Powdered Alcohol

Palcohol, or Powdered Alcohol, made headlines last month with lots of enthusiasm from fans, but also a lot of nonsense concerns from the media and politicians.  This makes some wonder if they have stock in BF-B or some other producer and marketer of alcohol brands?

Most of my blog entries are simply drink recipes, but after reading the Smithsonian Magazine's article on the many other uses of Palcohol, I felt it necessary to voice my opinion.

The pouches used for Palcohol would cut down on waste of plastic and glass bottles used by a number of individuals who purchase alcoholic beverages and premixes. However, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, asked the Food and Drug Administration for a ban on the substance. Keep in mind, New York City generates 36,200 tons of garbage every day, as of April 3rd, 2008 according to this article in the New York Observer.  This makes me question Schumer's thinking?

Vermont Legislature is discussing a bill to ban sales of powdered alcohol within the state.  Perhaps that's because Vermonters participate in binge drinking more than most states, according to ABCNews.go.com.  I don't think this is going to stop the binge drinking, Vermont!  Minnesota state representative Joe Atkins, has already introduced the same ban.

Companies have been trying to get a powdered version of alcohol approved since the 1970's, according to this article from Smithsonian.com.  That's right, the 1970's, think of how much waste we could have saved over the last 40 years!

Get the facts from Palcohol.com before assuming anything about this product.

Here are a few inaccurate assumptions, (remember for what assume stands), as clarified by Pacohol.com:

1. People will snort it and get drunk.
Not true. 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. Why would anyone do that when they can do a shot of liquid vodka in two seconds?

2. Powdered alcohol will make it easier to sneak into venues.
Not true. A package of Palcohol is 4" x 6"....almost five times bigger than a 50ml bottle of liquid alcohol so Palcohol is much harder to conceal.

3. It will be easier to spike a drink.
Not true. Palcohol does not dissolve instantly in liquid and would take over a minute of stirring to dissolve the equivalent of one shot of alcohol into a drink. 

4. Kids will get a hold of it easier.
Not true. Palcohol is sold wherever liquid alcohol is sold and the same rules apply, you must be 21 years or older to buy it.  



The four cocktail versions are: Cosmopolitan, Mojito, Powderita (like a Margarita), and Lemon Drop.  To this blogger, these flavors sound like an after dinner drink you would enjoy while sitting around with friends, not something in which you would abuse. 

I hope that everyone reading this will share this with others and write or call your local, state and federal representatives so that our country can grow not only a little greener, but also a little smarter.

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