Editing 2729: Planet Killer Comet Margarita

{{comic
| number    = 2729
| date      = January 25, 2023
| title     = Planet Killer Comet Margarita
| image     = planet_killer_comet_margarita_2x.png
| imagesize = 607x942px
| noexpand  = true
| titletext = I'll take mine on the rocks, no ice.
}}

==Explanation==

A {{w|margarita}} is a popular cocktail made from {{w|tequila}}, {{w|agave}}, {{w|triple sec}}, and {{w|lime juice}}. The frozen margarita variety is blended with ice, and this comic suggests making an enormous drink using the ice from a {{w|comet nucleus}} – the one depicted having more than a passing similarity to the much-studied {{w|67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko}} (but then if it is {{w|67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko}}, could you at least remove {{w|Rosetta (spacecraft)}} and {{w|Philae (spacecraft)}}, please?). Based on the amount of ice in a typical comet, it extrapolates the quantity of the other ingredients. The mixed drink is big enough to fill {{w|Lake Mead}}, a massive reservoir on the {{w|Colorado River}} created by the water held by the {{w|Hoover Dam}}.

Beyond the unusual quantities and mixing method, Randall uses the general term "orange liqueur" here rather than specifying triple sec. Assuming that each oil tanker holds the same amount of liquid, the tequila: triple sec ratio in the comic is 4:1, meaning more tequila is used than necessary (the ratio should be 5:2).

''{{w|Armageddon_(1998_film)|Armageddon}}'' is a movie starring {{w|Bruce Willis}} about a team of astronauts and oil drill engineers on a mission to blow up an asteroid that's on a collision course with the Earth. The oil drill would be used to drill a hole deep into the asteroid, into which they'll drop a nuclear bomb to destroy it. The comic suggests using the same technique to explode the comet nucleus to get the ice. It should be noted that consuming any cocktail which has been infused with the radioactive byproducts commonly resulting from the detonation of a thermonuclear weapon may pose health risks which exceed those typically associated with the consumption of alcoholic beverages in general.{{Actual citation needed|It would be the relatively small primary charge that creates the radioisotopes, the thermonuclear secondary stage is practically uncontaminating beyond the initial pulse of ionizing radiation and any external matter boosted by the neutron flux. To quantify the risks of alcohol vs the mean radioisotope contamination seems like a question to ask Randall to talk to his contacts about.}}

In the title text, he asks for it "{{w|on the rocks}}", with no ice. In the context of normal cocktails, "on the rocks" means to serve with ice. Here the cocktail is served from the drained basin of Lake Mead, which has rock as a substrate - hence "on the rocks." In addition, the comet nucleus contains lots of rocky material, so "on the rocks" with Randall's planet killer cocktail would also be served with literal rocks in it.

In the header, it says "Today's comic was drawn for Daniel Becker, based on [https://what-if.xkcd.com/162/ his winning question] submitted to the [https://xkcd.com/what-if-2/ What If? 2] contest." As explained in the What If? entry melting a comet on Earth has enough negative effects on the climate to negate the cooling effect a couple of thousand times over – thus this margarita may proudly wear the title "planet killer".

Assuming an average oil tanker size of 25.8 million gallons, this provides approximately 1,700 servings of tequila per adult on the planet.  Therefore it is a planet killer in terms of alcohol poisoning and killing off all humans of adult drinking age.

==Transcript==
:<big>The Planet Killer</big>
:Comet Ice Margarita

:<u>Ingredients</u>
:[On the top, there are tiny freight ships in forty 10x10 groups that are arranged into eight columns and five rows, for 4,000 ships in total. There is a circular zoom-in to a few ships showing them in more detail. Label above the depiction:]
:4,000 oil tankers full of tequila
:[Below, on the left side, more tiny freight ships in ten 10x10 groups that are arranged into two columns and five rows, for 1,000 ships in total. Label above the depiction:]
:1,000 tankers full of orange liqueur
:[Further below on the left, tiny freight ships again in ten 10x10 groups that are also arranged into two columns and five rows, for 1,000 ships in total. Label above the depiction:]
:1,000 tankers full of agave
:[Still further below on the left, a huge pile of citrus fruits is shown. Label above the depiction:] 
:The juice from 20 trillion limes
:[A picture of a comet in space, on a black background with many stars. This depiction is considerably larger than the aforementioned ones. Label above the depiction:]
:One comet nucleus

:<u>Instructions</u>
:(1) Drain Lake Mead, combine ingredients behind Hoover Dam
:[Below, there is a depiction of liquid from three pipes being poured and the comet being lowered into a site that lies between a dam and rock formations.]
:(2) Detonate comet using Bruce Willis's drilling rig from ''Armageddon'' (1998)
:[Below, the aforementioned site is now filled with liquid and the comet has a drilling rig on top of it. An explosion is shown in the middle of the comet.]
::''Boom''
:(3) Dispense drink through Hoover Dam turbines
:[Below, the same site without the comet but with rock fragments instead. The liquid is pouring through the dam via a pipe into a bucket on the other side.] 

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Puns]]
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Food]]