"Blackout in a Can"

[3113]

Every generation finds something. This is the latest, in case you hadn't heard about this drink.

Even by the extreme standards of typical college mayhem, the small-town college party in central Washington this month looked bad. Police were initially called to a supermarket parking lot, where they found a girl passed out in the back seat of a car next to a boy with a bloody nose. At the private house the two had just left, three girls were sprawled on a bed, a barely conscious young man was being dragged out of the backyard, a girl was prostrate on the bathroom floor and three young people were splayed senseless in a car outside.

The scene was so bizarre that that many partygoers, most of them students at Central Washington University in nearby Ellensburg, believed they had fallen victim to a date rape drug. Instead, police and medical investigators have in large part blamed the heavy consumption of Four Loko, also known as "blackout in a can," for the chaotic scene of sickened young people. The 23 ½-ounce can of fruity malt liquor sold in Washington and many other states packs 12% alcohol, the equivalent of drinking four or more beers and a cup of strong coffee. Vodka, rum and other alcoholic drinks also had been consumed, investigators said.

College officials and law enforcement agencies throughout the country are increasingly sounding alarms against Four Loko and others like it, which they say are little more than a binge drinker's dream. This week Central Washington University officials announced they are temporarily banning the brews on campus. New Jersey's Ramapo College announced a similar ban after a surge in alcohol intoxication cases since the beginning of the school year, with about half a dozen of involving Four Loko. And the Food and Drug Administration is investigating whether caffeine and alcohol can safely be mixed and consumed as a single beverage.

Several attorneys general across the country, including California and Washington, have urged the FDA to move quickly. Washington Atty. Gen. Rob McKenna said Monday that barring national sales restrictions, he will seek a ban on caffeinated malt liquor beverages in his state. "They're marketed to kids by using fruit flavors that mask the taste of alcohol, and they have such high levels of stimulants that people have no idea how inebriated they really are," he said.

Full story here.

So, there you have it, writers. Alarming and serious, but from a porn writer's perspective, here's a hip, new way to get your college girl (or boy) in a strange bed with no memory of what they did the night before.

 

[Katyusha]

Here's the company's full statement.

 

[trysail]

Hmmm, are there any potential Darwin Award nominees?

 

[TE999]

Every generation finds something. This is the latest, in case you hadn't heard about this drink.

Full story here.

Ain't (brewing) science wonderful? When I think of all the pitchers of 3.2 suds I sucked down (and the money I spent on it) to get the same effect it really ticks me off...two, maybe three cans of that stuff would have done me up...like... righteous.

 

[3113]

Ain't (brewing) science wonderful? When I think of all the pitchers of 3.2 suds I sucked down (and the money I spent on it) to get the same effect it really ticks me off...two, maybe three cans of that stuff would have done me up...like... righteous.

Tell me about it. Today's youth don't know how easy they've got it. Damn kids. Back in my day we had to work at it if we wanted to blackout...not to mention walking miles in the cold snow to get to a liquor store where the owner was too near-sighted to notice that our fake i.d.'s were fake.

 

[JackLuis]

Tell me about it. Today's youth don't know how easy they've got it. Damn kids. Back in my day we had to work at it if we wanted to blackout...not to mention walking miles in the cold snow to get to a liquor store where the owner was too near-sighted to notice that our fake i.d.'s were fake.

I bet it was up hill both ways too.

 

[TE999]

Tell me about it. Today's youth don't know how easy they've got it. Damn kids. Back in my day we had to work at it if we wanted to blackout...not to mention walking miles in the cold snow to get to a liquor store where the owner was too near-sighted to notice that our fake i.d.'s were fake.

Word!

I was actually carded last week by a deliciously nubile young lady when I bought some wine in a local grocery. I grinned and said "Do I look like I'm over 21?" "I'm sorry sir," she replied, blushing prettily "We have to card everybody." I said "Thanks, you've made my day," she giggled and I walked out.

 

[trysail]

Oh, hell. Back in "Kolledge Days," the old frat boys used to host an annual grain alcohol party. Since the stuff was illegal in the state, a road trip across the border was required ( where it was legally obtainable ).

In order not to kill the unsuspecting, the untutored, the naive or other innocent bystanders, the brewmeisters diluted the stuff ( somewhat ) with fruit drinks and god-only-knows-what else. Three 50-gallon rubber garbage cans were employed as containers and the resulting noxious ( and lethal ) concoction was ladled out to all comers.

A story ( possibly apocryphal ) circulated for years: one fair young lady was asked if she was enjoying her punch. She smacked her lips, said "it's delicious," and promptly collapsed unconscious on the floor in an advanced state of alcoholic oblivion ( I hasten to add that— behaving as honorable gentlemen— no untoward advantage was taken of the lady's disability ).

