Since the babies in bars debate is so two years ago, let's take up the latest baby-and-beverage craze in Brooklyn: Babyccinos, also known as steamed milk topped off with some froth. Burn your tongues, BABY! more ›

Although we were recently told that wine is the solution to skin cancer, it now appears that coffee might be the cure, too. Which means that all of our favorite vices are finally paying off! more ›

It just isn't enough that all the pep has been sapped from our fallen friend Four Loko. So what if a few bodegas here and there in the East Village need to make ends meet by selling a few dusty cans of the old brew? Can't we just let Loko make its long, inebriated ride off into the sunset? A new paper released by the Annals of Emergency Medicine continues to stoke the fires of outrage nearly 9 months after the original recipe of the drink was taken off the shelves. more ›

Just like that old Harry James song goes, it's been a long, long time since last we locked lips with Four Loko, the frothy, sugar-caffeinated alco-backwash drink of our youths eight months ago. After the the drink was neutered, and the creators began getting nostalgic about their glory days, we thought it was the end for Loko. But it seems there's one politician who is doing everything in his power to keep the flailing drink afloat: “This company makes a product for sale in New York that's cheap, tastes sweet and packs a six-pack punch in a 22-ounce can,” State Senator Jeff Klein (D-Bronx) waxed rhapsodic. more ›

Cory Booker has kept himself on the move this winter, keeping in touch with his constituents through Twitter and taking to the streets to shovel people out of the storms. But the dark temptress supplying him with that energy? Artificial sugar. Booker is now trying to break himself of the habit, and wrote on Twitter, "Day 5 without diet cola. Deep love/respect 4 those struggling w/ other addictions. If soda is this hard I can only imagine other substances." Especially when they come in such cute cans! more ›

A new study is claiming that (duh!) caffeine is a hangover cure, at least for the headache portion of your morning-after ailments. It will not cure that overwhelming sense of regret, or satiate your craving for an egg n' cheese sandwich with a side of cold pizza. more ›

Remember when you were a kid and you'd beg your parents to let you order a Coke at a restaurant but they told you you were too young to have caffeine and you spent the rest of the meal plotting the phone call you were going to place to child protective services when you got home? Apparently that was just us, because according to a new study [pdf], 75% of kids between the ages of 5 and 12 consume caffeine on a daily basis. Though it's based on a relatively small survey of 201 kids, Dr. William Warzak says, "Some children as young as 5 years old were consuming the equivalent of a can of soda a day." Let's just start the total caffeine ban countdown now. more ›

There is no joy in Mudville today: it is the last day that NY retailers can receive shipments of Four Loko, the frothy alco-caffeinated drink of kings blacked-out college hooligans. After today, retailers can still sell off their remaining stock, but there can be no more purchases from the Loko company, who have already promised to neuter the sweetly-sickening beverage by removing the caffeine in the future. Loko followers are upset, and have begun demanding answers from their deities: "Sometimes people need a drink and a little energy boost at the same time," Maria Perez, 24, told the News. Because who among us haven't wanted to get wasted while half-asleep? He that is without Loko among you, let him cast the first stone. more ›

We've been spiraling deeper and deeper into a depression ever since the FDA demanded that Four Loko cut off its nose to spite its face by removing all the caffeine from its deliciously disgusting jolly rancher by-way-of urine brew. Some store owners have said that they have been stocking up on the beverage, and plan on selling out their remaining cans after the ban in two weeks, provided that they received the shipment beforehand. But according to the News, the FDA now says that the drink should be "completely removed" from store shelves by Dec. 13. more ›

While some are responding to the imminent neutering of beloved alco-caffeinated-sugarcrap drink Four Loko with singsong candle-lit vigils, others are just plain freaking out. A bunch of NYU Local student reporters (including our own Zoe Schlanger) went around their neighborhood interviewing bodega owners about the impending ban on the life-affirmingly vile beverage. more ›

With all the hoopla over caffeinated-alcohol-drink-of-the-moment Four Loko, we forgot all about other caffeinated favorites like JOOSE, Moonshot, and Core High Gravity HG. But JOOSE, which just released a Strawberry Kiwi flavor, wants you to know they're taking the now official FDA warning letters seriously. They say in a statement, "We respect the decision of the FDA, will be reviewing the details of the new guidelines, and will be aligning new FDA rules with the demands of our loyal consumer base. And, as we always have, will market JOOSE products in a legal and responsible manner." more ›

