital where you’ll have to explain that you cut yourself setting up an apparatus to help you inhale, rather than drink, booze. They will think you’re crazy. It’ll ruin the night. Avoid all that by using the stand during fill-up.

Next, you need to light the candle. For this, you’re going to need one of those long-neck grill lighters or extra-long matches because it’s virtually impossible to keep the candle alight any other way. Every time I tried to light it with a regular lighter, then drop it into the glass already lit, the flame went out. So don’t bother.

Once your globe is loaded with the hard stuff and your candle is lit, just set the globe and holder on top of the glass, and let the magic of evaporation begin.

Picking your poison

The Vaportini instructions specify that you should only use alcohol that is above 80 proof. In other words, don’t mess with wine or beer because it’ll just be a waste of time and good hooch. For this test, I swung by my local liquor store, which conveniently sells mini bottles of inexpensive booze for $1. So I picked up the full gamut: Scotch, Tennessee whiskey, gin, vodka, brandy, coconut rum, and some limoncillo and Bailey’s because why the hell not?

Vaportini alcohol lineup
The Vaportini mini bar: Tennessee whiskey, limoncillo, vodka, gin, brandy, rum, Scotch. Image used with permission by copyright holder

In all honesty, it doesn’t really matter which type of liquor you choose. Just pick something you like, and give it a go. What’s the worst that could happen?

First puff

The problem with the Vaportini is figuring out when to start sucking out the alcoholic cloud. The instructions only say that a “clear vapor” will begin to form inside the globe, which is about as helpful as a DMV employee. So, on my first try, I waited a good seven minutes, just staring at the thing like a dumbass, waiting for some premonition. Eventually, I lost patience, jammed the glass straw inside, and took a pull.

Scotch tastes like Scotch. Gin tastes like gin. Limoncillo tastes like crap.

The first thing you’ll notice when inhaling straight alcohol fumes is a stinging sensation in your throat. If you like the feeling of smoking, this will probably come as a pleasant surprise. But if you have a virgin throat, expect to cough a bit – not much, but just enough to make you look like a 15-year-old taking his first hit of pot.

The next thing you’ll notice is that the vapor tastes exactly like whatever alcohol you’ve picked. Scotch tastes like Scotch. Gin tastes like Gin. Limoncillo tastes like crap. Etcetera, etcetera. The only difference is the taste is much lighter, less intense – a bit like the aftertaste of a big gulp of straight booze. If you like the flavor of alcohol, it’s really not half-bad.

In the loopy

After a bit of practice, I noticed dimples of condensation forming inside the globe. That’s pure alcohol, and your best and only indication that the vapor is ready be consumed. But in reality, you don’t have to wait that long – after a minute or so, vapor already starts to form. The longer you wait, the more vapor there is. And because it doesn’t all evaporate at once – I never actually noticed that the level of liquid in the globe had diminished – you can just keep puffing away, presumably for hours.

Vaportini condensation
Alcohol vapor condenses inside the Vaportini, the only way to know it’s time to take a puff. Image used with permission by copyright holder

It only took about five minutes and 10 to 20 puffs before I started feeling a bit light-headed and loopy. Because you are inhaling the alcohol, rather than processing it through your digestive system, the effects take much less time to make themselves known. And once a half hour had gone by, I felt downright tipsy.

It’s getting hot in here 

Okay, so now we know this Vaportini thing works. In fact, the experience is quite pleasant. Too bad it’s also the dumbest way to consume alcohol this side of a keg stand.

The Vaportini is, as I see it, probably the best way to catch yourself on fire while drinking ever invented. It just seems all too easy to crack the globe, which could immediately result in the candle igniting the extremely flammable alcohol vapor, which would then blow up in your face, catch your hair on fire, and send you running around the room like a wild banshee. Oh, and you’d probably also be drunk, which is always helpful in an emergency.

Vaportini in use
P.O.V. shot of the Vaportini in use. Image used with permission by copyright holder

Now, I will say that I found no evidence of this actually happening to anyone. And it didn’t happen to me, despite the cracked globe. So perhaps I’m just being paranoid. But it isn’t much of a stretch to imagine things going wildly wrong when there’s booze, fire, and drunk people all in close proximity.

