Atomic takes on the most dangerously powerful drink ever.
Energy drinks are the quintessential fuel that powers hardcore gamers, dancers, students, drive-thru attendants and most importantly - journalists. In many cases this magical fluid is the sole source of energy that allows a mystical interaction of caffeine and other chemicals, boosting the natural performance of the drinker far past their usual sluggish self and raising them up on a pillar of awesomeness.
As with anything that contains such power, there must be limitations. In Australia we're technically (and legally) limited in each can of energy drink we purchase to 32mg of caffeine per 100mL for a maximum ceiling of 160mg per can - no more. However, such mortal limitations aren't enforced elsewhere in the world, and whenever I get a chance to sample these typically out-of-reach drinks I leap at them.
Sleep-deprived after travelling across the globe to CES 2010 and spending days hard at work running all over the show while jetlagged, subsisting on the greasiest food imaginable (that seemed to have no nutritional value at all), I awoke upon the final day in Vegas to present an eerily accurate version of what George Romero's zombies would look like - hauntingly dead to everything around me. Even drifting through the hustle and bustle of the famously busy Strip wasn't enough to wake me, as waves of sound and light passed around or even straight through. Clearly, a serious energy drink was needed.
Luck was shining its benevolent warming gaze down upon me that day, and guided my stumbling frame into a nearby convenience store, blurred eyes fixing upon a bottle burning with an essence too powerful to describe with mere words. Labelled as NOS, and named after the fuel additive Nitrous Oxide that is mixed with petrol to provide huge amounts of chemical energy, it was sure to provide a serious boost to my zombiefied state. Just how much it gave me, even I was not ready for.
Contained within a bright blue container with glaringly fluoro orange label and lid, 650mL of drink awaited me. The label boasted two simple words on the front to warn away those too feeble to handle its power; "Caution: Powerful". Listed on the front are two important features: 2750mg of taurine (an organic acid that works directly on nerve communication speed) and a whopping 357mg of caffeine.
What this equates to in a real sense is a drink that contains 2.23 times the maximum amount of caffeine allowable in our biggest 500mL cans, limited at only 160mg; and if you had a 250mL can of the stuff, you'd have an incredible 135mg of caffeine - a 55mg increase. It helpfully suggested on the rear of the bottle that perhaps the drink should be split into 2.75 servings, but of course this wouldn't be enough. Without a doubt, drinking this entire bottle was a decision that could only be made by one with impaired judgement, poor mental health and a propensity towards death. Fitting all those things, I reached for the bottle, and started my descent into energy.
Issue: 111 | April, 2010