It won’t be long before your next trip to the liquor store involves deciding whether to buy liquid or powdered alcohol. Yes, powdered alcohol. There is such a thing.
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau approved several flavors of Palcohol this week, which is a powdered version of alcohol that you can add to a mixer or water to start working on that much-needed buzz. Palcohol is expected to be available to purchase sometime in the fall.
Palcohol was created by Mark Phillips. According to the Palcohol website, it took Phillips years of working with scientists to create his powdered alcohol. There will be vodka and rum Palcohol that you can add to a mixer, plus four flavors that only require water to get the party started: Cosmopolitan, Mojito, Powderita (margarita), and Lemon Drop.
Palcohol will come in small packets that are equivalent to one shot of alcohol each. If you’re wondering why, exactly, there is a need for powdered alcohol, the answer is simple: convenience. From the website:
Why? Sometimes liquid isn’t convenient. Because Palcohol is powder and very light, you can take it just about anywhere to enjoy a cocktail! That’s why we say: “Take your Pal wherever you go.”
According to Telegraph, the Palcohol website also promoted using the powder when going out to avoid paying for expensive cocktails (this information was removed after news of Palcohol being approved made headlines):
What’s worse than going to a concert, sporting event, etc. and having to pay $10, $15, $20 for a mixed drink with tax and tip. Are you kidding me?! Take Palcohol into the venue and enjoy a mixed drink for a fraction of the cost.
While the Palcohol website suggests mixing the substance with water and mixers and says that it is okay to mix it with food, it does advise against snorting the substance. “Don’t do it!” the website warns. “It is not a responsible or smart way to use the product.” Despite the convenience of Palcohol, it’s easy to see why there is cause for concern regarding the potential dangers of the product. If young people will use alcohol tampons to get drunk faster, there’s no doubt that Palcohol will be used in the wrong way.
The news that there is such a thing as powdered alcohol and that it will be available in the United States soon was met with skepticism, horror, and sheer delight:
is palcohol legit? I just find it too good to be true.
— pixel chick (@cyberbabe2003) April 20, 2014
Alcohol is now available in powdered form. I see so many horrible possibilities with this
— Ben Lohr (@theLohr_ax) April 20, 2014
http://t.co/7zPNPK0R7u MUFUKAS BOUTA GET CRUNK ANYWHERE YALL!!
— Bombay (@BombayClay) April 20, 2014
Take a look at a powdered vodka created in Russia below to get an idea of what to expect when Palcohol is released:
Image via Wikimedia Commons