Alcohol in a powdered form, called Palcohol, was approved for sale by the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) last week. That means you can have a shot of vodka or rum just by adding water to a pouch, or if you prefer, it also comes in three cocktail versions. Adding six ounces of soda or juice to the contents of a pouch makes a standard mixed drink. Some health experts and officials, however, are worried that the easily consumable, easily concealed pouches could lead to abuse by underage drinkers.
Last year, TTB greenlighted the product, but quickly backtracked, saying how the label approvals were given in error. Just last week, the bureau’s Tom Hogue told the AP that the issues were resolved and four varieties of Palcohol have been approved: R (Puerto Rican rum), V (vodka distilled four times), cosmopolitan, and powderita (tastes just like a margarita!). The lemon drop is expected to be approved shortly.