Powdered Alcohol Gets the OK From Federal Regulators, Faces Resistance from States
Get ready for an unconventional way to get drunk this summer.
By Kate Taylor •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Lovers of Tang and Emergen-C who wished there was a drink mix that could get them drunk – this one is for you.
Earlier this week, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau approved a powdered alcohol mix. The mix, appropriately called "Palcohol," actually received the greenlight from the federal regulator last April. However, the bureau backtracked and the product hasn't been made available – until now.
Four varieties of Palcohol have now been approved by the federal government. However, several states already put plans in motion to ban powdered alcohol, including Colorado and New York.
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Palcohol, created by wine entrepreneur Mark Phillips, comes in rum and vodka form, as well as mixed drink flavors "Powderita" and Cosmopolitan. The powders are intended to be mixed with water or another drink, and are expected to be for sale in the summer of 2015, according to the company website.
Critics of the product have claimed that the powdered product will be easier for minors to abuse and convenient for anyone to smuggle into public events. There have also been concerns related to potentially snorting the Palcohol. However, Phillips argues that the new product is being smeared by the liquor industry.
"The liquor companies have lots of money to lobby for what they want and we are no match for their deep pockets," Phillips writes on the Palcohol company website. "But should big money be allowed to make the laws?"
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