Some
people have very simple habits, when it comes to consumption of
liquids. I wanted to use the word 'Drinking' but avoided it because
of the bad undertones associated with it. They abhor and detest
sodas, already condemned by nutritionists and health advisers. They
disdain and disfavour caffeine containing drinks like coffee and Tea
because they contain poisonous substances like Tannin. They outright
reject all milk based products like milk-shakes because it contains
Lactose, with so many people having an intolerance for it. Naturally,
drinks made from Yogurt, like butter milk and 'Lassi' are strictly
'No-No' because after all, these are again derived from milk.
They
prefer to drink something that is absolutely natural, a nature's gift
to the mankind. A drink created by the mother of all natural chemical
reactions in the world. By now you must have guessed it correctly.
The process is known as brewing or fermentation and the drink: off
course the firewater. I am not referring here to those, who
occasionally make a swipe at a drink, while attending a party or
having a glass of wine at a social function. I am pointing here to
diehard tipplers and inebriates, who can not survive without having
their glass fully filled with the gin or may be Vodka, on their side.
A
person, whom I had known for many decades, was one such man devoted
to his glass. He never parted with it, may it be the daylight or
night. The only time he manged to survive without it was when he was
fast asleep. His wife naturally hated his love and would dispose off
immediately all the contents of a glass or a bottle by throwing them
in a wash basin, whenever she had a chance to find one. Faced with
the prospects of a sudden loss of his dear aperitif, bracer, chaser
or nightcap as the time may suggest, any time of the day or in night
and right in front of his very own eyes, he came up with great ideas
to hide his glassware. I am yet to see a more ingenious person at
hiding things. He would keep a filled glass behind a curtain or below
a sofa set, safely filled and away from the prying eyes. He kept his
bottles everywhere, at most unsuspecting places, under car mats, in
the box meant for car tools in the boot, behind picture frames on the
wall, in the folds of curtains. His wife once found that the bottle
of Dettol kept in their toiletries cabinet, actually contained a
quarter of Rum. (Both are disinfectant! Isn't it?) Whenever he want
out, he always carried a bottle of mineral water along, telling
everyone that he feels quite thirsty often. It does not take much
imagination to say, what the bottle contained!
The
tipplers, who are forced to travel, often are at a loss because their
booze may not be available at all places and there is a limit on what
you can carry. Then there are state and national boundaries, where
people check the quantity of alcohol the passengers are carrying.
Usually such habitual boozers plan things well, but things may not
turn out the way they had not planned them. During late seventies,
India's national carrier Indian Airlines, had only economy class
seats in its aircraft. However there used to be a small forward
portion of aircraft containing about 20 seats or so. These seats used
to be in great demand for the late evening flights on sectors like
Mumbai-Delhi. As soon as flight took off, passengers in this forward
section used to tell air hostesses to serve them water or if possible
ice. They would bring their own drink and enjoyed it. On one evening,
when I was on that flight from Mumbai to Delhi, the weather turned
out to be real nasty and spoiler, as aircraft continuously went
through air pockets. All service was suspended due to bad weather and
no one got any water and ice. When the plane landed in Mumbai, I saw
an unusably large number of passengers exiting the aircraft in
terribly annoyed state of mind.
Finally,
there is some great news for the family of boozers and tipplers. A
company called Lipsmark, based in Tempe, Arizona USA, has announced
that it would be launching a powdered alcohol product, which it
calls as 'Palcohol.' A company announcement says that they will come
out with six varieties of single-drink pouches. Drinkers can stir in
simple water for a shot of rum or vodka, add cola or orange juice for
a mixer or create a cocktail — either a Cosmopolitan, Mojito,
Margarita or Lemon Drop. The product has been approved by US
regulators and is poised to hit stores in the coming months. A
package of Palcohol weighs just an ounce, making it more more
portable than a bottle or flask of liquor.
Palcohol
will be sold to people of legal drinking age and could even be
sprinkled on food. The company says that it was taken by surprise by
the recent release of some of its labels by the Alcohol and Tobacco
Tax and Trade Bureau so easily, which “actually approved it some time ago.”
Luckily the US agency having realised its folly, reversed its opinion this week after identifying a
discrepancy about how much alcoholic powder was actually in the
packets. The company may still find some obstacles before it launches the product.
In the
hierarchy of boozers, the guys who can gulp a drink just in one shot,
like cowboy heroes of the Western movies of 1960's and 1970's did,
have a special status. They are considered some kind of top level
inebriates. The popular term for such type of gulping is snorting a
drink. Lipsmark was surprised when some people asked. whether its new
drink in powder form can be snorted. Company says that to make one
drink, half cupful of Palcohol powder is needed and therefore
snorting is out of question. Snorters are likely to be disappointed.
Critics
have argued that the product is potentially dangerous and fear that
people might treat it like cocaine and snort the powder, which
Lipsmark recommends against. However, tipplers like my friend, who
tried to keep his drink hidden from his wife or the travelling
boozers are going to be mighty happy. Gone are the clumsy days where
you have to hide or carry bottles and bottles of Booze around. Just
pack few pouches in your brief case and you are ready.
Unfortunately,
there is a little problem as far as my tippler friend is concerned. Though the product has arrived and it is a
great boon, it so happens that my tippler friend is no more there,
having died few years before in an hospital, because of liver
failure.
25th
April 2014
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