Innovations in Booze Packaging: Pocket Shots

Innovations in Booze Packaging: Pocket Shots

At dinner last night, right out of the box, the illustrious Peter Daane gifted me with a most fascinating vehicle for hooch:



The above photo shot took a little thought; how to indicate the brilliance of this packaging, soft, palmable, and useful in so many ways? It’s small, it’s compact, almost cute, and lightweight…pocket-sized!

The innovative Pdaane pocketed a few of these handy packs before boarding an airplane from Monterrey, and they seem to me the future of carry-on flasks. Each is only 50ml, yet they’re small enough you could fit maybe two or more in a breast pocket. With some thought, you might secret an entire fifth across the length of your body, and you can probably figure out how helpful that might be.

Thanks also, to Pdannae, for jumping me around midnight in Chinatown. I needed that.

David “I will take you down; I will take you down to Chinatown” Hammond

It's always fun until somebody puts an eye out,


or in this case does a flaming shot on an airliner, and ruins it for everybody.

This may indeed represent a new level of convenience, but, unfortunately, my first association is to an IV bag. That is never pleasant.

In my mind, the only kind of flask permissible is either an antique, engraved silver flask (preferably Art Deco in design) or a goatskin. Of course, I am certain that men of elegance such as Mr. P. Daane, Esq. and Professor Hammond already know this.

Are you allowed to bring your own alcohol on a plane to drink? Also, wouldn't they (as a gel or liquid) have to go into your 1 qt. clear plastic baggie with the other gels and liquids?

aged four years!

LOL it does look like an IV bottle. I can't imagine how a 4 year old whiskey would be any good though. I can see the benefits as far as smuggling your own booze into places like ball parks and such.

davecamaro1994 wrote:I can't imagine how a 4 year old whiskey would be any good though.

Yeah, there's that, and the labeling has a somewhat generic feel about it, but I have not consumed this beverage yet (no emergency situations have warranted such action) so I'm withholding judgment.

leek wrote:Are you allowed to bring your own alcohol on a plane to drink? Also, wouldn't they (as a gel or liquid) have to go into your 1 qt. clear plastic baggie with the other gels and liquids?

I think that whether alcohol is allowed on the plane is a carrier-by-carrier rule. But it's also a rule that really isn't enforced (I mean, the flight attendant would have to catch you with your stash and recognize that she didn't sell it to you -- way too much work for her.) Technically, yes, you have to put it in your clear baggie. I flew American to London awhile back. Right before my flight, American did away with the free alcohol on international flights in coach. They simultaneously banned bringing alcohol on the plane. Pissed off at what was clearly a money-making venture foisted on the poor cramped coach folks who need the alcohol more than anyone else on that plane, I decided I'd smuggle on some mini Grey Goose bottles leftover from a charity event. They got through security without a hitch. I figured it was a low risk situation because if they gave me any trouble, security would just confiscate it and either toss it (or drink it themselves). Not really be a big loss.

Not sure what others' experiences have been with this but I find that at O'Hare you can put practically any size liquid in your carry-on, stick it on the belt, and nobody really does anything about it. I wouldn't try that stunt in, say, Nashville, but O'Hare is pretty disorganized.

aschie30 wrote:Not sure what others' experiences have been with this but I find that at O'Hare you can put practically any size liquid in your carry-on, stick it on the belt, and nobody really does anything about it.

This is most definitely not the case at O'Hare. The TSA can and will find liquid not in its little baggie. It just happened to my wife on our recent trip to New Orleans flying American. She had one of those little bottles of hotel shampoo somewhere in her carry on (she didn't even know about it) which they found and took away.

Do you put the mini-alcohol containers in your clear baggie with your shampoo, toothpaste etc.?

That's what I would do. If you travel with your wife, bag it with all her makeup. (It's the "rule of overwhelming:" You've put so much in the baggie that they don't really want to go through it all. ) You might get some bored TSA employee who might make an issue because it may "seem wrong" to that person, but alcohol is generally allowed on planes (think Duty-Free). My experience at O'Hare is that it's such a zoo that nobody really pays attention to what's in your clear baggie anyway. I'm quite surprised to hear of Stevez's experience - his wife must have had the one crackerjack TSA rep there. In the past, I've accidentally included full size shampoo and conditioner bottles in my carry-on only to have them go through without a problem. Even when I thought I had bagged everything, I've also discovered various bits and pieces of non-declared liquids and gels in my bag that nobody picked up on. The only really ridiculous situation I've encountered was when I had to endure a random secondary check and the woman going through my bag (and this was in a small airport) tried to claim that my undeclared hand cream was a gel. I politely told her that it's neither a liquid nor a gel, I didn't know I had it, but if she really wanted to make an issue of it, she could. She shrugged her shoulders and sent me off.

stevez wrote:

aschie30 wrote:Not sure what others' experiences have been with this but I find that at O'Hare you can put practically any size liquid in your carry-on, stick it on the belt, and nobody really does anything about it.

