Comments on: Gotta get up, gotta get up, gotta get up

Gotta get up, gotta get up, gotta get up

deusdiabolus — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:50:57 -0800

All hail the energy drink! Potentially dating back as far as early 1900s Scotland, the energy drink has evolved from a nasty-tasting "health tonic" into a brightly-colored and supercharged fuel for body and/or mind.

The phenomena gained speed with the advent of "classics" such as Jolt Cola and later Red Bull - and many current formulas do not stray from the high caffeine and B-vitamin formula. (And, of course, there is the other appeal of the energy drink...) However, newer energy drinks are taking a more health-conscious and organic approach, such as the all natural Guru Energy and Brain Toniq (neither of which contain sugar, fructose or artificial sweeteners). I am personally hoping for a Piracetam-based drink...

By: Sidhedevil

Sidhedevil — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:59:07 -0800

If Irn-Bru is an "energy drink" then so must Coca-Cola be--it was originally marketed as a "tonic" rather than a delicious beverage. In 1886, quite a few years before Irn-Bru hit the market. Oh, Wikipedia, how evanescent is your misinformation. I expect that little bit of Scottish jingoism to be gone by morning.

By: clearly

clearly — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 01:03:34 -0800

Cars fueled by energy drinks. It is the wave of the future.

By: stavrosthewonderchicken

stavrosthewonderchicken — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 01:08:00 -0800

MADE FROM GIRDERS!

By: PeterMcDermott

PeterMcDermott — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 01:17:20 -0800

Made in SCOTLAND from girders, s thewonder c.

By: PeterMcDermott

PeterMcDermott — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 01:18:03 -0800

Irn-bru and Buckfast: Breakfast of Champions

By: stavrosthewonderchicken

stavrosthewonderchicken — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 01:38:01 -0800

Tennant's Extra Strong Lager (with the girls on the cans) and cigarettes. The breakfast of me in Scotland, back in 1988.

By: Molesome

Molesome — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 02:33:52 -0800

YouTube delivers the goods. Admittedly the Irn Bru ads have been consistently funny/quirky for years but this one sums up the whole philosophy concisely.

By: adamvasco

adamvasco — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 03:00:30 -0800

We all used to use Scrumpy as our energy drink until we fell over. The girlies used to add blackcurrant.

By: BrotherCaine

BrotherCaine — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 03:23:18 -0800

the energy drink has evolved from a nasty-tasting "health tonic" into a brightly-colored ~~and supercharged fuel for body and/or mind~~, nasty-tasting "health tonic".

By: pracowity

pracowity — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 03:30:29 -0800

I am personally hoping for a Piracetam-based drink... If they sold anything that actually made the consumer smarter, wouldn't they risk losing market share?

By: PenDevil

PenDevil — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 03:53:00 -0800

But does it have what plants crave?

By: pracowity

pracowity — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 04:48:33 -0800

I see deusdiabolus, Sidhedevil, and PenDevil all posting here. Is there something else about energy drinks that we should know?

By: twoleftfeet

twoleftfeet — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 05:15:36 -0800

In related news: Red Bull contains Taurine.

By: stavrosthewonderchicken

stavrosthewonderchicken — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 05:28:47 -0800

Duh.

By: orange swan

orange swan — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 05:44:06 -0800

I'll stick to my Lake Ontario chemical cocktails, thanks.

By: diogenes

diogenes — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 05:50:16 -0800

A friend of mine works for Pepsi. He told me that most of the energy drinks are one milligram of caffeine away from requiring a warning label. I guess they're all waiting to see who will do it first. I'm surprised they aren't racing to do it. I would think a warning label would be great for sales. If I was them, I'd put a big skull and crossbones on the front.

By: Pope Guilty

Pope Guilty — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 06:19:36 -0800

I'm pretty sure I've seen little "shots" of Nos carrying a warning label, but I'm pretty sure that that's a marketing thing.

By: C17H19NO3

C17H19NO3 — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 06:26:13 -0800

Don't forget Powethirst!

By: pracowity

pracowity — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 06:29:44 -0800

He told me that most of the energy drinks are one milligram of caffeine away from requiring a warning label. Which means they should warn you about drinking two cans, right? Do they?

By: box

box — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 06:55:54 -0800

Irn-Blu.

By: Saxon Kane

Saxon Kane — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 07:53:40 -0800

Dude, I heard taurine was bull jizz!

By: Rock Steady

Rock Steady — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 08:38:35 -0800

the energy drink has evolved from a nasty-tasting "health tonic" into a ~~brightly-colored and supercharged~~ nasty-tasting fuel for body and/or mind. Seriously, with the amount of artificial crap they pump into some of these drinks, don't you think they could at least make them taste better?

By: Rock Steady

Rock Steady — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 08:39:14 -0800

Oops, Brother Caine beat me to it. I need more brain drink.

By: gordie

gordie — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 09:14:39 -0800

Red Bull serves as an effective means of determining who in a bar is a complete dipshit that doesn't belong in a bar.

By: Blazecock Pileon

Blazecock Pileon — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 09:34:49 -0800

If i's naught Scottish, i's ~~crap~~ Gatorade!

