As if heavy drinkers needed more reasons to consume alcohol, it has now become as easy as carrying around a water bottle and a 100 milliliter packet of sugar. Powdered alcohol may seem like a fantasy for boozers and college students, but the hard liquor substitute has gained approval from the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). "Palcohol" is expected to hit liquor store shelves this fall in several cocktail versions, including Cosmopolitan, Mojito, Powderita (“tastes just like a margarita”), and Lemon Drop.

Although convenient, a lot of questions regarding the safety of this powdered alcohol substance have been raised by skeptics and the company itself. Many wonder if irresponsible drinkers will turn to snorting Palcohol. A statement posted on the company’s website that has since been removed seemed to make light of this question and even informed potential users that they would “get drunk almost instantly.” A revised statement was posted to the website in hopes of addressing the issue in a responsible manner.

“We have seen comments about goofballs wanting to snort it,” Palcohol’s website states. “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 a lot of pain for very little gain. Just use it the right way.”

While the company does not condone snorting powdered alcohol, it does approve of sprinkling a little bit of Palcohol on your meals. Just make sure you don’t serve alcohol covered food to minors.

“Beer, wine and spirits are often added to dishes to enhance the flavor. When you add Palcohol to food, you're not really adding flavor to the dish, just alcohol. We've been experimenting with it like adding Powderita powder to guacamole, Cosmopolitan powder on a salad, V in a vodka sauce, etc. It gives the food a kick.”

Palcohol creator, Mark Phillips, has starred in his own public television special Enjoying Wine with Mark Phillips and has even released his own book on the subject of wine titled Swallow This: The Progressive Approach to Wine. According to the website, Mark enjoys many outdoor activities, including hiking, biking, camping, and kayaking. The idea for powdered alcohol came about after he pondered a way to enjoy an alcoholic beverage after a run or bike ride without carrying a bottle of wine.

“Mark searched for powdered alcohol and it wasn't available. So he began his quest to create it. After years of research, experimentation and consultation with scientists around the world, he finally came up with powdered alcohol and called it Palcohol. Now Palcohol is here. A great convenience for the person on the go. One package weighs about an ounce and is small enough to fit into any pocket.”