Four Loko, an alcoholic energy drink containing caffeine, guarana, taurine and 12% abv, has been stirring up controversy in the States.
Now the drink’s manufacturer, Phusion Projects, have promised to remove the caffeine ingredient as the US Food and Drug Administration looks poised to ban it altogether.
The malt liquor-based fruit-flavoured drink, said to be the equivalent of drinking three cans of beer, a red bull and a shot of espresso in one go, sparked media hysteria after it was linked to several deaths and hospitalisations amongst students.
Several states, including Michigan and Washington, have already banned the beverage, which is nicknamed ‘blackout in a can’ and ‘liquid cocaine’.
And with the media attention has come the inevitable curiosity – yesterday filmmaker K Ryan Jones posted a video of himself online testing the effects of Four Loko. He is seen attempting to recite Shakespeare after drinking several cans.
However, Four Loko’s manufacturers maintain it is no different to drinking traditionl alcohol and caffeinr combinations such as Irish coffee or rum and cola, and feel their product has been unfairly demonised by the media.
Source: Chin Chin
Video: Filmmaker K Ryan Jones demonstrates the effects of Four Loko