This is most definitely not the case at O'Hare. The TSA can and will find liquid not in its little baggie. It just happened to my wife on our recent trip to New Orleans flying American. She had one of those little bottles of hotel shampoo somewhere in her carry on (she didn't even know about it) which they found and took away.

Not my experience either. I traveled with a colleague on business and he attempted to bring a full size gel deodorant and a full size glass bottle (about 5 oz) of aftershave in his carry on. They found and confiscated both items.

Just in case anyone is confused about what TSA does and doesn't allow (and it does not allow alcohol over 3 ounces unless purchased at duty free or after the security check).

What to know Before You Fly

Ann Fisher wrote:Just in case anyone is confused about what TSA does and doesn't allow (and it does not allow alcohol over 3 ounces unless purchased at duty free or after the security check).

What to know Before You Fly

Ann-

In case it wasn't clear - the conversation was about pocket shots (or mini-bottles), less than 3 ounces, and whether you would just declare those less than 3 oz bottles in your clear baggie. It is a conversation about hypothetical situations and I don't read anyone's posts to mean that they are trying to smuggle in a case of wine or a Costco-sized bottle of Jack Daniels past security, even if it was smushed into a 1 quart baggie.

Hi,

I think Ann very well understands the situation. In case somebody really wanted to, "Each is only 50ml, yet they’re small enough you could fit maybe two or more in a breast pocket. With some thought, you might secret an entire fifth across the length of your body, and you can probably figure out how helpful that might be." Ann provided a reality check, which is always appreciated.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

In case somebody really wanted to, "Each is only 50ml, yet they’re small enough you could fit maybe two or more in a breast pocket. With some thought, you might secret an entire fifth across the length of your body, and you can probably figure out how helpful that might be."

Regards,

I took David's statements as a joke, nothing more.

aschie30 wrote:I took David's statements as a joke, nothing more.

Thanks, aschie30, though I appreciate Ann's clarification, and it was of course never my intent to suggest actual strategies for subverting TSA checks.

Note, I have not actually consumed this packet yet (and probably won't, as it's proving quite the conversation starter), and although I don't know how much the peripatetic pdaane paid for this small, easily holsterable hooch, my guess is that it would net out to one very expensive fifth of whiskey.

David Hammond wrote:Note, I have not actually consumed this packet yet (and probably won't, as it's proving quite the conversation starter), and although I don't know how much the peripatetic pdaane paid for this small, easily holsterable hooch, my guess is that it would net out to one very expensive fifth of whiskey.

Priced at $1.99 and placed just about eye level at the check out counters in my local Binnys. I noticed a tequila, along with the whiskey and vodka packets but quickly decided my nineteener might find a use for them more than just as a conversation starter.

Pocket Shot Website

About three years ago, at the bar around the corner (Elenor's/Jack's Place), I was treated to a delightful novelty shot called a "Chickie Mickey". As I recall it, to get said shot, the bartender bonked the head of a life-sized plastic chicken, at which time the chicken clucked and bok-bokked, and out of its patoot shot a plastic egg containing a vile, cloying liquid.

I tried to find a good photo online, but I'm either spelling it wrong or, perish the thought, it's no longer being made. You know...in case you're looking for other innovations in booze packaging.

Smuggling booze is a time honored American tradition I plan to uphold. Looking forward to trying this product.

-ramon

Josephine wrote:This may indeed represent a new level of convenience, but, unfortunately, my first association is to an IV bag.

The pocket shot struck me as much smaller than an IV bag. My first association was a packet of power gel, the stuff that endurance athletes digest. My thoughts then skipped to gel belts, which allow you to carry multiple packets of power gel. One of those belts would be pretty funny loaded up with pocket shots.

happy_stomach wrote:

Josephine wrote:This may indeed represent a new level of convenience, but, unfortunately, my first association is to an IV bag.

The pocket shot struck me as much smaller than an IV bag. My first association was a packet of power gel, the stuff that endurance athletes digest. My thoughts then skipped to gel belts, which allow you to carry multiple packets of power gel. One of those belts would be pretty funny loaded up with pocket shots.

sounds right up the alley of the hash house harriers

So, has anyone tried this yet?

How does one open the package? Does the top red part rip off easily? Do you need a pair of scissors? Does it come with bitty straw that you use to puncture the package a la Capri Sun?

Kim3 wrote:So, has anyone tried this yet?

How does one open the package? Does the top red part rip off easily? Do you need a pair of scissors? Does it come with bitty straw that you use to puncture the package a la Capri Sun?

Not me. Got me. Probably. Probably not. No.