Last sip

The Vaportini, which runs $30 or $42 with the pint glass included, is the perfect gimmick for bars looking to maximize their booze profits – the amount of alcohol used is much less than you would drink in the same amount of time. It looks cool, like some type of glass sculpture. And because you’re left waiting for the alcohol to evaporate gradually, giving you time to chat with fellow imbibers, I can see how this could be appealing to a couple on a first date, or sorority girls who want to look classy.

That said, the act of sucking vaporized alcohol out of a glass globe makes you feel and look like a crack addict. The potential for catching your face on fire is far too high for my liking. And besides, there’s a reason booze consumption technology has remained the same for thousands of years: Drinking is already perfect.

Andrew Couts
Features Editor for Digital Trends, Andrew Couts covers a wide swath of consumer technology topics, with particular focus on…
The Ioniq 5 is once again eligible for the $7,500 tax credit
2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5

After a brief and confusing absence, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is once again eligible for the full $7,500 federal tax credit — and this time, it's sticking around (at least for now). So, what happened? Let’s unpack the ride.

The Ioniq 5, a sleek and tech-savvy electric crossover, initially made headlines not just for its design, but for being built at Hyundai’s brand-new Metaplant in Georgia. That domestic assembly qualified it for the EV tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which requires vehicles to be made in North America with batteries sourced from trade-friendly countries. But early in 2025, the Ioniq 5 vanished from the list. Why? Likely due to its battery packs, which were then still being sourced from SK On’s Hungarian facility.

Read more
Sebastian Stan lays out Bucky’s future after Thunderbolts
Sebastian Stan in Thunderbolts.

There are some spoilers ahead for the ending of Marvel's Thunderbolts. Stop reading now if you don't want to be spoiled.

Earlier this year, Captain America: Brave New World briefly introduced a new direction for James "Bucky" Barnes, a character Sebastian Stan has been playing since 2011 in Captain America: The First Avenger. In Brave New World, the former Winter Soldier apparently retired from being a reformed hero and went into politics by running for Congress. Thunderbolts reveals that Bucky won his election to the House of Representatives. But his stay in Congress was short.

Read more
Jeep Compass EV breaks cover—but will it come to the U.S.?
jeep compass ev us newjeepcompassfirsteditionhawaii  4

Jeep just pulled the wraps off the all-new Compass EV, and while it’s an exciting leap into the electric future, there's a catch—it might not make it to the U.S. anytime soon.
This is a brand new electric version of the Jeep Compass, and being built on Stellantis' STLA platform—the same architecture underpinning models like the Peugeot E-3008 and E-5008—it looks much slicker and packs a lot more inside than previous versions of the Compass.
Let’s start with what’s cool: the new Compass EV is packing up to 404 miles of range on a single charge, a 74 kWh battery, and fast-charging that gets you from 20% to 80% in about 30 minutes. Not bad for a compact SUV with Jeep's badge on the nose.
There are two versions: a front-wheel-drive model with 213 horsepower and a beefier all-wheel-drive version with 375 horsepower. That AWD setup isn’t just for looks—it can handle 20% inclines even without front traction, and comes with extra ground clearance and better off-road angles. In short, it’s still a Jeep.
The design's been refreshed too, and inside you’ll find the kind of tech and comfort you’d expect in a modern EV—sleek, smart, and ready for both city streets and dirt trails.
But here’s the thing: even though production starts soon in Italy, Jeep hasn’t said whether the Compass EV is coming to America. And the signs aren’t promising.
Plans to build it in Canada were recently put on hold, with production now delayed until at least early 2026. Some of that might have to do with possible U.S. tariffs on Canadian and Mexican vehicles—adding a layer of uncertainty to the whole rollout.
According to Kelley Blue Book, a Stellantis spokesperson confirmed that the company has “temporarily paused work on the next-generation Jeep Compass, including activities at” the Canadian plant that was originally meant to build the model. They added that Stellantis is “reassessing its product strategy in North America” to better match customer needs and demand for different powertrain options.
So while Europe and other markets are gearing up to get the Compass EV soon, American drivers might be left waiting—or miss out entirely.
That’s a shame, because on paper, this electric Jeep hits a lot of sweet spots. Let’s just hope it finds a way over here.

Read more