Back in the 1960's, Jerry Lewis starred in the movie "Way...Way Out" (1966), one of the things that made an impression on a young NASA brat (myself), was the 'instant vodka' the Russians had up in space in the movie. After Tang came out, I wondered when we would see the 'instant vodka'. I'm glad I was not holding my breath in anticipation!
After a false start following the announcement almost a year ago, Palcohol not only has instant vodka, but several other flavors of 'powdered-just mix with water' instant alcoholic beverages. From the article:
Powered alcohol will now be legal in the United States after a federal agency approved the product Palcohol to be sold. [...] The product will be sold in pouches, and water can be added to them in order to create an alcoholic beverage.
The product was approved in April, 2014 by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, who then turned right around and revoked approval due to concerns of abuse, misuse, and ease of concealment and availability to minors.
A bureau spokesman has now confirmed that "the issues were resolved" and "four varieties of Palcohol were approved," including cosmopolitan, margarita, vodka, and rum.
In response to critics concerned about the product being snorted or easier to sneak into venues that ban alcohol consumption, a statement on the Palcohol website says: "We believe that powdered alcohol is actually safer than liquid alcohol." "It's painful to snort due to the alcohol. Second, it's impractical. It takes approximately 60 minutes to snort the equivalent of one shot of vodka," Palcohol founder Mark Phillips said. "Why would anyone do that when they can do a shot of liquid vodka in two seconds?"
Apparently Palcohol is optimistic about starting sales this summer, but they also say they have some issues to work out in some states, regarding regulations to allow this to happen. (Nothing more specific was mentioned.) So now, with a few kilos of Palcohol, and a few kilos of powdered water, yer stocked for the zombie apocalypse. ;-)
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We covered the story about powdered alcohol when it was first announced, but it ran into problems. It was re-announced in mid March. Rachel Abrams reports at the NYT that six states have passed legislation to ban Palcohol, a freeze-dried, powdered alcohol developed by Mark Phillips who he says was inspired by a love of hiking but a distaste for carrying bottles of adult beverages uphill. "When I hike, kayak, backpack or whatever, I like to have a drink when I reach my destination. And carrying liquid alcohol and mixers to make a margarita for instance was totally impractical," says Phillips, who hopes to have Palcohol on store shelves by the summer. One packet of Palcohol equals one shot with each packet weighing 1 ounce and turning into liquid when mixed with 6 ounces of water. Phillips has vigorously defended his product, called Palcohol, saying it is no more dangerous than the liquid version sold in liquor stores and plans to release five flavors: vodka, rum, cosmopolitan, powderita (which is like a margarita) and lemon drop.
Critics are concerned people may try to snort the powder or mix it with alcohol to make it even stronger or spike a drink. "It's very easy to put a couple packets into a glass and have super-concentrated alcohol," says Frank Lovecchio. Amy George, a spokeswoman for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said MADD did not typically take a stand on the dangers of specific alcohol products, but MADD is concerned about the colorful or playful packaging of such products that can sometimes appeal to children. Phillips dismisses concerns saying that they don't make sense if you think it through. "People unfortunately use alcohol irresponsibly. But I don't see any movement to ban liquid alcohol. You don't ban something because a few irresponsible people use it improperly," says Phillips. "They can snort black pepper. Do you ban black pepper?"
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 16 2015, @11:16AM
Americans, do the world a favor for once, and fly some drones over the Middle East to dust the whole region with powered alcohol. The sand-niggers will be more friendlier after they get drunk, see? Might even convince them to abolish their antiquated prohibition laws. And get this, you'll be giving an opportunity for your shit-eating corporate fuck-faced scum to sell booze in a new market, right?? Think of the PROFITS.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by beardedchimp on Monday March 16 2015, @11:27AM
If you were wondering how this works, this is from wikipedia.
"According to food chemist Udo Pollmer of the European Institute of Food and Nutrition Sciences in Munich, alcohol can be absorbed in cyclodextrins, synthetic carbohydrate derivative. In this way, encapsuled in small capsules, the fluid can be handled as a powder. The cyclodextrins can absorb an estimated 60 percent of their own weight in alcohol.[1] A US patent was registered for the process as early as 1974.[2]"
When doing a bit of googling there seems to be a bit of scare mongering around people creating extra strong drinks by mixing this with existing alcohol rather than water. I'm wondering whether the power would actually keep more of the alcohol encapsulated in this case resulting in a drink that doesn't take very alcoholic but releases it progressively in your stomach instead.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Dunbal on Monday March 16 2015, @12:37PM
Let's prevent "extra strong drinks" because that will totally stop people from drinking twice as much of the regular strength drinks... Seriously, prohibitionist logic is FUCKED UP.
