Malt energy drink boasts ‘intriguing’ ingredient
September 18, 2007 by MANDI WOODRUFF
Filed under News
The herbal extract that gives absinthe some of its hallucinogenic properties is the key ingredient in a new malt energy drink.
The drink, called Four, was launched as a berry-flavored malt beverage in the Midwest in January 2006. It is the first of its kind to combine caffeine, guarana, taurine (an ingredient in Red Bull), alcohol and wormwood oil, the herbal extract that is a component of absinthe.
In July 2007, Georgia became the 16th state to distribute Four, said Chris Hunter, a representative of Phusion Projects, Inc, the creator of Four.
Four is packaged in a 16 oz. can and boasts a six percent alcohol content that is “big enough to get the job done right,” according to its Web site, drinkfour.com.
When compared to other malt energy drinks on the market, Hunter said Four is unique.
“Wormwood oil is Four’s point of differentiation,” he said. “There’s a mystique around the ingredient. I think it makes it intriguing.”
Certain types of wormwood oil contain a toxic chemical called thujone – known to cause hallucinatory side-effects. The type of wormwood oil used in Four is known as having aphrodisiac effects, according to Hunter.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration placed Thujone in an “Unsafe Category,” according to drugdigest.org.
Four is available in 20 locations in Athens, including the ABC Package Store on Atlanta Highway.
ABC’s manager, Michael Smith, said they have been selling Four for a couple of weeks.
“We’re gonna try to push it for them and see where it goes,” Smith said.
Four is marketed for its energy-boosting quality, but Hunter said the government wants to make clear that it is an alcoholic product.
“Some people, I guess, call them energy drinks, and maybe that’s where the confusion is created,” Hunter said. “We take extra precautions to make sure that they know that these are alcoholic drinks.”
If consumers are not sold by the wormwood oil, Hunter said Four’s unique flavor profile offers a departure from other beverages. “There’s nothing else out there like it,” he said.
Bill Richards, editorial cartoonist for The Red & Black, had difficulty finding a way to describe Four’s unique flavor.
“Try to imagine a combination of Red Bull and Colt 45,” he said. “It’s pretty bad.”
Richards said he did not finish the entire can, and its energy-boosting properties were lost on him.
“I guess it depends on your sensitivity to caffeine,” he said.
Four comes in berry and cherry flavors with more in the works, Hunter said.
“We’re always considering new products.”
