Hotel Tango and Cardinal Spirits are making hand sanitizer and giving it to people in need

In terms of necessary supplies that have been wiped from store shelves, hand sanitizer is ranking as high as toilet paper and disinfectant wipes. So, as the U.S. battles the coronavirus, distilleries have become heroes anew as they use their alcohol know-how to fill the shortage.

Hotel Tango Distillery and Bloomington's Cardinal Spirits announced Friday and over the weekend that they are manufacturing their own hand cleaners and donating them where there is need. 

Co-founder Adam Quirk decided that Cardinal, which recently released the high-profile La Boîte American Amaro, would lend a hand after noticing the dearth at Target and CVS in Bloomington. Likewise, the owners of Hotel Tango, popular for its Fletcher Place tasting room and fresh cocktails, felt a duty to help.

The Indiana distilleries are part of a worldwide swath of manufacturers who have facilities and ingredients that allow them to pivot to producing sanitizer. The parent company of luxury perfumes such as Christian Dior and Guerlain announced it will make the hand cleaner in its factories in France and deliver it for free to French health authorities.

In the U.S., distilleries are filling the gap. CBS reported that more than 600 people stopped by Atlanta-based Old Fourth Distillery to fill up empty bottles, which led to a temporary shortage. North Carolina's Durham Distillery is donating a sanitizing solution meant for cleaning surfaces to colleagues in the hospitality industry. Distilleries in Portland and Clayton, Georgia, are manufacturing similar products.

How distilleries are making hand sanitizer

Distilleries are already in the business of making or buying high-proof alcohol in bulk. Sanitizer, of course, has a higher alcohol content than vodka, which hangs around 40%.

"We make products using alcohol all of the time, so this wasn't too big of a leap for us," Quirk said. "Google is your friend. We looked up the recipe, saw that it was really simple and made it."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that hand sanitizer be at least 60% alcohol. After that, distilleries must make sure to mix it with an emollient so that it's safe for skin. Cardinal made its first batch Saturday, creating a sanitizer with baby oil.

"We're making ours at 75% just basically as a precaution, and that was simply because we'd never made it before and we wanted to make sure that we're erring on the side of safety," Quirk said.

In subsequent batches, he has used glycerine instead of the oil, finding that it mixed better. Hotel Tango used xanthan gum with denatured alcohol and water.

"We make that, essentially, thick water. Then that gets added to the alcohol and forms a gel at that point," said Tony Fleming, Hotel Tango's production manager.

Both distilleries are donating their products to organizations and people in need for now. Hotel Tango expects to have a permit soon that will allow it to produce industrial-grade hand cleaner. It will donate batches to shelters in Indianapolis and Fort Wayne.

Cardinal Spirits is producing its hand cleaner for groups in Bloomington, including one that transports patients who need dialysis, an office and other health care businesses. They've let on-site customers take some home, too.

Several distilleries around the U.S. that are making cleaners are accepting donations to help with the cost of extra production. Quirk noted that Cardinal is giving the donations to usually tipped employees to ease the financial strain caused by Indiana's shutdown of dine-in options.

How to order in food or drinks

Visit hoteltangowhiskey.com to buy spirits online or locally. Email donations@hoteltangowhiskey.com if you know of charitable organizations in need of hand cleaner.

Visit cardinalspirits.com for carryout options, which are available from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Friday and noon-8 p.m. on weekends. Food options will be available soon.

All of IndyStar's coverage of coronavirus is being provided for free to our readers. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to IndyStar at indystar.com/subscribe.

Contact IndyStar reporter Domenica Bongiovanni at 317-444-7339 or d.bongiovanni@indystar.com. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter: @domenicareports.