During the past several years, new types of
beverages have been developed in connection with
the rave and techno culture. Marketed as "energy
drinks;' they are offered to ravers as stimulating,
healthy alternatives to alcohol, which in the rave
culture is becoming increasingly frowned upon as
a party drug (Ahrens 1994, Millman and Beeder
1994). Many of the names of these drinks-for
example, Mystery (an "official Michael Jackson
Product"), Fit for Fun, Flying Horse, Warp 4 Space
Drink, Cult Energy Activator, Magic Man, Taurus,
and XTC (= ecstasy = MDMA)-suggest improbable
psychoactive effects.
The basis of most of these products is guarana
(see Paullinia cupana). They usually also contain
various vitamins, DHA (polyunsaturated fatty
acids), taurine (a substance that appears to be
pharmacologically inactive), propolis, and pure
caffeine. However, the caffeine concentration typically
is not as high as that found in a cup of coffee
(cf. Coffea arabica). In other words, these products
are as frustrating as herbal ecstasy.
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Literature
See also the entry for herbal ecstasy.
Ahrens, Helmut. 1994. Partydrogen-safer-use-info
zu: Ecstasy, Speed, LSD, Kokain. Berlin:
Arbeitgruppe "Eve and Rave."
Die Gestalten Berlin and Chromapark, eds. 1995.
Localizer 1.0: The techno house book. Berlin: DieGestalten-
Verlag.
Millman, Robert B., and Ann Bordwine Beeder.
1994. The new psychedelic culture: LSD, ecstasy,
"rave" parties and The Grateful Dead. Psychiatric
Annals 24 (3): 148-50.
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