Energy Drink Showdown
Since I’m a diehard procrastinator, I ended up going to Shaw’s on a Sunday evening and buying whatever alcoholic energy drinks were in stock in preparation for Carnival of Drinking #4 (likely the last edition for now). I’m still not clear on certain liquor laws in Massachusetts, though it seems that the only place to buy booze on Sundays is the grocery store. This in itself is actually a recent phenomenon, and I’m glad the Puritan blue laws have become more liberal as of late. In fact, the Back Bay Shaw’s actually has a great selection of wine and beer with a decent collection of liquor. They even have more selection than many local package stores.
Today, I discovered that Shaw’s carries three alcoholic energy drinks: Sparks, Sparks Light, and Ricochet. However, I was disappointed that there weren’t others such as BE, which I’d been itching to try despite my general lack of appreciation for Anheuser-Busch products. Also, I picked up some Red Bull for comparison and roped my girlfriend and two friends to taste with me, as there was no way I was downing four alcoholic energy drinks late on a Sunday night by myself. Then again, I have no full-time job to go to in the morning, so boo ya! (Interestingly, one of them is starting a new job tomorrow. Good luck!)
On a sidenote, I also noticed that Peels was available, but I was unwilling to emasculate myself in front of the attractive woman standing next to me. Plus, it’s not an energy drink; it’s just a curiosity.
Anyway, on to the tasting!
First, here’s the conclusion, so you can skip the rest: alcoholic energy drinks generally taste nasty, but Sparks Light or Red Bull & Cognac are the best choices. However, none of us would drink these again, especially in a bar where they would probably fetch ~$10/drink. The tasting notes are an amalgamation of our impressions, which generally meshed. Also, keep in mind that this wasn’t a blind tasting—we knew exactly which drink was which.
| Sparks | Sparks Light | Ricochet | Red Bull & VSOP Courvoisier | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Look | Exactly like orange soda | Exactly like orange soda | Cloudier/darker version of Sparks | Sparkling apple cider |
| Smell | “Oh, God! It smells like medicine!” —Girlfriend | Slightly less potent than Sparks | Like the orange Sobe, Snapple, or Tang | Definitely smells of Cognac/brandy |
| Taste | No alcohol taste; tastes like medicine/cough syrup | Like Sparks but less potent | No alcohol taste; slightly sour/medicinal; bad aftertaste; 1 out of 4 thought good | Definitely could taste both Red Bull & Cognac; Red Bull only aftertaste |
| Price* | $1.39 / 16 oz. | $1.39 / 16 oz. | $1.99 / 8.4 oz. on sale for $1.00 | $1.97 / 8.3 oz. not including cognac |
| Manufacturer | Steel Brewing Co. | Steel Brewing Co. | Ricochet Beverages, i.e., Albertsons (owner of Shaw’s) | Red Bull |
| ABV | 6% ABV | 6% ABV | 6% ABV | 6.7% ABV (1.5 oz. cognac/8 oz. Red Bull) |
| *Not including $0.05 can deposit in MA | ||||
Interestingly, our opinions split 2 to 2 in favor of Sparks Light or the Red Bull & Cognac as the favorite. However, it was pretty clear to all of us that Sparks and Sparks Light were the cheapest. In fact, if all you’re looking for is a buzz on buzz, then go for Sparks, as it’s scarily much cheaper per ounce. Generally, it seems to me that Sparks and Ricochet (when on sale) are better deals than any of the regular energy drinks. Add something like VSOP Cognac to Red Bull, and you have something for which a bar would charge you $$$$. In fact, expect a huge markup for all of these products in a bar.
Personally, I’d prefer to continue with more traditional beer, wine, or mixed drinks. If I want a bit of caffeine, then I’ll just get a rum and Coke. In general, energy drinks have a rather sweet medicinal taste that just doesn’t agree with my palate, and we all still felt tired after the tasting despite the loads of caffeine, guarana, and other crap. Plus, I definitely don’t feel so great after drinking all of these. I suggest not trying this tasting yourself.
Also, in case you’re wondering why I used Cognac rather than the more traditional vodka, it’s in reference to this article where a bar owner claimed that Red Bull mixed with Cognac. That struck me as completely disgusting, but it turned out to be a decent pairing.
Conveniently published just in time, here’s an article at The Atlanta-Journal Constituion that covers the growing alcoholic energy drink market. It mentions Sparks, BE, Tilt (by AB), Mickey’s Stinger (by Miller), Rockstar 21, and M Monster Mutant (by Hansen).
June 12th, 2006 at 2:52 am
Tilt is way better than sparks
June 28th, 2006 at 10:30 pm
SPARKS will be around in 2 years, Tilt will have to be dusted off to choak down….
November 11th, 2006 at 9:23 am
I’ve tried them all. Tilt and Torque just don’t have the ooomph that Sparks gives you. There must be more caffeine, guarana, taurine, etc. in Sparks.
Try the Sparks + ! It has more of all the ingredients and 7% alcohol! I think it even tastes better than regular sparks. Warning though, drink 2-3 Sparks + and it’s like liquid viagra !
January 2nd, 2007 at 4:46 pm
ricochet is the sh&t!
I don’t know if albertsons is still carrying it. when a store was going out of business near me, i cleaned out their 74-can ricochet stash at $0.17 / can!! now i’m looking for them online to try and ship them to my house but i can’t find them anywhere - seems like they got shut down or discontinued… wish me luck,
Santa Cruz, CA
January 2nd, 2007 at 6:07 pm
That’s amazingly inexpensive. The last time I was at a Shaw’s that sold alcohol (the ones I live by now don’t), I don’t recall seeing it there. Perhaps at another Albertson’s chain?
February 24th, 2007 at 2:17 am
I am charged 5 cents deposit on every can of red bull in every store when there is no deposit in NY. I have a whole bag of cans and I am betting when I try to return them to CVS or Walgreens there will be a fight. WHY is this in the system?
February 24th, 2007 at 12:29 pm
Something simpler may be taking them to one of those automated machines at Shaw’s. Otherwise, just take a printout of this page: http://www.mass.gov/dep/recycle/reduce/bbillcon.htm. They’re supposed to redeem those cans for you.