Bar fined £120k for serving tequilas made with caustic soda instead of salt which left clubbers with mouth burns
A BAR has been fined £120,000 for serving tequilas made with caustic soda instead of salt.
The incident at Tiger Tiger resulted in four women who ingested the cleaning chemical being taken to hospital with burns to their mouths.
It happened when a barman who had run out of salt went to an unlit storage area.
He scooped white powder from a container and served it to a group of revellers.
They poured it on to the back of their hands, licked it and drank the tequila shot.
When the women became ill, the barman at the central London nightspot tasted the powder himself, also suffering burns.
It sparked fears of a terrorist attack, with police locking down the venue in December 2021.
Tiger Tiger owner A3D2 has been fined by Westminster magistrates after admitting four health and safety breaches.
Westminster council, which brought the prosecution, said it failed “to ensure customers were not exposed to risk of chemical substances”.
Councillor Aicha Less said: “This incident shows that overlooking basic safety measures can have the most serious consequences.
“Westminster City Council’s Health and Safety Team will continue to work with all businesses in the city to make sure the highest levels of health and safety are consistently maintained, and staff are educated in safe practice.”
In 2008 the British-owned Club Coco in the Swiss resort of Verbier faced compensation claims from British holidaymakers after being given caustic soda instead of salt to accompany their après-ski drinks.