(Score: 4, Informative) by LoRdTAW on Monday March 16 2015, @01:58PM
Seriously. They must have never heard of Bacardi 151, Spirytus, Ever Clear or other high alcohol content spirits. You can easily kill yourself with a bottle of any of those and you can buy then at just about any liquor store.
(Score: 3, Informative) by JeanCroix on Wednesday March 18 2015, @07:11PM
(Score: 3, Informative) by nitehawk214 on Monday March 16 2015, @02:04PM
The PALCB (Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board) recently ordered all bars in Pittsburgh to remove the ABV from their chalkboards. Their reason was "so people don't order the strongest drink" or some garbage like that.
I was using the ABV listing so I would not drink too much. And if you ask the bartender they will simply tell you, and places with printed menus often print the ABV on it anyhow. But if you go into a place with 30 taps it becomes a pain in the ass.
Morons and useless bureaucracy go together.
"Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
(Score: 1) by nitehawk214 on Monday March 16 2015, @02:09PM
Also I did not need to see an article to know they would ban Palcohol. [abc27.com] That decision actually seems pretty reasonable compared to most of them.
I also love that the republican Miskin was torn between maintaining prohibition and relaxing regulations. "Do I pander to old religious right. Or to EVERY SINGLE REASONABLE PERSON IN THE STATE?"
"Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 16 2015, @04:57PM
Personally I think banning is not the way to go, but this argument is not one of the reasons. Stomach volume and appetite are absolutely a limiting factor when drinking, and "just drinking twice as much" is not as easy or convenient as you make it sound like.
As an example, I remember hearing (haven't fact-checked) that there is as much sugar in a single glass of apple juice as there is in 8 full apples. Go ahead and try to eat 8 apples and say "yeah, that was as easy and fast as drinking a glass of apple juice." I'm guessing if I paid you enough you could drink maybe 3 or more glasses in a 5 minute period, but you'd struggle to eat 24 apples in any reasonably short amount of time.
So yeah... making them drink twice as much weaker drinks very much could have the desired outcome.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 16 2015, @07:11PM
Just like when NYC banned large drinks? People openly carried two smaller sized drinks to flout it.
It is hard to legislate away idiocy; people focus on the convenience as opposed to much of anything else. Big government wants to take my high fructose drink!
I don't really buy the prohibition argument, but rather it's a means to reduce the convenience of double strong beverages (what's to stop getting a 16oz glass of an alcoholic beverage instead of two 8 oz tumblers? It's no different than two colas to replace the one...) The fact is, one has to go out of one's way to indulge in such activity to get around the ban, and the ones self-determined to do so are unlikely to be the ones targeted by the restrictions to begin with. They may even drink more to prove some sort of point.
In the end, it is hard to raise wise people without looking a little foolish in the process. That is because if there are few examples to cite as a mistaken or poor effort, then we may end up at best with book smart ignoramuses that can't work out problems. The problem being solved in both cases is to introduce the concept of limiting excess, and I think the message is a good one--however foolishly it may appear to have been applied.
(Score: 2) by subs on Monday March 16 2015, @01:13PM
When doing a bit of googling there seems to be a bit of scare mongering around people creating extra strong drinks by mixing this with existing alcohol rather than water. I'm wondering whether the power would actually keep more of the alcohol encapsulated in this case resulting in a drink that doesn't take very alcoholic but releases it progressively in your stomach instead.
Given that it's only about 12% alcohol by volume, I'd say in order to really boost a drink, you'd need to dump so much of the powder in there it wouldn't be drinkable anymore and probably more something along the lines of thin honey. See how to do it yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfN_3b_qWnk [youtube.com]
And for a really good takedown of the whole stupidity in the idea of powdered alcohol: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0c0QLaVLhTs [youtube.com]
(Score: 1) by Buck Feta on Monday March 16 2015, @09:02PM
Will the powder burn nicely?
- fractious political commentary goes here -
(Score: 1) by Mr Big in the Pants on Monday March 16 2015, @10:17PM
You missed the most important piece of information:
What happens when someone (inevitably) snorts this stuff for a youtube video?
The headline will undoubtedly incoming but can't science give us a head up??
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Monday March 16 2015, @11:30AM
A powder that together with water will react and become alcohol will be put on sale in the USA this summer in some states under the name Palcohol.
