WHAT THE BUZZ IS ABOUT: ENERGY DRINKS Still Going Strong By Laura Holmes Haddad

this on-the-go culture, it’s no surprise that consumers are embracing drinks that help them keep up with the frantic pace. There are currently In 400 brands of energy drinks on the market with annual sales of close to $1 billion, according to BevNet. In 2004 consumers purchased 1.9 billion cans of Red Bull alone, according to CNBC. ENERGY DRINK RECIPES And the numbers are certainly not wan- The Versatile Mixer ing: The Beverage Marketing Corp. found Although manufacturers are loath to encour- that energy drinks grew 49.1 percent in 2006, age mixing their drinks with alcohol, since P.I.N.K. TABOO making it the sixth-largest beverage category. 1 1/2 oz. p.i.n.k Vodka Red Bull & Vodka became the mainstay of the It’s no wonder more products are flooding TAB Energy club crowd, nothing has prevented imagina- the market; the pricing of energy drinks is usu- Pour contents into tive bartenders from mixing the beverages into ally 400% of that of soda. The major player is highball glass with creative cocktails. Besides vodka, the Red Red Bull, with 47% of the U.S. energy drink ice and stir. Jagger (Red Bull and Jägermeister) and the market and 80% of the worldwide energy Dead Bull (Red Bull, Jägermeister, and orange drink market, according to Forbes magazine. FEMME FATALE* juice) became popular in bars across the coun- 1 1/2 oz. Ketel One Citroen But both large and small compa- 1 1/2 oz. Cointreau nies have come up with beverages 1 1/2 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice that promise to boost, energize, Red Bull & Vodka 1 1/2 oz. Red Bull and keep the batteries running. Since Pure Cane Sugar Purée Coca-Cola has several energy became the mainstay of Rim a martini glass with raw sugar. drinks, including TAB energy, Full the club crowd, nothing has Shake well and serve up. Garnish Throttle, and Burn. Glaceau with a preserved lemon wedge. recently launched Vitaminenergy, prevented imaginative bartenders *from MINX Restaurant and with Vitamin C and ginseng. Las from mixing the beverages into Lounge, Glendale, CA Vegas and Los Angeles are the two strongest markets cited by energy creative cocktails. VOGUE drink executives. Two parts V2 With so many players one One dash of Orange Liqueur would think there would be saturation, but One part Cranberry Juice try. (Red Bull in particular does no cross-pro- that doesn’t seem to be in the cards. “ROCK- Squeeze of Fresh Lime motion with spirits’ companies.) Mix in ice filled shaker. Strain STAR, Monster and Red Bull will survive as Robert Parks, managing partner of Rivals and serve in a martini glass. the major brands,” says ROCKSTAR founder Sports Kitchen, a new restaurant concept in Garnish with lemon peel twist. Russ Weiner. “They’ll be number one, two southwest Florida, offers one energy drink, and three, back and forth, in different Life Force V– a new product in limited distri- THE WALK OF FAME* regions. Coke and Pepsi will have their bution, developed by chef Jimmy Parks. It is a 3/4 oz. Absolut Mandrin brands due to who they are. Small regional juice-based beverage that contains caffeine, 3/4 oz. Absolut Raspberri brands or private labels will always exist as vitamins, and minerals and leaves out 2 oz. Red Bull they will offer very low pricing to chains.” guarana, taurine, and other compounds found 2 oz. Cranberry Juice Catchy packaging is what has set energy in most energy drinks. “We’re appealing to a In a shaker combine all ingredients. drinks apart, usually in single-serving 10 or 12 higher demographic, the 28 to 60-year-old. In Serve in a chilled high ball glass. ounce cans and, in 2006, Productscan report- our market, I’ve seen a trend towards health- *from Lucky Strikes, Chicago ed that lemon is the top selling flavor in ener- ier beverages; the energy drinks on the mar- gy drinks followed by orange and berry. WHISKEY SOUR ket don’t appeal to our demographic,” he says. Beyond packaging, energy drink produc- 1 1/2 oz. Whiskey Parks’ customers order the beverage on its ers have relied on marketing. These drinks are 2 oz. LifeForce V own as well as in cocktails. “Red Bull martinis Splash Sour Mix often branded as lifestyle products through are very harsh; but because this is juice-based, Splash Ginger Ale guerilla marketing techniques, with giveaways the quality of the cocktails are so much high- Serve up in a flute glass to about and promotions at concerts and extreme er,” says Parks. “Martinis and frozen drinks 3/4 full. sports like kiteboarding. Voodoo Vibe, the made with Life Force V have pleasant flavors new Jimi Hendrix