Kool-Aid and the art of financial survival

The always snarky and always entertaining Gawker.com has done it again.

Under the headline "How To Eat Now That You're Poor," the blog begins by saying:

"Now that the wizards of Wall Street have destroyed all hope for your future economic security, it's time to start eating like a pauper!

"That's the new ad strategy that our nation's largest food companies are pursuing, reasoning that the fancy Pepperidge Farm cookies and 'vegetables' are going to be the first thing that shoppers slash from their budgets in these lean times. Why not try some grilled cheese and tomato soup? Shiny apples for a nickel!

"But this nutritional depression has an upside: Hey, Kool-Aid!"

[Go here for the full posting.]

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That 'energy' boost may be just caffeine

Your favorite energy drink may give you a temporary boost, but that's probably only because it contains more caffeine than soft drinks.

That's the conclusion of a new study conducted by the John Hopkins University and published in the current issue of the journal Drug & Alcohol Dependence.

The study by the renowned Baltimore university says some energy drinks contain at least 10 times more caffeine than soft drinks, and concludes that energy drink manufacturers should list caffeine content and issue health warnings on products.

Most energy drink marketing stresses other ingredients as being healthful and energy-boosting, downplaying or simply not addressing the caffeine content.

An analysis done last year by Datamonitor said the global energy drinks market had a value of $13.3 billion, and is predicted to be worth $23.8 billion by 2011. This strong growth in sales is forecast to be driven by rising demand in the U.S., followed by the UK and Japan, and is indicative of the fact that consumers in countries associated with long working hours are buying energy drinks more regularly.

"Previously, energy drinks have been associated with select consumer groups such as students and long distance drivers," Datamonitor said. "However, consumers are working longer hours than the generations before them and are struggling to maintain a work/life balance, due to which more cases of fatigue and sleep-related problems are being reported. As a result, increasing numbers of consumers are turning to energy drinks in search of a quick physical and mental boost."

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FDA warns over Chinese beverages

Beware of Mr. Brown's coffees and teas, says the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.

Just four days after Canada placed a ban on the Chinese-made product, the FDA has done the same, citing in part tests done by the New Zealand government that showed the presence of melamine in products made by the manufacturer.

Melamine is an industrial compound that is poisonous when ingested. It has been found in numerous milk products in China and sickened thousands, particularly children.

Mr. Brown's is exported to the U.S. by King Car Food Industrial Co. Ltd. It is manufactured in China by Shandong Duquing Inc. King Car also is recalling other products, including a milk tea it makes.

The specific coffee and tea products affected by the recall:

• Mr. Brown Mandheling Blend Instant Coffee
• Mr. Brown Arabica Instant Coffee
• Mr. Brown Blue Mountain Blend Instant Coffee
• Mr. Brown Caramel Macchiato Instant Coffee
• Mr. Brown French Vanilla Instant Coffee
• Mr. Brown Mandhling Blend Instant Coffee
• Mr. Brown Milk Tea

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What do you get mixing Snapple and Quaker Oats?

A: One larger company.

The Quaker Oats Co. is buying the Snapple Beverage Corp. for a tender offer of $14 a share of Snapple stock, or about $1.7 billion.

The purchase of the Valley Stream, Long Island, NY, maker of flavored iced teas and fruit juices will make Quaker the third-largest non-alcoholic beverage marketer in North America.

Quaker already counts Gatorade among its portfolio of cereals, drinks, crackers, cookies, chili and various mixes. William D. Smithburg, chairman and CEO of Quaker Oats, said the Snapple acquisition is "part of an evolving realignment of Quaker's portfolio."

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Cheerwine rebranding under way

Last fall, I wrote about Cheerwine, a long-popular cherry flavored South Carolina soft drink looking to expand its horizons.

The Salisbury, NC, firm that has been around since 1917 just announced its distribution is up to 16 states. But I'm not sure what to tell you to be on the lookout for after next July.

Reason? Cheerwine maker Carolina Beverage Corp. has hired a Seattle company to create a new brand that will be launched on packaging, trucks and advertising next summer to replace the current look (seen above).

Meanwhile, for information on where Cheerwine is distributed, check its Web site here.

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Not all drink mixes are created equal

William M. Dowd photo

Consumer Alert: This entry contains opinions that may be contrary to those of cocktail purists, among whose ranks I usually place myself. However, the times they are a'changing, so broaden your horizons.

A recent story in The Wall Street Journal by one Eric Felten began like this:

"Williams-Sonoma, geared though it may be to ambitious amateur cooks, seems to think that its customers aren't up to the rather limited culinary demands of making cocktails. Why else the prominence the store is giving to a new line of bottled cocktail mixes? ... . The infantilization of drinkers remains the top marketing point for the prefabbers. The flacks for that supermarket standby, Rose's Cocktail Mixers, sent out a press release for their Mojito mix this summer touting it as 'a solution to complicated drink-making.' Complicated? Crush some mint in sugar syrup and fresh lime juice; add white rum, club soda and ice; stir. Is it supercilious to suggest that those for whom this is a task of surpassing complexity are better off not dulling their wits further with alcohol?"