For sentiment's sake, I saved one of those infamous bottles and have lugged it around through all the travels of my years. Empty and thirty-six years later, its potency remains; a lighted match dropped into the bottle will STILL ignite the residual vapors. The bottle sits beside me as I write; it reads:

Graves
Extra XXX Fine
Grain Alcohol
U.S.P. 190° Proof
This 190° proof Alcohol is especially suitable for medicinal and scientific use, and is of the same high quality as has been applied by us to Physicians, Hospitals and Pharmacists in bottles since 1860.
DISTILLED FROM GRAIN
Bottled by
C.H. Graves Distilling Co., Cambridge, Mass.
​

 

[voluptuary_manque]

And then there were the ethyl acetate cocktails that went by the name of 'geology punch'. The legend went that you could mix the stuff into Cool-Aid and it would combine with the hydrochloric acid in your stomach and turn to alcohol. You had no sensation of drinking until it hit you like a boulder, hence the name. Never tried the stuff myself . . .

 

[3113]

I bet it was up hill both ways too.

But of course! Hauling boxes of liquor, too. We were tough in those days. Now like the softies now.

And then there were the ethyl acetate cocktails that went by the name of 'geology punch'. The legend went that you could mix the stuff into Cool-Aid and it would combine with the hydrochloric acid in your stomach and turn to alcohol. You had no sensation of drinking until it hit you like a boulder, hence the name.

Sounds like a myth to me! You got proof of this tall tale, ole timer?

And now I'm waiting for someone to reminisce about making bathtub gin or moonshine

 

[The_Fool]

But of course! Hauling boxes of liquor, too. We were tough in those days. Now like the softies now.


Sounds like a myth to me! You got proof of this tall tale, ole timer?

And now I'm waiting for someone to reminisce about making bathtub gin or moonshine

Never made it, only drank it. Last time was with my hunting partner. He is a crazy old bastard. Sitting in my truck smoking cigars, listening to blues, drinking clear liquid from a gallon water jug that would blow your head clean off.


I would love to start a micro distillery. Went to one in Milwaukee. That was way cool.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

But of course! Hauling boxes of liquor, too. We were tough in those days. Now like the softies now.


Sounds like a myth to me! You got proof of this tall tale, ole timer?

And now I'm waiting for someone to reminisce about making bathtub gin or moonshine

Proof? No, but this article in Wiki indicates that ethyl acetate can be rehydrolized into ethanol with acid . . . Like I said, I never tried it but there are always those college kids who will drink anything, yanno.

 

[Boxlicker101]

If you treat this Four Loko like beer, you could get pretty smashed, but if you treat it like wine, it's not such a big deal. The can is about the size of a fifth or .8 liters, and 12% is about the strength of Vin Rose. I don't believe the can of Four Loko needs a warning label any more than a bottle of wine does. Or any less.

 

[Stella_Omega]

Oh, hell. Back in "Kolledge Days,"...

Was this at Coconino Kolledge?

 

[Pure]

the company's explanation, posted by katyusha seems generally convincing. the stuff is hardly deadly. however the addition of vodka 'chasers', i.e. treating the stuff like beer, and not wine, and being stupid, likely caused the effect.

 

[JackLuis]

I've never tried Four Loko, but I have tried "Mother's Vineyards Scuppernong wine", two pints of that will make you wish for a 48 hour black out.

 

[Nameless_Rose]

As a recent college grad, I experienced the rise of Four Loko first hand. My friends and I eventually ended up referring to it as "Floor Loko," because after a couple cans of it, that's a very accurate description of the state you'll be in; on the floor and crazy. The malt liquor gets you drunk, but its covered by a taste like fermented sweet tarts so its easy to drink it fast. Then there are the lovely stimulants that keep you awake and drinking long after you should be peacefully unconscious in a bed somewhere. After this beverage became popular on my campus the instances I witnessed of complete drunken stupidity increased tenfold. This stuff is pretty much lethal.

Oh yeah, another fun thing I learned in college. If you ever want to end the night puking in a gutter, try this recipe:

The Hyper Viper
-40 oz. Bottle of Malt Liquor
-Four Loko of your favorite flavor

Drink about half of the forty. Then, once sufficient space has been cleared pour the entire Four Loko into the forty bottle. Shake and drink. Enjoy several hours of caffeine induced black-out

 

[Boxlicker101]

This thread reminded me of something I used to drink during the mid-fifties, when I was a teenager. It was carbonated and came in a bottle, I believe eight ounces, and was sold by the four-pack. It was sweet, like a fruit drink, and I believe it was pretty strong. I cannot remember the name of this stuff, but I believe it started with "S". The only thing I can think of is Spoli, which is a mixed drink made with wine, but not what I am trying to remember.

