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Palcohol: US Government reveals it has approved sale of powdered alcohol

The company has had to retract some of its advertising material, which advised people to use their product to create kamikaze guacamole

Kashmira Gander
Tuesday 22 April 2014 08:55 BST
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The US makers of powdered alcoholic drinks have had to hastily re-work their marketing material after the US Government announced it had approved the products for sale - inadvertently exposing the company’s tongue-in-cheek serving suggestions.

The US Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau had already rubber-stamped Palcohol, but made the decision public without the manufacturers of Palcohol realising.

By the autumn, it will be legal to sell seven flavours of Palcohol in the US, including Cosmopolitan, Mojito, and a so-called ‘Powderita,’ which its creators say “tastes just like a Margarita”.

“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,” the Telegraph reported the product's promotional material as reading.

It also encouraged visitors on its page to “experiment” by sprinkling Palcohol “on almost any dish” for “an extra kick”.

“Some of our favourites are the Kamikaze in guacamole, Rum on a BBQ sandwich, Cosmo on a salad and Vodka on eggs in the morning to start your day off right.

“Remember, you have to add Palcohol AFTER a dish is cooked as the alcohol will burn off if you cook with it... and that defeats the whole purpose," the website warns.

"Let’s talk about the elephant in the room…snorting Palcohol," the Palcohol website read according to The Verge.

"Yes, you can snort it. And you’ll get drunk almost instantly because the alcohol will be absorbed so quickly in your nose. Good idea? No. It will mess you up. Use Palcohol responsibly."

The company has since issued a statement on its website retracting its previously questionable advice.

“There was a page visible on this site where we were experimenting with some humorous and edgy verbiage about Palcohol. It was not meant to be our final presentation of Palcohol. Also posted were labels that were incorrect,” it read.

"Even though the old verbiage was a bit edgy, we clearly stated then, and still remain adamant, that Palcohol should be used in a responsible and legal manner," it added.

The change in campaign material comes during US Alcohol Awareness Month. 18 million Americans have an alcohol use disorder, according to the US Government's National Institute of Health.

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