Ye gods, Felten. I know you wrote the book "How's Your Drink?: Cocktails, Culture and the Art of Drinking Well" (Agate Surrey), but lumping all such "prefabs" into one bucket of distasteful slop is neither accurate nor of any practical use to consumers.

I do agree that many of the pre-made drink mixes are loaded with ingredients one neither wants nor may even understand, but as in all things culinary there are exceptions. One such, in my view, is the line of Stirrings drink mixes. I actually like them. A lot.

As one whose cocktail-making resume dates from my mid-teens ("Oldies can still be goodies"), I understand and value the idea of fresh ingredients. I squeeze my own lemons and limes, wash and dry my own fresh berries, clip and macerate my own herbs, use different fresh ice in the shaker and the glass ... . But when I have tossed away the gazillionth lime because the only way I find them affordable is to buy a large bag at a discount grocer and can't use them up, or don't want to bother whipping up a batch of simple syrup (hint: agave syrup works just as well), or it's not growing season for my mint and thyme and basil, or if unexpected company drops in and expects a yummy cocktail or three, I see nothing wrong with using certain mixes if they have been pre-tested and found suitable.

Thus, Stirrings. I've tried the Fall River, MA, company's margarita, mojito, peach bellini and apple martini mixes. Excellent, all, with none of that "What's in this?" wrinkly-nosed result. Not yet tried: blood orange martini, bloody Mary, chocolate peppermintini, cosmopolitan, lemon drop, lemonade, pear martini, pomegranate martini, spiced apple and wild blueberry martini. Some of the latter I'd never try, simply because such concoctions do not appeal to me no matter whether they're made from a mix or made using ingredients just shipped from farm or factory. I refer specifically to the likes of a chocolate peppermintini and a wild blueberry martini. Blecch.

Stirrings was founded in 1997 by Bill Creelmann and Gil MacLean. Their philosophy is on every label: "We believe in using only the best ingredients -- fresh juice, triple-filtered water and a touch of imagination -- because after all, better ingredients make better cocktails."

The company has grown to include a line of cocktail rim garnishes, cocktail sodas, bar ingredients and a brand-new line of organic drink mixes that includes "The Dark & Stormy," a ginger mixer to pair with rum; "The Bellini," that includes apricots, lemons, limes, oranges, agave and natural bitters, and "The Gimlet," a sour mixer using organic lemons, limes, oranges, cane sugar, agave and natural bitters. Orders for that new line will begin being shipped in late September.

If the new line, and the originals I have yet to try, match up in quality to the ones I have tried, they're something to be anticipated. In addition to exposing people to cocktails they'd probably never otherwise attempt making themselves, they provide a nice assortment of alcohol-free drinks ready to be poured from the bottle over ice.

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A-B creates non-alcohol division

Anheuser-Busch has been in the news lately for being sold to InBev of Belgium. However, good old American know-how continues to be one of its products.

The St. Louis-based beverage giant has created a non-alcoholic subsidiary called 9th Street Beverages, specializing in energy drinks and high-end waters. It includes such drinks as 180 Energy, BORBA Skin Balance Water, Icelandic Glacial and Monster.

Sales for A-B’s non-alcohol portfolio are up 77% this year, and the company says it is working on new “energy, specialty and new age product concepts.”

A-B's first non-alcoholic drink was 180 Orange-Citrus Energy Drink, in 2001.

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Don't shake or stir this drink

James Bond's beverage preferences have run the gamut over the years -- champagne, martinis, gin cocktails ... . Now the legendary spy may be going the non-alcoholic route.

Coca-Cola Great Britain has entered into an agreement with Sony Entertainment to link its Coca-Cola Zero soft drink with "Quantum of Solace," the latest cinematic adventure of Agent 007.

The company is producing a limited edition package of the drink, renamed "Coca-Cola Zero Zero 7" for the occasion.

"Quantum" is the 22nd Bond film, with Daniel Craig starring as the spy for the second time.

No word whether the program will be expanded to other countries at this time.

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100-flavor soda machine in works

If you're confused by those soda dispensing machines that have eight or 10 spouts, imagine what it will be like if Coca-Cola goes through with a device it is developing.

The Atlanta-based beverage giant is working on a fountain machine that will dispense soft drinks in up to 100 flavor combinations. The device will not take up any more room than current dispensers because it will be filled with highly-concentrated flavoring cartridges.

Early prototypes underwent testing earlier this summer with Coke planning a limited release sometimes next year, according to Engadget.com.

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