Over the weekend, wheels on an effective ban on Four Loko and other caffeinated alcohol drinks got moving. The State Liquor Authority pressured distributors to stop selling the drinks to New York retailers by December 10th, and the makers of Four Loko agreed to stop giving the drinks to the distributors by November 19th. Lawmakers say teenagers can get the sweet "blackout in a can" far too easily, and bodega owners agree. One 19-year-old said kids are constantly asking for the stuff at his family's deli in Crown Heights. "Sometimes kids come in before school," he told the Daily News. "They buy them like crazy." And when a teenager demands alcohol at 8 a.m., you have to sell it to them, right? more ›

Unfortunately we couldn't make it to Thursday night's $3 Four Loko party hosted by Eddie Huang, which was preceded by a fair amount of drama. To recap, Huang's original plan of all-you-can-drink Four Loko cocktails didn't pan out because all-you-can-drink specials are illegal. He then changed it to $3 per can, and defended the controversial beverage on his blog with endorsements like, "I like gummy bears and I like alcohol that taste like malt liquor gummy bears." Can't argue with that kind of logic. Luckily, the Observer was at the event, and gathered some great reactions of Loko'd New Yorkers. Here are some of the best: more ›

As we learned late last year, coffee can make a person less suicidal, so perhaps it's not surprising that the rainy Pacific Northwest drinks so much of it. Seattle and Portland rank #1 and #2, respectively, on a list of the most caffeinated cities recently put together by the Daily Beast. The site compared stats from urban centers across the country to create their list, and considered three things: "the availability of coffee, the average monthly outlay for coffee and total caffeine consumption from all sources, including tea, sweets, energy drinks and pills." more ›

Scandal rocked the justifiably beloved Doughnut Plant on Grand Street this morning, when a frequent customer uncovered a shocking conspiracy: The establishment has for some time now been passing off decaffeinated coffee as caffeinated. A tipster tells Grub Street, "I confronted a woman working at the counter this morning with the rumor. She confirmed it, seemed kind of embarrassed, like I'd found out some big secret, and asked me if I still wanted the coffee I'd ordered. I’ve been drinking this coffee almost every day for a year, and it’s pretty upsetting." But there's a very simple explanation for all this! more ›

If you were thinking about giving up coffee in the new year: think again! The Wall Street Journal declares it might be saving your life. Seriously, they say if you drink two cups a day you'll even be less suicidal. Other scientific facts include: those drinking up to four cups a day are 25% less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes; men who drink at least six cups a day have a 60% lower risk of developing advanced prostate cancer; five cups a day can lower your risk of Alzheimer's by 65%... and so on. And all you're left with is a life-long addiction, and probably the shakes. more ›

The Albany soap opera continues: This morning, due to a judge's ruling that the State Senate Democrats and Republicans must meet (and, uh, do their jobs), both sides did just that. But then they adjourned soon after! The Daily Politics says the two sides were "fighting - albeit calmly - over who is supposed to be presiding over the chamber." more ›

The evildoers of the MillerCoors corporation announced today that they will "remove caffeine and three other ingredients from Sparks alcoholic energy drink" after some people thought it was targeting youthful imbibers. "A coalition of state attorneys general had complained the stimulants reduced drinkers' sense of intoxication and were marketed to young drinkers." The other ingredients being removed are taurine [i.e. bile], guarana and ginseng. NY Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said this measure "will ensure that from here on out, these drinks are kept off New York shelves and away from New York consumers." The remaining Sparks will be sold (stock up!) and the company will cease production by January 10th, when a new, less-stimulating formula is dispensed. So feared is the old Sparks that one temperance crusader at the Center for Science in the Public Interest even declared it "a devil's brew." Sinners! Pour out your Satanic Sparks and open your mouths to the cleansing waters of non-energizing drinks. Or just clean the bathtub and start concocting a homemade recipe to get you through. more ›

Whether it was a PR stunt or a legit "teach-in" on espresso, Starbucks shut down for three full hours last night to train baristas --leaving the 5:30 to 8:30pm coffee crowd out in the cold. Today they are back, with a new take on "the customer is always right" policy posted about their stores; it reads: "Your drink should be perfect, every time. If not, let us know and we'll make it right." Reportedly they'll also be introducing a honey latte soon; no word on whether the three hour espresso pouring course allowed time for the new beverage. more ›