Moscow bar mixes 'coronavirus' cocktail to soothe outbreak angst

A barman mixes up a "Coronavirus" cocktail in Moscow, March 19, 2020. PHOTO: REUTERS

MOSCOW (REUTERS) - A Moscow bar says it has found a remedy for the growing angst caused by the global coronavirus outbreak: a colourful cocktail named after the rapidly-spreading virus.

Moscow's Razvedka Bar began selling its "coronavirus"cocktail on Wednesday (March 18).

The cocktail is served in a glass with two medical syringes, one containing a bright red and the other a bright green liquid, though the bar's manager, Anton Zagariya, declined to identify the ingredients used.

Zagariya said the cocktail was designed to help Muscovites refrain from panicking as the country records an increasing number of cases of the virus.

As of Thursday, Russia had recorded 199 cases and one coronavirus-related death.

"The idea of this cocktail came suddenly, just like the virus itself," Zagariya told Reuters.

"We decided... to try and lower the level of tension and panic, which is our worst enemy in this situation."

On its Instagram page, the bar said the cocktail should be consumed when a person is overtaken by the desire to stock up on toilet paper and staples such as buckwheat for an eventual lockdown.

"Of course you still need to wash your hands and do what the World Health Organisation (WHO) says," Zagariya added.

"But there's no need to panic. What for? It doesn't help anybody."

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.