Powdered Alcohol Gets U.S. Approval

Alcohol seemed to be doing just fine in its traditional, liquid form, but apparently that made it inconvenient for some people because now powdered alcohol is a thing that exists, and somehow it has actually been approved by the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade bureau.

According to BevLaw, the TTB has given approval to a patent-pending product called Palcohol, for powdered alcohol. 

According to the current version of the Palcohol website, each pouch of powder is equivalent to one shot of alcohol. Right now they are working on powdered rum and powdered vodka. The powdered rum and vodka can be mixed with five ounces of water, or with five ounces of one's favorite mixer, like cranberry juice to create an instant vodka cranberry. The pouches will also have cocktail flavors that come in Lemon Drop, Cosmopolitan, Margarita, and Mojito flavors, so a person could get a lemon drop the same way one used to mix up a water bottle full of powdered lemonade or fruit punch.

Of course, a lot of people enjoy eating powdered lemonade right out of the packet like candy. It seems almost a foregone conclusion that someone will try that with Palcohol when it gets to market. People have already been theorizing about the product's snortability, leading the company to quickly ask everyone to please not do that.

"We have seen comments about goofballs wanting to snort it. Don't do it! It is not a responsible or smart way to use the product. To take precautions against this action, we've added volume to the powder so it would take more than a half of a cup of powder to get the equivalent of one drink up your nose. You would feel all pain for little gain. Just use it the right way."

According to Gawker, an earlier version of the website's text said that snorting Palcohol was possible and would get a person drunk almost instantly. The company says the earlier version of the website was not ready for public viewing and that it hopes the product will be used in a responsible and legal manner.

UPDATE: A representative for the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau has informed the Associated Press that Palcohol's label approvals were issued in error. In response, Palcohol has announced that it will resubmit the labels for approval.