The UK drinks industry’s self-regulatory body, The Portman Group, has cleared the sale of alcoholic drinks in test-tubes in the country, rejecting complaints that the practice is irresponsible.

Test-tube shots of alcohol have been under scrutiny since Alcohol Focus Scotland, a responsible drinking charity, complained to the Portman Group that they encourage consumers to drink rapidly.

It named four brands – Quivers, Shot in a Tube, Shoeyz Shots and Shootaz – as the main culprits.

But, the Portman Group’s Independent Complaints Panel said today (11 May) that the low level of alcohol in each test-tube means that the drinks do not contribute to harmful drinking.

All four brands contain 20ml of liquid and less than 0.3 units of alcohol. UK Government guidelines recommend no more than four units daily for men and three units daily for women.

“You could have ten of these test-tube drinks and still be within the Government’s recommended drinking levels,” said Portman Group CEO David Poley. “Research also showed it was the small volume of liquid rather than the test-tube packaging that caused consumers to drink the contents ‘down-in-one’,” he added.

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