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By Quinn Kirsch
Staff
Writer
Some call it just a fad, but one thing is for sure,
Red Bull has this campus buzzing in more ways than one.Red Bull came
onto the scene at Purdue almost a year ago according to Jamie Meisenhelder,
a junior in the School of Education who is the student brand manager
for Red Bull on campus.
Now the drink is sold in nearly all campus bars
and a few convenience stores, but many students are not familiar with
the red, fruity drink because it has virtually no advertising on campus.
Red Bull is a non-alcoholic energy drink designed to boost energy and
increase awareness.
However Red Bull's most popular use on campus is
as a mixer in alcoholic drinks. Local bars go through over 200 cans
a week according to Meisenhelder.
The Wabash Yacht Club goes through about six cases
a week according to bartender Scott Richards, a junior in Consumer and
Family Sciences.
Red Bull mixed with well vodka average about five
dollars at bars like the Wabash Yacht Club. When mixed with other flavors
of vodka, drinks cost slightly more.
However, at some bars, a Red Bull mixed drink can
cost between $6 to $7, which is considerably more expensive than the
average drink.
Clint Cloys, a senior in the Schools of Engineering,
who is also a bartender at the Boiler Room, said that the drink is particularly
popular on the weekends when the bars are more crowded.
"A lot of people get it for the buzz because
it is loaded with caffeine," he added.
Meisenhelder noted that the amount of caffeine
is equivalent to the amount in a cup of coffee.
However that is not the only thing that provides
energy to the body. Red Bull’s main active ingredient is taurine,
which is an amino acid originally found in cattle, that helps replenish
the body’s red blood cells.
Taurine also has given Red Bull its name from the
Latin root word Taurus, which means bull.
This has also spawned rumors that Red Bull is made
from bull’s testicles, but this is simply a myth according to the
drink's Web site. All the ingredients in Red Bull are purely synthetic.
Taurine is also naturally synthesized by the body
but can be lacking in times of physical exertion.
Red Bull's makers insist, in fact, that it is designed
simply to provide energy and the company has no plans to produce new
flavors, according to Meisenhelder.
"It’s not like Gatorade," she said. "We’re
marketing the taste. We’re trying to sell you energy in a can."
However, according to some, that is all there is.
"It is just a fad," Richards noted. "It
tastes like Flintstone's Vitamins."
He said that he also believes that the drink may
be just a fad, but right now sales are still thriving.
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