Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to drink a lukewarm cosmopolitan out of a plastic bag on a kayak trip? Me neither. Yet a new product offers this option.

“Palcohol” is a powdered alcohol from the US. It offers the consumer the ability of having a drink if you don’t want to carry heavy glass bottles around. No doubt this is a practical solution for camping enthusiasts and astronauts alike. And it doesn’t stop there. Airlines and hotels in remote locations could benefit from it by saving transport costs. Cruise ship captains will no doubt be excited as well.

However, I doubt their “Powderita” (margarita in powder form) will taste any better than a premixed cocktail from the supermarket. It looks like the beverage industry found yet another way to sacrifice flavor and quality for profits.

I’m still not sure which is worse, the actual product or the horrific pun they chose to name their product.  I’ll end this rant by advising the outdoors enthusiasts among you to buy a flask and fill it with a good scotch.

Another interesting invention in the world of alcohol is the Vaportini. A device which heats up alcohol creating an alcoholic vapor which is then inhaled. A website offering it for sale promotes it as “…game-changing, fascinating and…kind of insane. In other words: the perfect device to whip out at your next summer gathering.”

At first the idea of inhaling alcohol fumes and its effects  seem like an interesting thing to try. I did some research and the selling point seems to be that inhaling alcohol delivers a different buzz. Since the alcohol doesn’t have to pass through your stomach you’ll feel it almost instantaneously.

Yet it only lasts for a brief moment before you have to inhale again. And you won’t be able to enjoy the flavor as much as when you would drink it either. Another downside of this invention is that overdosing is a lot easier since inhaling it eliminates the barrier your digestion system creates.

So after some scrutiny it seems like nothing more than another gimmick that will be loved and caressed by the fitness bros at your local gym. They won’t fail to whip it out at a summer gathering; hopefully not near you.

Call me conservative but until they come up with something truly innovative I will still enjoy my drinks the old fashioned way through pouring it from a bottle and then drinking it.

Let us know what you think about these novelties in the comments. Cheers!

[Article by Alexander Eeckhout]