It’s rumored to have driven Van Gough insane, bringing him to cut off his own ear. It also is said to have inspired the morbid poetry of Edgar Allan Poe. It’s been illegal in the United States for the past century. It’s known to conjure the Green Fairy and three Ohio State graduates created a new drink with it — absinthe.
Chris Hunter, Jaisen Freeman and Jeff Wright have created a new malt liquor beverage, Four, which contains wormwood oil, the active ingredient in absinthe. As if that’s not potent enough, the three inventors also said they threw in guarana (to fight hangovers), caffeine (to keep the drinker ecstatic), taurine (to quickly utilize the body’s metabolic process) and alcohol. The new business partners said they figured out a way to get thujone – the chemical in absinthe that causes the hallucinations – down to a legal limit.
Hunter said the hardest part of creating the drink was the exhausting time the team put into the product.
“It was a long process, taking almost a year,” he said. “It wasn’t easy because of the wormwood oil. We had to hire a lawyer and get the Alcohol and Tobacco Trade Bureau to pass it.”
Hunter realized the potential of caffeinated energy drinks when he first worked at Blavod Extreme Spirits.
Tom Thornton, an intern for Four, described the drink as a 16-ounce malt beverage with 6 percent alcohol and wormwood oil.
“It’s a unique beverage that leaves a tingly sensation in your body,” he said. “It’s most popular in (drink) bombs.”
Jason Sharpe, the Midwest manager for Four, said there were about ten test rounds before the perfect combination for their drink was decided. The drink was concocted at Gluek Brewery Co. in Cold Spring, Minn.
Local High Street Panini’s manager Benjamin Hanley said Four is an unquestionably good bar drink.
“You get a different buzz with it,” Hanley said. “It doesn’t really affect your head, but your hands will tremble.”
Hanley has also noticed the drink’s popularity rise. “A typical weekend, college kids will come in and spend a couple hundred dollars on it,” he said. “We usually go through an average of two cases (48 cans) a night.” As for the side effects, Sharpe assures you most of them are rumors. “I’ve never heard of anyone puking,” Sharpe said. “Since absinthe is a natural aphrodisiac, your sexual drive will also be naturally enhanced.”
He added that Four provides a burst of energy with an alcohol buzz. “It has a very clean taste,” he said. “It’s been compared to a melted rocket pop and cherry Faygo.”
Sharpe said the buzz from the drink also differs from other caffeinated malt beverages.
“It’s a warm, relaxing feeling,” he said. “Your extremities will tingle.”
Freeman said the time it takes to feel the body buzz depends on the size of the person, like all alcoholic drinks.
“You’ll definitely feel a body buzz, and usually about one can is good for anybody,” he said.
Thornton said this drink is a level above the rest. “It’s more innovative than any other drink on the market because it’s a different flavor and a different buzz,” he said. “Four is about the same price as a Red Bull, but has twice as much content with 6 percent alcohol and a raspberry taste.”
Another trait that sets Four apart from the competition is the unique coloring of the beverage. “We wanted red because nothing else is red,” Hunter said. “When you see someone drinking it you know what it is; it’s Four.”
Hunter added that walking through the alcohol section at grocery stores, the white box the beverage is packaged in pops out from all the others. “It’s visually appealing,” he said. “Nobody else has that.”
Hunter said Four has been exclusively marketed in Ohio.
“We just officially launched it at OSU last week and are planning to expand in Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky,” he said.
As of right now, the drink is only available in Ohio, mainly on college campuses. Thornton said he predicts this will change.
“As long as its popularity continues, then I could see us spreading,” he said. “We have a lot of potential to go national.”
Thornton added that Four has struck success in a short amount of time.
“It’s picked up pretty fast,” he said. “Since it’s been released, sales have been through the roof and now United Dairy Farmers and Speedway are carrying it.”
“It’s been better than we expected,” Wright said. “We’re profitable after only two months.”
Jay Scherer, a category manager at UDF, said he is impressed with Four’s sales.
“We test marketed it for these guys because they’re OSU grads.,” he said. “It started out slow, but now it’s picked up and doing well, we’re happy with the sales.”
Scherer added he predicts the drink will become a steady success.
“It seems to be doing very well,” he said. “The energy drinks with alcohol are starting to be a trend.”
Hanley said there are several options for the drink. “You can drink it straight or mix it with any fruity flavored vodka and have it as a cocktail,” he said. “The ‘F-bombs’ seem to be the most popular.” Hanley said the combination of three parts of Four, half a shot of vodka and a splash of soda water, became the “F-bomb.”