(what does that powder consist of on a molecular level? reaction chain anyone?)
(Score: 3, Informative) by subs on Monday March 16 2015, @01:03PM
The powder together with water doesn't turn into alcohol. Instead, the alcohol (C2H6O) is absorbed onto the powder. The powder dissolves in the water, releasing the alcohol. By weight, the powder is only about 40% alcohol (about in line with the alcohol absorption capabilities of some complex sugars), so about equivalent to vodka. Mind you, you still need to add water, further increasing the weight, rendering any claims of the inventor of it being a "more practical" method of lugging alcohol around entirely pointless. Why not just grab a small PET bottle, pour in some 75-80% stuff and dilute with water? It's 3-4x more efficient in terms of weight and you don't need to drink the stupid powder.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 16 2015, @04:10PM
Because toxic chemicals from the PET will get absorbed by the alcohol. Even in levels too low to be harmful, they negatively affect the taste.
(Score: 2) by Geotti on Tuesday March 17 2015, @04:09AM
so
aboutequivalent to vodka.FTFY. Hope you're not drinking any of that 37% crap.
(Score: 2) by subs on Tuesday March 17 2015, @12:15PM
I'm teetotal, dude.
(Score: 2) by darkfeline on Monday March 16 2015, @12:40PM
As the article briefly mentions, powdered alcohol has existed for a year now. The only thing keeping them from us and our inebriated hands are those pesky regulations. I'm fairly certain SN covered the news originally.
Join the SDF Public Access UNIX System today!
(Score: 2) by GungnirSniper on Monday March 16 2015, @01:58PM
Powdered Alcohol Now Approved was posted eleven months ago. [soylentnews.org] You must have more than 640K.
Nanny State Massachusetts already has regulations banning powdered alcohol.
People don't seem to have trouble abusing, misusing, and concealing alcohol now, nor are drinking minors a rarity. We need to stop using "think of the children!" as a valid reason why adults cannot have adult things.
Tips for better submissions to help our site grow. [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Insightful) by tathra on Monday March 16 2015, @03:15PM
the worst part about using "think of the children!" as a reason to ban substances is that without regulations and such it becomes far easier for kids to get their hands on it. drug dealers don't check for ID.
(Score: 2) by darkfeline on Tuesday March 17 2015, @06:57PM
It also becomes easier for kids to get education on using such substances were they regulated less strongly. This, combined with the ease one can obtain any of these substances on any high school or college campus leads me to believe we wouldn't be losing anything by making it "easier" to obtain.
Join the SDF Public Access UNIX System today!
(Score: 4, Funny) by Thexalon on Monday March 16 2015, @01:01PM
Scotty: "When are you going to get off that milk diet, lad?"
Chekov: "This is wodka."
Scotty: "Where I come from, that's soda pop. Now this is a drink for a man."
Chekov: "Scotch?"
Scotty: "Aye."
Chekov: "It was inwented by little old lady from Leningrad."
"Think of how stupid the average person is. Then realize half of 'em are stupider than that." - George Carlin
(Score: 3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 16 2015, @01:12PM
Worf: "Romulan ale should be illegal."
La Forge: "It is."
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 16 2015, @01:51PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0c0QLaVLhTs [youtube.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 16 2015, @04:55PM
So how long before some college freshman dies snorting it?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by takyon on Monday March 16 2015, @05:06PM
http://www.palcohol.com/home.html [palcohol.com]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 16 2015, @11:13PM
"It takes approximately 60 minutes to snort the equivalent of one shot of vodka. Why would anyone do that when they can do a shot of liquid vodka in two seconds?"
The same reason no one drinks cocaine.
(Score: 3, Touché) by tonyPick on Tuesday March 17 2015, @08:05AM
Heh. years and years ago, during a weekend drinking session, I did once see a friend of mine somehow manage to somehow run together a cough, hiccup and sneeze whilst trying to drink vodka, with the result that liquid shot through his nose and out of the corner of his eyes in a "windscreen wiper" style effect - I can still remember his screams :)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 17 2015, @04:04AM
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday March 16 2015, @05:21PM
The Powdered Water comment reminded me of this great gag gift. This site is almost as good. http://www.dhmo.org/facts.html [dhmo.org]
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 3, Funny) by Freeman on Monday March 16 2015, @05:23PM
Apparently my link to dehydrated water got removed...here's a different link http://hoaxes.org/weblog/comments/can_of_dehydrated_water [hoaxes.org]
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"