Tito’s Handmade Vodka gets this week’s award for most blandly factual response to a harebrained suggestion.
As fears mount over the coronavirus, supplies of hand sanitizer are being drawn down. Apparently some user tweeted what he thought was a great substitute: rubbing his hands with Tito’s.
While I’m sure that Tito’s, like any CPG company, is happy for customer loyalty and for new uses for its product, it responded matter-of-factly: “Per the CDC [Centers for Disease Control], hand sanitizer needs to contain at least 60% alcohol. Tito's Handmade Vodka is 40% alcohol, and therefore does not meet the current recommendation of the CDC.”
I’m just curious about the conspicuous-consumption aspects of this. A 750-ml bottle of the stuff retails for about $21.50, while you can pick up a 1-liter bottle of Purell for just over $9. So...is using Tito’s on your hands to fend off the coronavirus the modern-day equivalent of a champagne bath?
Pan Demetrakakes is a Senior Editor for Food Processing and has been a business journalist since 1992, mostly covering various aspects of the food production and supply chain, including processing, packaging, distribution and retailing. Learn more about him or contact him
