So I don't pay much attention to what goes on in New Hampshire (sorry to anyone that lives there) because it is small, not much happens there, and I have no desire to ever visit it. I do appreciate it when people take it upon themselves to find a solution to a problem though, and that is exactly what has happened on the coast in New Hampshire recently.
Certain species that exist in certain parts of the world shouldn't be transported to another part of the world.... just ask Australia about how awesome Cane Toads are if you need a quick course in ecological disaster. Well in this particular case the crabs were not intentionally transported and nobody really knows how they got to the North East of the US. It is guessed that they hitched a ride on boats from Europe at some point in the 1800's. Then once they arrived at their new home they found an environment almost completely devoid of predators and then replicated like mad. In the meantime they have been wreaking havoc on all sea life in the area.
So why don't we just catch the hell out of them and eat them? According to some people, they don't taste very good compared to other crabs so there is no industry for this.... well until we get booze involved apparently.
A company called Tamworth Distilling has developed a spirit that contains the green crabs and is now selling it to both make money and raise awareness about the invasive species and how it will, if left unchecked, completely decimate the sea life off the coast of New Hampshire, as well as surrounding states. Perhaps it could extend beyond that as well but it's been an estimated 200 years so if that is going to happen, it must be a very slow process.
According to people who have had the whiskey, it sounds awful but actually tastes really good. I am not a whiskey guy, but I would try this just because of how unusual it is.
If I saw it for sale somewhere, I would give it a try and a lot of other people are having the same reaction. The company admits that even if this whiskey were to take off and become a global phenomenon, it wouldn't be enough to curb the actual problem. There are just too many of the green crabs that are slowly but surely taking over all of the marine areas in the area. Eventually, I am hoping that someone will find a way to turn this creature into a wonderful dish that everyone wants because eventually, if continued to be left unchecked, it will be one of the only food sources in that region.
In the meantime I suppose we can all get drunk and just forgettaboutit! For a while.
You can get more information about the whiskey and even order a bottle of it on their website
