Coronavirus Latest: Revivalist Spirits In Chester County Stepping Up To Produce Hand Sanitizer Amid COVID-19 Crisis
CHESTER COUNTY, Pa. (CBS) - Many distilleries have been stepping up during the coronavirus crisis by making hand sanitizer. One of them is "Revivalist Spirits" in Chester County.
Eyewitness News spoke with owner Scott Avellino on why they decided to make the switch.
Q: So you were making gin, what made you decide to start producing hand sanitizer?
Great question. So I'm with here with my partner, my brother, Don Avellino, and you know, we make gin, we make bourbon, and we noticed that there was a shortage in hand sanitizer and sanitizer spray, and we were thinking about the first responders, the medics, the doctors, the hospitals, the medical buildings, and things like that.
So, we noticed that there is a big shortage, and we were like hey, we have alcohol here that we can do some good. We'll stop the production of gin for now and we will kind of fill that void and make enough hand sanitizer to give to hospitals and doctors alike.
Q: Can you walk us through how it's made?
It is pretty easy. We do it on a much larger scale but today we will try to scale it down for people at home. If you have these ingredients, you can go ahead make your own hand sanitizer. First, what we have is 26 ounces of pure alcohol. It is not drinkable. So we can pour that in here. Then we have about an ounce-and-a-half of hydrogen peroxide. We have an ounce of glycerin, and then three ounces of water. We stir that up, and basically we can put it in a bottle. It is not that jelly-like hand sanitizer, it's a little bit more liquid. It smells good, too. Yes, keeps everybody safe and healthy.
Q: Primarily, who has been receiving the sanitizer you've been making?
We just started production, and we've been contacting hospitals, local hospitals, and dentists, medical buildings in the area, in Chester County.
Q: You also run the Brandywine Branch Bistro in Elverson, have you shifted to take-out orders?
Our bistro is still open. We do delivery for bottle sales, as well. We have small plates. We source all of the meats and cheeses from local farms in Chester County. We sell our gins, the Revivalist gins, our Resurgent bourbons, and we even partnered up with Kiki Vodka to do home delivery service for people that can't get their spirits because the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, the stores are closed for now. But because we're a Pennsylvania-based distillery, we have the ability to still produce our gins and deliver them to your house.
