I don’t drink but the few times in the past that I did my drink of choice was always a Screwdriver (vodka mixed with orange juice). Figuring that if I liked orange juice I would probably like a screwdriver too. They weren’t great but they got the job done and saved me from the public embarrassment of not drinking on certain occasions. Such as when my sister married a Russian guy. But now I have another reason to like vodka. Using it to capture carbon.
CNBC explains:
“At Bathtub Gin, a reinvented speakeasy in lower Manhattan, patrons may be pining for the past but they are drinking a vodka specifically invented for a cleaner future. Air Vodka is made in part from greenhouse gas emissions – specifically, captured carbon dioxide.
It is just one of a bevy of new products designed to make use of CO2 emissions that can be captured from various types of industry.
‘We work with partners that capture that carbon dioxide before it’s emitted into the atmosphere, and then we use that CO2 in our process in creating the alcohols that we create,’ said Gregory Constantine, Co-founder and CEO of Air Company, which is also producing perfume and hand sanitizer from those emissions. ‘It’s obviously far better for the planet in that we’re removing CO2 for every bottle that we’re creating.’
Distilling alcohol the old fashioned way not only releases its emissions, but it uses a lot of water — about 35 liters of water to make one liter of distillate. Air Vodka is made of just two ingredients, CO2 and water. It separates hydrogen out of the water through electrolysis, releasing the oxygen. The hydrogen is then fed into a ‘carbon conversion reactor’ system with the captured CO2. That creates ethanol which, when combined with water, becomes a type of vodka.”
The type that I’ll certainly want to drink the next time I have a screwdriver. Sorry Grey Goose. You’re services won’t be needed anymore.
Greatest. Idea. Ever. 
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