Posted on 09/06/2007 7:41:48 PM PDT by Eric Blair 2084
At bars across the country, people are regularly demanding a vodka or Jagermeister mixed with Red Bull.
Now some have the option of switching to alcohol already infused with energy.
Some do it for the taste, others for the jolt of energy. But experts say the trendy cocktails could be harmful, giving drinkers a false sense of alertness that could lead to disaster.
More than two dozen attorneys general across the nation recently announced that alcohol and energy drinks don't mix, and asked the federal government to take another look at what is in the drinks and how they are being marketed.
Lona Sandon, a registered dietitian and assistant professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, agrees that the drinks are dangerous.
"All it does is make a wide-awake drunk," she said. "The person might also falsely believe they can drink more because they don't feel tired and woozy -- putting themselves and others at a greater risk."
Heightened demand
Bars everywhere are scrambling to keep Red Bull, Monster and other energy drinks on their shelves as mixers. To meet the demand, Anheuser-Busch and other alcohol manufacturers are now offering liquor and beer infused with caffeine and taurine -- ingredients of most energy drinks.
Anheuser-Busch markets Tilt, Miller Brewing Co. markets Sparks, and Charge Beverages markets Liquid Charge and Liquid Core. There's also the high-end spirit V2 vodka, which has energy-boosting ingredients.
"People want the energy," said V2 spokeswoman Diane Shader Smith.
The attorneys general say the packaging does not mention the potentially harmful consequences of mixing caffeine and other stimulants with alcohol, which is a depressant. They also contend that some of the less-expensive products are packaged to look like nonalcoholic energy drinks and are aimed at underage consumers.
In their letter to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, the attorneys general singled out Miller Brewing Co., Anheuser-Busch and Charge Beverages as makers of the most popular products aimed at minors.
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has not joined the campaign.
"Alcoholic energy drinks mimic nonalcoholic energy beverages that are very popular with youth," a news release from Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers states.
From 2003 to 2006, sales of Miller's energy brand Sparks more than doubled to 66,570,000 pints, according to a company news release.
A matter of taste
Mixing alcohol and energizing ingredients is not new -- rum and Coke and Kahlua have been favorites for generations.
V2 President James Goldstein said V2 is not marketed to minors but to sophisticated adults because it is packaged as a super-premium vodka.
"Spirits are meticulously reviewed by the government," he said. "The liquor industry is one of the most heavily regulated industries. I don't think the government would put something on the market that they consider unhealthy for people to consume."
The Pour House in Fort Worth has been stocking Red Bull as a mixer for years and it sells well, general manager David Bailey said. But his clientele has not yet developed a taste for Bud Extra, he said.
At 8.0 Bar in Fort Worth, energy cocktails have been enormously popular during the past 18 months, said general manager Curt Voirin. The bar does not carry the pre-mixed liquor but is keeping an eye on demand, Voirin said.
"I think the effects of the energy drink are psychosomatic," Voirin said. "It's trendy, which is important to kids ... but it's double-edged. You have a depressant on one end and a stimulant on the other. I'm not sure of the effect that could have on the body."
All it does is make a wide-awake drunk.
Energizing ingredients
Caffeine: A stimulant found in coffee, chocolate and tea. It excites the central nervous system and, in the right amounts, releases adrenaline and can enhance heart function.
Taurine: One of the most abundant amino acids in the body, it is thought to help regulate heartbeat, maintain cell membranes and affect the release of neurotransmitters in the brain.
Ginseng: A perennial herb believed to have many medicinal qualities, including as a stimulant.
Guarana: An herb from the Amazon rain forest with a long history of use as a stimulant in beverages. It has also been used to treat arthritis, diarrhea and headaches.
Source: Healthlibrary.com
Nonalcoholic energy drinks
Monster
Rockstar
Red Bull
No Name (formerly marketed as Cocaine)
Amp
Pink
Omega
Rush!
Alcoholic energy drinks
Sparks
Tilt
Bud Extra
V2 vodka
Liquid Charge
Liquid Core
I don’t know about mixing energy drinks with alcohol but the best energy drink I’ve found is 5 Hour Energy by Chaser.
Yea, they would, and back then it would have been tough to sue Maxwell House for the misuse of it’s intended purpose. It’s a heck of a transition to witness this failure of personal responsibility.
Is it really 'singling out' when you name three companies? :=)
I guess these combo would be about the same as my espresso with sambuca and 3 coffee beans I have every Christmas eve during the Feast of the 7 Fishes.
Same thing!
My thoughts exactly.
Irish coffee has been around for quite some time without causing a fuss.
Hi, nice to meet you species8472, I've only met the species up to #3,456. . I'm glad to see we have resident FReeper alcohol nazis in addition to the assorted smoke nazis. I mean that sincerely. At least some people are consistent.
Damn it, stay quiet and don't call attention to it. Or they'll come after that too.
I'm not sure what you mean. Can you please clarify? Are you suggesting that Gubmint should do something because personal responsibility is lacking?
A few months ago my dad called me and asked if I had ever had a Red Bull & Vodka. I said I had, and he replied those are almost too good.
And he is right. Unless they are ridiculously strong I can’t taste the vodka in them.
In France they have banned all energy drinks because of problems with people mixing them with alcohol and ending up in the hospital.
Irish coffee, anyone?
Irish coffee, anyone?
Blue Rockstar is awesome by itself. Mango (Orange) Rockstar is great with vodka. Way better than red bull and vodka.
People are responsible for how they use Maxwell House. It’s Coffee, aye. I am 100% against any laws that allow some idiot to misuse a common product, then allow said idiot to claim ignorance and sue.
OK with me. Sounds fair.
I’m a little surprised, listening to you on the Larry Craig threads I didn’t think you were a Blue Rockstar type of guy. You should have jumped in on some of the immature potty humor.
As for me, I’m just a plain old beer and football guy.
Drunks need to feel tired and sleepy eyed.
Yeah, that'll work.
Don't attorney's reap enough?
I guess I could have expressed my disappointment, with the transition to the opportunistic greed as displayed by the “Breck Girls” of the world, a little more precise. (My apologies to “Breck Magazine”)
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