By: Bathtub Bobsled

Bathtub Bobsled — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 10:07:58 -0800

I figured the energy drink was an American invention. Only in this cesspool would coffee not be enough.

By: Caduceus

Caduceus — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 10:08:54 -0800

I love this quote from that article about the dangers of combining energy drinks and alcohol: "It is scary to think that these energy drinks are being used as a mixer with vodka and whiskey," he said. "You are just overloading the body with heavy stimulants and heavy depressants." Judging by that quote, I would assume that anyone who drinks alcohol and then does cocaine (the drug, not the energy drink) is going to immediately explode.

By: exlotuseater

exlotuseater — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 10:37:02 -0800

AwEsOmE!

By: xthlc

xthlc — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 10:52:14 -0800

When I visited Indonesia a couple of years ago, I was shocked by the massive amount of marketing that went into energy drinks. Billboards and banners and posters for Krating Daeng were quite literally everywhere, along with energy drinks for yuppies, energy drinks for farmers, energy drinks for mothers, even a particularly horrifying ad for energy drinks for kids. It seemed to literally be 25% of the advertising in Indonesian mass media. So not just a Western thing.

By: pracowity

pracowity — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:37:30 -0800

So not just a Western thing. It's everywhere people can afford to waste money. And there's a lot of money to made in sweet caffeine drinks. Lots of niches, too. The way they're marketing women's drinks is funny (or horrifying):

"Beautiful Glo, Aloe Vera, Vitamin E". The front reads, "Go Girl Energy Drink GLO, promotes healthy skin, natural flavors, 35 calories, less caffeine, 12 fl. oz. 355ml". The back of the can reads, "GLO is a unique energy drink that is lighter in caffeine and calories. This naturally flavored energy drink provides an uplifting yet relaxing experience. GLO's ingredients promote healthy skin, heart, body, and mind. It's taste is derived from a refreshing combination of pomegranate and star fruit. GLO also contains Super Citrimax a mild herbal appetite suppressant. Let Your Beauty Glo! Portion of proceeds donated to ovarian cancer research and awareness".

It's light! It's natural! It's uplifting yet relaxing! (?) It's going to make you pretty, make you skinny, and cure ovarian cancer. I don't know if the company or the reviewer is responsible for the ungrammatical "It's taste is" above.

By: deusdiabolus

deusdiabolus — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:16:23 -0800

I neglected to also point out Redline, quite possibly the most "macho" supplement still available. Serving size must be obeyed - drinking the entire bottle can actually KILL YOU. Suggested cocktail - 2 oz. of Redline and 2 oz. of Everclear. Drink as a shot, preferably with witnesses.

By: BrotherCaine

BrotherCaine — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 15:11:16 -0800

Despite my earlier snark, I've tried a lot of different energy drinks. Diet Guru is the least disgusting as far as I'm concerned.

By: twoleftfeet

twoleftfeet — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 15:21:39 -0800

banners and posters for Krating Daeng were quite literally everywhere Red Bull was based on Krating Daeng.

By: rokusan

rokusan — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 16:59:16 -0800

I'll stick to my Lake Ontario chemical cocktails, thanks. posted by orange swan Eponetcetera.

By: krinklyfig

krinklyfig — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 18:33:07 -0800

Low-carb Monster. That is all.

By: krinklyfig

krinklyfig — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 18:36:47 -0800

Red Bull serves as an effective means of determining who in a bar is a complete dipshit that doesn't belong in a bar. I don't drink anymore, but when I did, I used to think the same thing. Used to, until I had a Red Bull and Absolut Mandarin. Wow. I don't like the flavor of Red Bull, but that's a tasty drink. It's a great drink for about midnight-thirty, when you're starting to wear down a bit. The only thing that sucked about it was that most "regular" bars can't make such a drink, and in a club it's upwards of $8. I don't really miss drinking, but I sorta miss the taste of certain drinks, and that's one of them.

By: apis mellifera

apis mellifera — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 18:55:49 -0800

2 oz. of Redline and 2 oz. of Everclear Poor man's speedball?

By: pracowity

pracowity — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 01:43:52 -0800

Assaying caffeine in over-the-counter tablets:

There has been a great deal of media interest in the range of energy drinks recently introduced into the market which contain caffeine. In general, the concentration of caffeine per ml in soft drinks or energy drinks is considerably lower than in coffee. Most researchers now seem to agree that there is little risk of harm when a person consumes less than 600mg of caffeine a day. However at times of anxiety or stress, or during pregnancy, many doctors now recommend consumption of less than 200 mg a day.

The rest of the shite in energy drinks (other than the sugar) generally does little or nothing positive or negative, so the main thing to check is the caffeine content. To get the same effect, you could swallow an OTC caffeine pill (No Doz, Vivarin, etc.) and wash it down with any sugary liquid you like.

By: bitter-girl.com

bitter-girl.com — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 07:46:10 -0800

I love Irn-Bru. I can't help it. It tastes like someone put a sugar factory in a hobo's pants, but who cares?

By: namagomi

namagomi — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:50:13 -0800

red bull gives you bloody wings