The Drink They Called “Blackout in a Can”

There was a version of Four Loko that became so infamous people still talk about “the original” like it was an entirely different drink. And in some ways, it was. The original formula combined a large amount of alcohol with caffeine and other stimulants, creating one of the most controversial alcoholic beverages of the 2000s. After hospitalizations, university incidents, government scrutiny, and growing public pressure, Four Loko changed forever. The brand survived. The formula that made it famous did not. This is the story of the original Four Loko, the controversy surrounding caffeinated alcoholic drinks, and what actually happened when regulators stepped in. Neat tells the remarkable true stories behind the drinks we know—from strange origins and forgotten people to scandals, rivalries, inventions, disasters, myths, and moments that changed drinking culture forever. New stories every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The Stories Behind Every Pour. Please drink responsibly. Chapters: 00:00 The Notorious Drink 01:35 Three Friends From Ohio 03:15 Why Caffeine Changed Everything 04:55 The Incident That Went National 06:05 The FDA Steps In 08:05 What Actually Happened to Four Loko 09:30 The Brand That Survived