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Tim Fraser/The Globe and Mail

The question

I've heard it's dangerous to drink whisky with oysters. Is that true?

The answer

No. It's a myth, just like the Loch Ness Monster and that bit about oysters improving my sex life (other people's I can't comment on).

Don't know how the story got started, but some people contend that whisky causes the raw mollusks to turn to stone or become pickled in the stomach. Some go so far as to suggest the danger applies to all brown spirits and even spirits in general. As a fan of cold gin martinis with oysters, I can personally attest that the latter fear is unfounded.

Plus, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society recently held a Scotch-and-oyster pairing event in Scotland. (As far as I know, nobody's been rushed to emergency.)

The combination is not as crazy as it may seem. There's a briny, salt-spray quality in many whiskies, a note that resonates with the shellfish.

E-mail your wine and spirits questions to Beppi Crosariol. Look for answers to select questions to appear in the Wine & Spirits newsletter and on The Globe and Mail website.

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