 

[Pure]

nameless: As a recent college grad, I experienced the rise of Four Loko first hand. My friends and I eventually ended up referring to it as "Floor Loko," because after a couple cans of it, that's a very accurate description of the state you'll be in;

the four loko is said to have the alcohol of 5 beers. as your experience suggests, it's best not to forget the equivalence--as one can easily do, given the packaging. further the cost is only about 3 bucks a can, so it's a poor boy's wipeout.

one of the designers says it's to compete with the popular red bull plus vodka fave. at any rate 4L is selling very well in the US and has expanded to Europe--with a dash of wormwood, for special effect!

 

[3113]

the company's explanation, posted by katyusha seems generally convincing. the stuff is hardly deadly. however the addition of vodka 'chasers', i.e. treating the stuff like beer, and not wine, and being stupid, likely caused the effect.

As Rose explained it, it seems that it hardly requires vodka chasers. And it can't be treated like wine if it's got that thirst-quencher sweetness. Also, as said, the caffeine in it, which is not in beer, makes you think you're less drunk than you are.

Which is not to heap all the blame on the company. College kids will be college kids and people, in general, will be stupid and reckless. But I do think the company's being a wee-bit disingenuous if they're saying, "Hey, it's not us, it's them!" Clearly they made the drink to be a little deceptive in its effects so that it could be consumed in large quantities and for long stretches. Also, as you yourself point out, cheap. They can't now be protesting that it wasn't meant to be consumed that way

 

[bronzeage]

As Rose explained it, it seems that it hardly requires vodka chasers. And it can't be treated like wine if it's got that thirst-quencher sweetness. Also, as said, the caffeine in it, which is not in beer, makes you think you're less drunk than you are.

Which is not to heap all the blame on the company. College kids will be college kids and people, in general, will be stupid and reckless. But I do think the company's being a wee-bit disingenuous if they're saying, "Hey, it's not us, it's them!" Clearly they made the drink to be a little deceptive in its effects so that it could be consumed in large quantities and for long stretches. Also, as you yourself point out, cheap. They can't now be protesting that it wasn't meant to be consumed that way

When I was in school, our spring party drink was strawberry daiquiris. They were made in a blender with fresh strawberries, sugar, rum and ice cubes. The finished product was probably 45% alcohol or higher. 151 proof rum could be used, but that costs a lot more. They met the requirement of cheap to produce and easy to consume in large quantities.

A daiquiri party lasted until the strawberries were gone, or nobody could find the puree button.

As you said, every generation finds something. Every generation is warned about this kind of stuff, but no one expects them to listen.

 

[oggbashan]

Cheap alcohol for students is not new.

Back in the 1960s I used to buy Bob Luck's Vintage Cider from Biddenden in Kent. I took a seven wine-bottle carbuoy, originally full of sherry, and filled it up from a cask at Bob Luck's farm shop.

That carbuoy was usually enough for a complete party.

Bob Luck closed down in the 1970s. I think our Customs and Excise raided him because his "Vintage Cider" was actually distilled like Calvados and 80 to 90 proof.

Og

 

[3113]

When I was in school, our spring party drink was strawberry daiquiris. They were made in a blender with fresh strawberries, sugar, rum and ice cubes. The finished product was probably 45% alcohol or higher. 151 proof rum could be used, but that costs a lot more. They met the requirement of cheap to produce and easy to consume in large quantities.

A daiquiri party lasted until the strawberries were gone, or nobody could find the puree button.

As you said, every generation finds something. Every generation is warned about this kind of stuff, but no one expects them to listen.

True. But imagine if some company had provided you with a sober bartender to make those daiquiris until the strawberries ran out (as he'd be hitting the puree button for you, you could all go on drinking for longer). Imagine they provided puree-button-pusher at a very cheap price per hour, yet did make a healthy profit from it. Said company could rightfully protest that they weren't responsible for you being stupid and drinking recklessly and continuously. But they could not protest that they were completely innocent either. At the very least, they did aid and abet you in your stupidity

 

[Verdad]

Used to be you had to snort up your uppers, then drink the alcohol. Truly, the artistry is gone…

 

[bronzeage]

True. But imagine if some company had provided you with a sober bartender to make those daiquiris until the strawberries ran out (as he'd be hitting the puree button for you, you could all go on drinking for longer). Imagine they provided puree-button-pusher at a very cheap price per hour, yet did make a healthy profit from it. Said company could rightfully protest that they weren't responsible for you being stupid and drinking recklessly and continuously. But they could not protest that they were completely innocent either. At the very least, they did aid and abet you in your stupidity

I live in a place where people will buy their children camouflage clothes, a rifle and a 4wheeler and then tell them to go play in the woods. The boundaries of stupid and responsibility are very blurry.

Anyone who sells something expects a profit from the exchange. The social morals maybe questionable in this particular case, but the college students intended to get drunk. No one was unaware of the results, although it may have been faster than expected. The Four Loko vendor held up his end of the deal. There should not be a penalty for providing better service than expected.