I've gathered over time that France is extremely wary of letting in big name, globally available products. Apparently they don't like Coca Cola, and now the Ministry of Health is giving Red Bull a hard time.

It's only been recently that Red Bull was allowed to be sold in France at all. The energy drink maker had to remove taurine, because the health ministry claims that long term effects of the chemical are unknown. So now Red Bull is allowed in France, but it's still on pretty shaky ground. This article in Flexnews makes it pretty clear that French health officials are looking for any excuse to ban sales of Red Bull.

Apparently taurine, in and of itself isn't really a problem. However, there's a lot of questions that come up when it's combined with caffeine and/or alcohol. Are French officials right to try and get rid of the energy drink? That's a tough question. What's your take on this?

Man, I can't believe I let a whole decade of ambivalence separate me from what is now proving to be both my savior and my downfall, the nitrous fuel for the racecar that is myself... red bull. They're small, they're expensive, but if I drink more than two of them in the same afternoon, I'll be up for the next 24 hours.

A careful examination of the labels will show you that Red Bull and most of its contemporaries, such as Monster and Rock Star, operate on the same ingredients: Taurine, b complex vitamins, caffeine. But unlike, say, Rock Star, Red Bull packs a little miracle worker called Glucuronolactone, this is the stuff that should be in the tap water instead of flouride, if ya ask me. It's supposed to give you a feeling of well-being. Brother, you had me at hello.

I mentioned Zygo Energy Vodka a few weeks ago, when it first came to my attention. Recently, I had a chance to taste it and experiment with a few drinks. The vodka has all the appealing energy-boosters that are in drinks like Red Bull, such as guarana, taurine and yerba matte in the form of a 70-proof spirit, which sounds like the perfect drink for party-goers.

Zygo isn't quite as smooth as 44°North was, but it is very, very close and certainly more so than many vodkas. It smells and tastes like peaches, and underneath the peach, there is a hint of vanilla and orange that really rounds the flavor. It tastes great on its own. Really great. In fact, I think that Zygo is an excellent choice just to sip chilled or over ice. I can't say that I felt a big rush of energy from the drink, and I'm fairly certain that what I did feel was from the alcohol, but I won't deny that the feeling was a good one, wherever it came from.

With peach, orange and vanilla, there are a plethora of mixers that would do well with Zygo if you're not inclined to sip it straight, so if and when you have a chance to pick up a bottle, don't hesitate to experiment. I decided to use the peach flavor to its full advantage by keeping the other ingredients to a minimum.

Peachy Sunrise
5oz orange juice
2 oz Zygo
splash grenadine

Combine all orange juice and Zygo in a tall glass over ice. Stir together, then top with a splash of grenadine.

Zygo Vodka is a vodka that contains guarana, taurine and yerba matte - giving it a caffeinated kick. It's tagged as being "the morning vodka," referring to the fact that it's supposed to keep you going until dawn - not because it should be drunk in the morning. Their sales pitch - one of them, at least - seems to be "Check this out, it's got all the same sh*t as red bull and doesn't taste like a tin can." Pretty persuasive marketing, especially as energy everything gets more and more popular.

Unlike Pink Vodka, which is flavorless as well as caffeinated, Zygo Vodka is a flavored with a blend of Mandarin Orange, Peach, Juniper and Vanilla. The spirit is 70 proof and can be used in any normal vodka application. It sounds like it would make a killer cosmo, though the company has lots of more inventive recipes on their site. They also have a blog that's worth checking out if you're interested in hearing about how a young company with spirit(s) gets started.

Zygo is carried in a number of clubs and bars, as well as hotels like NY's Mandarin Oriental, throughout 37 states. It also looks to be available online for $29.99.