Hand sanitizer is hard to come by these days, so Paul Menta of First Legal Rum Distillery in Key West took matters into his own (clean) hands.
He made his own product using the runoff – impurities and oils – from distilling rum. Known as the “tails,” the 140 proof alcohol is mixed with aloe and transmission gel, used in ultrasounds, and bottle it. The sanitizer dries quickly and is a handy product for those who can’t get to a sink to wash their hands.
Menta gave away the 3-oz bottles around town to service workers, retailers, mail carriers and anyone else hard at work in Key West during high season for tourists.
“We’re getting people into the mode of washing hands and using sanitizers,” says Menta. “Everyone’s gonna smell like rum.”
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