SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT

Tito’s: Please Stop Using Our Vodka to Make Hand Sanitizer

Several Twitter users have been spreading a misinformed recipe for homemade hand sanitizer that calls for vodka, aloe vera gel, and essential oils.

Tito’s Vodka, or “America’s Original Craft Vodka,” is begging Twitter users to stop using its product to make their own hand sanitizer. This week, several people on Twitter have referenced a misinformed recipe that surfaced online claiming that vodka can be mixed with aloe vera gel and essential oils to make homemade hand sanitizer. Stores across the country—as well as Amazon’s digital shelves—have reportedly been low on hand sanitizer amid the novel coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. The Texas-based vodka company has tried to knock down the disinformation on Twitter by responding to posts with: “Per the CDC, 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.”

“As soon as we saw the incorrect articles and social posts, we wanted to set the record straight,” a Tito’s spokesperson told The Daily Beast in a statement. “While it would be good for business for our fans to use massive quantities of Tito’s for hand sanitizer, it would be a shame to waste the good stuff, especially if it doesn’t sanitize (which it doesn’t, per the CDC).” A few articles containing the ineffective recipe have either been removed or altered with a correction, noting that the CDC advises 99 percent isopropyl alcohol to make hand sanitizer. One person wrote on Twitter, “I made some hand sanitizer out your vodka. The hand sanitizer doesn't taste bad either. Cheers to Tito’s vodka. Keeping me germ-free and feeling good at the same time.”