Emits Showers of Sparks
Ever in search of a better buzz, local clubgoers are increasingly turning to
Sparks – not the federal judge, rather the caffeinated malt beverage that tastes like
Kool-Aid and comes in a can resembling a battery. Six percent alcohol by volume, Sparks also contains caffeine, citric acid, ginseng, and taurine, which the drink's Web site describes as "a nonessential Sulfur-containing amino acid." Whatever that means, the same generation that's made
Red Bull and vodka the millennium's most popular new cocktail has latched onto Sparks with a vengeance. "We sell a shit-ton of Sparks," confirms
Emo's bartender
Mike Sanchez, who says bands like
Recover bring Sparks drinkers out in droves. "I thought it would be a pretty short-lived hipster fad two years ago, so I only ordered about 15 cases of it," he says. "Two years later, we still sell the hell out of it." So what do the kids get for their $3? "Sparks tastes like ass, stains your mouth, makes you feel anxious and uncomfortable, leads to heavier drinking, and inspires you to do things you regret the next day," reports one friend of TCB. But for all its faults, this "cocaine lite" is economical: "In my hood you can get Sparks for something ridiculous, like $1.75 a can," she says. "Three of those will make you insanely rowdy for a good six hours." At
Gallery Lombardi over ACL weekend, an eyewitness links excessive Sparks consumption to several partygoers hurling beer bottles at passing trains and a subsequent appearance by the APD. Finally, this helpful observation comes from a friend who overindulged at the Sparks-sponsored
Go! Team afterparty this past SXSW: "The best part is it tastes exactly the same coming back up as it does going down."
