This Valentine’s Day, The Aldwych Café in Glasgow, Scotland is serving up a dangerously hot special for the holiday. So hot, in fact, that if you want to buy a scoop, you have to sign a disclaimer form!
The ice cream flavor, called “Respiro Del Diavolo” (Breath of the Devil) is so spicy that you must be 18 years old to consent to consume it.
To put the flavor’s level of spice into perspective, the Scoville scale, which measures the spiciness of chili peppers, determined that Respiro Del Diavolo weighs in at 1,569,300 Scoville heat units. Which makes it 500 times more spicy than Tabasco sauce.
It’s also so hot that the workers at the cafe need to wear gloves when they scoop it!
The disclaimer form isn’t kidding around either. It warns potential tasters that “there could be a risk of personal injury, illness, & possible loss of life” as a result of taking a bite.
The Aldwych Café is owned by Martin Bandoni, who has relatives in Italy where the spicy creation originates.
According to Martin’s brother, Lee Bandoni, “It started in Italy. There was a place called Devils Bridge and with that, the Italian ice cream families used to meet up once a year and discuss how the year went for them. At that point, if there were any men that showed bravery then they would eat this ice cream. So, because of the Devils Bridge, they called this the Breath of the Devil.”
On the recipe itself, Lee explained, “[When] Martin was away earlier in the month he brought back the idea that was passed down to him. The recipe is very secret, very few of us know it and when the time is right Martin’s children will get to find out about it and they will go to Italy and learn the ins and outs of it.”
Regarding the secret, Martin himself added, “There are about three people who know how it’s made and when time is right it will be passed down again.”
The cafe has produced a limited amount for now while they test out the recipe, so if you’re in the Glasgow area, make sure to get it while you can!
