Yet another sign of America’s impending doom: Cocaine, the provocatively named “energy” drink that promises an industrial-strength dose of caffeine in every can.
That’s some name. Just in case you don’t get it, the drink also has a throat-numbing ingredient that is intended to emulate an effect of its illegal namesake.
Just kidding about America’s doom. While the product has spurred howls of outrage from predictable quarters, that seems an overreaction. No doubt the maker, Redux Beverages of Las Vegas, was counting on a bit of outrage to create buzz for what is finally just another soft drink.
Yes, it has a lot of caffeine — about 280 milligrams a can — but that’s still only about half what you get in the average shot of espresso. As to the name, I don’t think anybody’s going to confuse the drink with the real thing. And finally, any publicity created by the controversy will probably be countered by outrage-wary retailers simply refusing to stock it.
Posted by Dave Knadler
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16 Comments
Maybe if we supply this stuff en mass to our do-nothing Congress, maybe something might get done!
Even if they should experience some sort of toxic reaction, we wouldn’t notice any change.
Isn’t there already a popular drink thats named after Cocaine thats been around 100 years?
The best!
Reminds me of the time I went on a “shopping tour” to Tijuana. The tour guide said:
“Be careful what you say on the way back to the U.S. One woman bought a bottle of perfume, and when customes asked her if she had anything to declare she said ‘Yes, I have some Opium.’ We were delayed for 2 hours while they searched everything.”
Didn’t Coca-Cola at one time actually contain cocaine?
Ben, so I am told; also, I recall a program on the History Channel that suggested Dr. Pepper also contained that substance when it was originally formulated.
My dad (born 1910) used to tell me that Dr. Pepper used to contain prune juice. Because he spent his teenage years as a soda jerk for a time, and later was employed for many years at Fox-Vliet Drug Co., I tended to believe him. I don’t know if it’s a fact though.
RD, my paternal grandmother (born 1901) told me the same thing in my youth; she also used to reminisce about having a Dr. Pepper in her younger days, and how it would “pep her up”, as opposed to the Dr. Pepper she and I would drink together in the 50s and 60s.
Well personally I don’t like the name. Anything that glorifies the effects of such a devastating drug, I think it’s shameful the company is using the drug’s effects to promote the drink. I can see the kids now…”well if you think that’s great you should try the real thing”
And yes, that’s coming from a ‘morally corrupt & godless’ liberal.
Aw, gee, PM, I was looking for a can of it today. I need a major shot of caffeine and can’t stand coffee.
Still, your point is well taken.
Bad name for a drink, but another point is to be made here with journalists quoting numbers and their incessant mistakes. If at 280 mg of caffeine, Cocaine has only 1/2 the caffeine of a “shot” of espresso, that puts a shot of espresso at 560 mg of caffeine, which in turn puts a shot of espresso as having seven times the caffeine of just one Red Bull (80 mg per Red Bull according to today’s Eagle on page 3A). However, page 3A of today’s Eagle claims that one shot of espresso contains 77 mg of caffeine.
How many times are people going to fall into this hole? This is the same as in the early 1990’s with the band 2 Live Crew. They were a talentless, no name group that sold a total of maybe 5 CD (and tapes) until somebody got offended over the lyrics and then the album went double platinum. I don’t urge ignoring the problem in very many instances but this is one where it would serve everyone better to ignore it.
It’s been tried before: Remember “Jolt” Cola. “All the sugar and twice the caffeine,” I believe was the slogan.
“i” before “e” except in neighbor and weigh and caffein. No wonder I can’t spell.
What about Nitro cola? It had more caffeine than Jolt.
Perhaps it is part of some “urban legend” — but I have heard that both Pepsi and Coke still use Coca leaves for flavoring, but the drug has been removed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocaine
http://www.relfe.com/cocaine_cola_history.html
http://www.rense.com/general51/coa.htm
Cocaine Cola is said to have three times more caffeine than that of Red Bull.
No thanks, I’ll stick to coffee.