NEW YORK: Liquor Authority Bans Malt Liquor Drink Used In Bronx Gay-Bashing

The New York Liquor Authority has moved to ban Four Loko, the caffeinated high-alcohol malt liquor drink that became known to many of us when it was used in a vicious gay-bashing in the Bronx, where gang members forced one victim to guzzle ten cans as they beat him.

The State Liquor Authority successfully pressured the state's biggest beverage distributors to stop delivering the wildly popular drink next month. The deal allows the state to fine any store found selling the stuff after Dec. 10, unless the merchant can prove it was ordered before the deadline. The 23.5-ounce cans come in lemonade, fruit punch and watermelon flavors. They have as much alcohol as three beers, along with a three-cups-of-coffee jolt of caffeine. "The caffeine wakes you up, causing you to drink more," said state Sen. Jeff Klein. "It can be lethal." The potent drink has caused havoc on college campuses nationwide. Young people like the beverages because they are sweet and a cheap way to get drunk. "One can and you're wasted," said Jeff Armani, 21.

The banning is unrelated to the Bronx attack, although its use there certainly put the drink on lawmakers' radar. Several other states have also recently banned Four Loko.