You will notice that ole Teddy is eerily silent on this bit of nanny statism.
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
You will notice that ole Teddy is eerily silent on this bit of nanny statism.
In France they're called "Mollatoff cocktails" because of the way they are abused.
Is Celsius a part of the EIB network? /snicker
Doesn't he own an insurance company that can save one money in 15 minutes on the phone? ~
The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed — for lack of a better word — is good.
Greed is right.
Greed works.
Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.
Greed, in all of its forms — greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge — has marked the upward surge of mankind.
And greed — you mark my words — will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA.
—Gordon Gekko and the Geico Gecko
In moderation I presume? ; )
Geez, when I drank, I did it cheaper: liquor and gatorade for energy and a faster effect.
I'm sure someone famous has already said this, although I don't know who, but...
There is really nothing on God's green earth quite as ignorant as an 'expert.'
this is ridiculous....nobody worried about rum and coke OR
Irish Coffee
Well, you have to look at the financial motivation of the “expert”. See Gordon Gekko quote above.
State AG’s struck the gold mine with the tobacco MSA agreement. That money is running out or has already been spent.
Who’s next!
see post 29. The difference is that the Irish coffee drinkers:
A. Chose on their own to mix two entirely legal ingredients (there is no money in suing the McMahon brothers in Lancaster)
B. Don’t have deep pockets to sue like Anheuser Busch
Oh, by the way, Kahlua, everybody!
"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."
That's what I'm talking about. She's not a lawyer with a monetary stake in this. (although her hubbie might be, hmmmm) She's just a book-learned idjit. I note here that books are made of the same basic material as fence posts.
Guarana: Has a form of caffeine in it so, duhhhh, it is used as a stimulant. It does differ from the caffeine in coffee and tea in that it stimulates you physically more than mentally. Perhaps not so good if you're going to be sitting behind the wheel of a vehicle for a while. But if you mix it with alcohol that is a moot point. Hopefully.
I have daily appointments with Dr. Feel. He is trying to help me work through my anger management problem as well as my complete disdain for authority.
Are you saying that you are in favor or opposed to the idea of Gubmint regulating these products?
I’ll listen to anybody who can make an intelligent well thought out argument.
Tell the good doctor to lay off your disdain for authority traits. If he doesn't you should just help yourself to one of his cigars. Let him know that even his authority has limits.
Desire for enlightenment is good. Greed is not good.
Productivity, a fair profit, capitalism and free markets are very good though.
How’d you ever manage that without government intervention? ;^)
We’re going to have to have this conversation tomorrow or later on a different thread. Please remind me.
Seems to me that in Capitalism, no business or Corporation looks for “fair profits”, the goal is “obscene profits”. I just don’t see a problem with that.
When I read the liberal comments in op ed pages or blogs etc, what comes across is a complete disdain for Corporate America...oil companies, tobacco companies, HMO’s, beer companies, whatever...
The progressive refrain seems to be that these companies only have one slogan..WE GET RICH, YOU SUFFER OR DIE OR WHATEVER.
Actually, I did the same thing-stayed drunk for many years, but was never an alcoholic-could give it up whenever I wanted. I was just an obnoxious drunk. One night, don’t know why, a non-drinking friend and I went out, and he talked me into drinking coffee rather than booze while we made the rounds of the bars. All the people that ordinarily I adored were, of course, blitzed, and drove me nuts. Haven’t done it since. Can’t help but occasionally think about all those times I drove to a restaurant or someone elses house after the bars closed, then home, drunk on my ass ,without getting caught. Some times, I didn’t even remember how I got home. I then think how many more are there in the country who are the same way-just lucky as hell they didn’t kill themselves or someone else.
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