Adding flavored powders to water is nothing new; Kool-Aid, anyone? However, up until now, those powder mixtures were purely non-alcoholic. They made it possible for you to whip up a batch of lemonade, and then add your favorite alcohol to it. Luckily, science is a crazy thing and starting this fall, we’re going to be able to buy powdered alcohol.
Your initial reaction to the idea of powdered alcohol may be “weird” or even, “ew”. How could alcohol in powdered form taste good? Well, after reading about it, we think we might be sold on the idea.
The product is called “Palcohol” and it’s been approved by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (shocking). The creator, Mark Phillips, said he wanted to create an alcohol that was light, compact, and easy to carry. There are six versions that will be available and they will be sold in pouches that are equivalent to one shot of alcohol. Two of the varieties will be straight up alcohol, while the other four will be powdered mixtures that create an instant cocktail.
- “V” is powder made from premium vodka distilled four times.
- “R” is powder made from premium Puerto Rican rum.
V and R can be used in two different ways. Using the first method, you can add a packet to 5 ounces of your favorite mixer to make something like Rum and Coke or Vodka and Orange Juice. For the second choice, you can add 5 ounces of water to the powder and then add a flavored drink powder to make it any flavor you want. As for the cocktail versions, they are:
- Cosmopolitan
- Mojito
- Powderita (Margarita)
- Lemon Drop
You’ll be able to find Palcohol anywhere you would normally purchase alcohol. The Palcohol website does address the issue of people possibly trying to snort the powder and cautions strongly against it. They said they’ve taken precaution against snorting by adding volume to the powder, meaning it would take more than a half a cup of powder to get the equivalent of one drink up your nose. In other words, they said, it’s a lot of pain for very little gain.
We do think potential issues will arise after this powder is released to the public, but in general, we like the idea. Anything that makes it easier for us to drink is OK in our book.