“Who you tryin’ to get crazy with ése? Don’t you know I’m loco?” Loco. Crazy. Cypress Hill began their 1993 masterpiece, “Insane In The Brain,” with that short expression. Is it possible they were foretelling the arrival of Four Loko, to be introduced over a decade later? Probably not. But much like the song, Four Loko is crazy.
It’s a beverage that became an urban legend. The original Four Loko release was a phenomenon that the current Four Loko product just can’t recreate. You had to be there. So what is Four Loko? Is Four Loko beer? Does Four Loko have caffeine? What alcohol is in Four Loko? Why was Four Loko banned? We’ve got all those questions answered and more. Let’s get loco.
What is Four Loko?
Four Loko is an alcoholic malt beverage with a bit of a history. Almost as soon as the first major energy drink, Red Bull, was released in the U.S., people were adding vodka to it. Most of those people were college students. The promise of an ultra caffeinated beverage that could keep you up as you got sloshed was like a siren song to the frat crowd.
In 2002, Sparks alcoholic energy drink tried to capitalize on this trend. Three Ohio State Kappa Sig dudes, Jeff Wright, Jaisen Freeman, and Christopher Hunter looked at Sparks with its 6% ABV and thought they could do it better. So they invented Four Loko, founding their company Phusion Projects in 2005.
They named their beverage Four Loko after its four main ingredients: caffeine, taurine, guarana, and wormwood. Their little cans of 6% ABV Four Loko were not a hit. So they retooled. In 2008 the notorious version arrived. This Four Loko came in a 23.5oz can and had a whopping 12% ABV. This “blackout” in a can was the equivalent of four to six beers, one espresso shot, and one Red Bull. One Four Loko was basically like taking around five shots. It did not last.
Why was Four Loko banned?
Did you read the last paragraph? Yeah, that much caffeine and alcohol together in one can is a recipe for disaster. After several Four Loko related incidents at various colleges around the country, the FDA stepped in declaring that mixing those amounts of caffeine and alcohol was dangerous. In 2010, Phusion Projects announced they were dropping caffeine from the recipe.
What are in Four Lokos now?
The ingredients of modern Four Lokos are pretty straightforward. There’s alcohol, carbonated water, sugar, and natural and artificial flavoring including FD&C Red 40. These days, Four Loko does not contain any caffeine. Four Loko dropped caffeine, guarana, and taurine completely from their recipe so they are no longer considered an energy drink.
Four Loko still has alcohol and lots of it. The amount varies depending on the local laws of where it’s being sold. Four Loko is available in 8%, 10%, 12% or 14% alcohol by volume. What kind of alcohol is that? It’s basically malt liquor. Does that mean that Four Loko is a beer? Kind of. Malt liquor is kinda like a beer that has extra malt and sugar, so it has higher alcohol content. Whatever it is, I’m still loco for Four Loko.
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!