Short, professor of nutrition at Syracuse University, "There isn't any research that it will do anything for you. A synthetic version is offered in Red Bull. Taurine is an amino acid commonly found in animal food sources like milk, meat and fish. So what is taurine? Does Red Bull give extra energy, even if mixed with alcohol, a depressant? "The reality is that everyone that goes to these places doesn't always want to drink alcohol."Ĭortes says she is not sure how much of an effect mixing Red Bull with alcohol has had on sales, but according to the Beverage Marketing Corp., Red Bull grossed $184 million last year, more than two-thirds of the energy drink market. Besides, "bars and clubs are a wonderful place for Red Bull to be served," she says. We looked into all of those cases and none of those deaths were because of Red Bull."Ĭortes says Red Bull doesn't advocate that the energy supplement be mixed with alcohol, but if people do, it's their prerogative. Says Cortes: "Of course, those rumors we take more seriously. While there's no scientific evidence to suggest a link, Stockholm doctors have recommended against using energy drinks after physical exertion or with alcohol until the matter can be studied. The drink, which contains about as much caffeine as a cup of coffee, has been mentioned in deaths in Switzerland, Sweden and Hong Kong after people drank it with alcohol. It goes with the word-of-mouth marketing."Įven the rumors about bull urine? "I've heard those and I think they're pretty funny," says Cortes. "We encourage the rumors to be started, whether they are positive or negative. "That is the fun part about it," she says. Red Bull's corporate communications manager, Emmy Cortes, is in no hurry to clear things up. That only follows: Doesn't matter what country, give college kids a case of anything and it doesn't take long before it's mixed with booze. Even the story of its success is an urban myth: It's rumored that the maker - an Austrian company of the same name - gave cases out to college kids in Europe and they started mixing it with alcohol. Red Bull came out in Austria in 1987 and is now sold in 62 countries. Let them make up theories as to what's in it and bam!: People buy mysteries. Give it to bodybuilders and the ubercool. So how did it come that the little caffeinated drink that "gives you wings," as the commercial claims, gets to play with Coca-Cola and orange juice, the big boys of blend on the bar scene?Ĭreate a product. "It is a fad, just like last year everyone was ordering B-52s - now I hardly ever get a request for that one." "This trend came out of Europe and it's really taken off here," says Kathy Hamlin, queen of cocktails for, a pop culture Web site. This new mixed drink fits neatly in the evolution of novelty drinks somewhere between an Irish coffee and a Long Island iced tea. "I'll drink it when I know that I'm going out to party." "You take one, then you are like, 'Oh, I'm crashing,' then you drink another." Jean Homza, food and beverage manager for the 9:30 club, can't keep Red Bull in stock. Printed on the 8.3-ounce cans are claims that it "increases endurance and concentration." Anything from a bull must increase vitality and stamina, goes the thought. And there's the rumor that one of Red Bull's ingredients - taurine - is made from bull semen, or maybe it's bull urine. The street belief is that the mix allows drinkers to stay awake longer and consume more alcohol. "Right now, it's a pretty hot drink everywhere in D.C." "Most people say that it balances them out, that they can get a buzz and still be awake," says party promoter Mahiri Jones. The street calls it "liquid cocaine" or "liquid crack." She wants something different this time, something fruity and sweet with a kick.Īny drink slinger worth his weight has seen this face.īartender Patrice Hammond knows exactly what Estelle needs - a Dirty Pompadour, Topaz's version of what may be the hottest cocktail this summer on the East Coast: Red Bull Energy Drink with a shot of vodka. The 26-year-old Washington account executive stares puzzled at the array of usual suspects lining the shelf behind the bar. Nicole Estelle walks into the Topaz Bar on N Street NW and pours herself into a seat.
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