Punch drunk

What looks like an energy drink, tastes like fruit punch and packs the alcohol wallop of five shots?

A new crop of caffeinated booze beverages that is raising concerns coast to coast and sending some people, many of them college students, to emergency rooms with alcohol poisoning.

Four Loko, a caffeinated malt liquor that has been dubbed "blackout in a can," made headlines last month when nine freshmen at Central Washington University were hospitalized after drinking it at a party.

Several schools have since banned alcohol energy drinks on campus, and Harvard University last week issued an e-mail warning to students, urging them not to drink Four Loko or similar drinks. On Thursday, Michigan banned alcohol-infused energy drinks. And the Food and Drug Administration is reviewing their safety.

That some college students experiment with alcohol -- and sometimes overdo it -- is hardly a news flash.

But what troubles some about Four Loko and similar beverages is the potent combination of sugar, caffeine and alcohol in one dose. Four Loko contains 12 percent alcohol, about the same as wine, but while wine is typically served in a 5-ounce glass, Four Loko comes in a 23.5-ounce can.

"It's the equivalent of 4.7 standard drinks -- like five beers or five shots in a can," said Dana Farley, associate program director at the University of Minnesota's Boynton Health Service.

"The sweetness masks the taste of the alcohol, and the caffeine masks the effects of the alcohol," Farley said. "My concern is that novice drinkers -- many first-year students -- may drink Four Loko thinking they're having a drink or two without realizing that, in fact, they're having five to 10 drinks."

The packaging is also a concern, he said, because the brightly colored graphics resemble those appearing on nonalcoholic drinks. "If you look at the can, you can't tell the difference from a regular energy drink."

(Phusion Projects, the Chicago-based company that introduced Four Loko in 2008, has stated that it goes beyond industry standards for labeling the product's alcohol content.)

So far, U residence halls have not reported cases of students getting dangerously intoxicated on caffeinated alcoholic drinks, Farley said, although the topic has been discussed by staff. "It's on people's radar."

The University of St. Thomas' dean of students, Karen Lang, said she was aware of incidents at colleges in other states, but so far, it hasn't been an issue on the St. Paul campus. "We have not seen any of that here as yet."

Kim Palmer • 612-673-4784