The infamous Four Loko is back on the scene with a new formula — and old fans are loving it.
Phusion Projects, LLC, the maker of Four Loko, has promised that caffeine would be eliminated from the drink after the New York state legislators banned the old formula when they found that the mixture of caffeine and alcohol was potentially deadly. The beverage will still have 12 percent alcohol content.

Other states with similar bans are also re-introducing the new, caffeine-free product. While the new formula hit shelves in New York state in late February, the drink will also be available in glass bottles with 11.2 ounces of liquid and 8 percent alcohol by volume in the next few weeks.
Many students are indifferent to the new formula.

“All the media says it’s bad for you — it’s a depressant and a stimulant. But to each his own I guess,” LSP freshman Ian Farrell said.

Frankie Fernandes, a Tisch freshman, agreed.

“I don’t think anything is going to change. Even when it was off the market, people got their hands on it,” she said. “Plus, they’re still going to find a way to get the old stuff.”

Indeed, the old formula can still be found in select bodegas that have disregarded the law, and several stores in the city have gotten in trouble with the police for continuing to carry the product.

CAS sophomore Carina Wolff said that the drink lost some of its appeal after the ban.

“I think the appeal of Four Loko was that it was caffeinated,” she said.