BOTTLE TOPS SIR,—Leslie Adrian, in 'Consuming Interest,' seems to be
unnecessarily worried about bottle tops. Ten years ago I was told by a friend that they Were super- fluous and that the remains of an opened bottle of a carbonated drink kept just as well with no top at all. I thought this incredible but proceeded to experi- ment, and, to my surprise, found that leaving the bottle uncapped causes no greater detetioration in the contents than is the case when an airtight stopper is used.
This system would be useless, of course, if the bottle were shaken unduly (which there is no need to do) and, as in the case of a firmly stoppered bottle, will not prevent flatness when the liquid level is low in the bottle.
I assume that the explanation is-that the gas used in such drinks is heavier than air and therefore does not rise unless agitated. At any rate, I have not used a bottle top for ten years.—Yours faithfully,
15,32 Mackay Street, Montreal, Canada T. H. EDWARDS
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