branded line, has just compared to the medicinal qualities of Red released its first mixed-berry flavored energy Whiskey Sour Bull. With this level of drinks we’ve created, drink infused with the Co-Q10 enzyme. the flavor of the energy drink is a plus rather Voodoo Vibe is available in a commemorative than a negative.” Parks notes that the drink, limited-edition aluminum bottle, as well as a packaged in opaque re-sealable bottles, can be regular can. The packaging invites people to consumed cold or warm and is shelf-stable, “taste life” and is also aimed at promoting and which makes it easy to keep in the bar, and encouraging consumers to live charitably. the cost is comparable to other mixers. Red Bull takes it a step forward by actual- Erin Bawulski, bartender at Lucky Strikes ly purchasing and sponsoring sports teams: the Lanes in Chicago, uses energy drinks as a company owns two Formula One teams as mixer in two specialty cocktails, a Red Bull well as a soccer team, the New York Red Bulls. Margarita and The Walk of Fame, a mix of This page photo by Jeff White, Octane Photographic Absolut Raspberri, Absolut Mandrin, a tract with Red Bull, but he points out that splash of cranberry and topped with Red “whether you’re pouring Monster or Bull that sells for $8.00. “The customers another energy drink, Red Bull is a we see are 25 to 45 years old and they all nomenclature these days.” MINX charges order Red Bull cocktails,” says Bawulski. $2 for adding Red Bull to a spirit. At Lucky Strikes Lanes, an Absolut and Red Bull is $8.50. “Surprisingly, there is a Taking Energy to the big demand and a very high percentage are sold. It’s more the O-Bombs [shots Next Level made with Stoli and Red Bull] as well as Infused vodkas are the latest liquor prod- Vodka & Red Bulls,” she says. ucts capitalizing on the trend. V2 and At the V Bar at the Venetian in Las P.I.N.K. vodka are two brands that incor- Vegas, bartender Nitty Lee uses only porate the energy-boosting substances ROCKSTAR and sugar-free ROCK- caffeine and taurine. V2 launched in STAR in her six cocktails made with December 2006. energy drinks. “It’s a pretty common “There was a need for something like mixer,” says Lee. “Before it was people in this in the market; people have been their early 20’s ordering them, but now drinking Irish coffee for years. Red Bull it’s across all age groups. We get a lot of addressed the need with the Vodka & Red older professionals who order it as well.” Bull drink,” says James Goldstein, founder and president of V2. Goldstein hopes his product will do to vodka what Red Bull did to the really in the first “ We’re energy drink market – stages of beverage become the “go-to” prod- uct. “Our brand is very alcohol brands infused with mixable the same way you energy; the next stage is the would use any vodka,” says Goldstein. He points different flavors.” to specialty drink recipes —James Goldstein,V2 president that bartenders have cre- ated with V2: the Treasure Island, a mix of V2, spiced Lee notes that her customers consistently rum, cranberry and pineap- order vodka and ROCKSTAR and that ple and a Cosmopolitan made with V2 any liquor mixed with ROCKSTAR has a called a Vogue. $2 surcharge (compared to the $5 Goldstein, who encourages people to charged at other bars in Las Vegas). The drink responsibly, also notes that in the one drawback for Lee is the packaging. “It U.S. the company cannot refer to V2 as would be great to get it on the gun; I an energy vodka; government regula- haven’t looked into that. But we just use tions require that it be called a distilled the [16 ounce] cans,” she says, and does- spirits specialty. n’t see the popularity waning any time Goldstein believes this is just the soon. “Now that energy drinks are all beginning for the energy-infused spirit over the place, I think this trend is here category. “There will be more brands with to stay,” she remarks. more flavors and more innovative pack- At MINX Restaurant & Lounge in aging. We’re really in the first stages of Los Angeles, food and beverage director beverage alcohol brands infused with Rob Rice has two Red Bull cocktails on energy and the next stage is the different the list: a Lemon Drop made with sugar- flavors,” he says. free Red Bull in place of sweet and sour It seems the quest for energy is mix and preserved lemons, and a Red Bull nowhere near the end among consumers, Sangria. But despite the specialty cock- so expect to see even more energy drinks tails, he says, “Nine out of ten people still (and energy-drink spiked cocktails) hit order Vodka & Red Bull.” Rice has a con- the on and off-premise markets. ■