I asked the folks at the Baltimore Health Department about other caffeine-alcohol drinks -- which are not banned like Four Loko and the like.
(If you missed it, the city and Howard County joined a bunch of other cities and states in following warnings from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and state health officials in banning caffiene-infused alcohol drinks because they say the drinks pose a special health risk.)
I got this response:
It looks as if Vincent Van Gogh Double Espresso vodka has about 10 mg of caffeine per 1.7 oz – substantially less than the products the FDA is banning.
A recipe for a rum and cola - 5 oz. of cola and 1.5 oz. of rum. This is a fairly typical size and contains roughly 14.5 mg of caffeine and 0.6 oz. of alcohol, assuming the rum is 40 percent ABV[alcohol by volume]. Irish coffee, containing 6 oz. of coffee, 1.5 oz. of whiskey, a teaspoon of brown sugar and cream. Assuming the whiskey is 40 percent ABV, your drink will have something like 90 mg of caffeine and 0.6 oz. of alcohol.
Comparatively, one 23.5 oz. can of Four Loko at 12 percent ABV has 156 mg of caffeine and 2.82 oz. of alcohol.
So to get a "Four Loko effect" with a rum and cola, you'd have to drink 4.7 rum and colas. This would have the same alcohol content as a Four Loko, but the caffeine content (at only 68.15 mg) is still less than half the caffeine in one can of Four Loko.
For Irish coffee, you'd would need to drink a little less than two to get the same caffeine level as a Four Loko. But to truly equal a Four Loko, you would have to pour at least twice as much whiskey into each serving.
So, anyone for 5 rum and Cokes?
Los Angeles Times photo