Red Bull
A carbonated energy drink of caffeine, taurine, B vitamins and sugar, launched in Austria in 1987. Behind a bar it is a stimulant mixer rather than a soft one, and that changes how it should be poured.
Quick Facts
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Sweet and sharply tart with a synthetic citrus edge and a dry caffeine bite: unmistakable, and loud enough to carry a drink on its own.
Storage & Handling
Store unopened cans cool and out of direct sun. Chill before serving; once opened it will not hold its fizz, so use it straight away.
Shelf Life
Unopened: see the best-before on the can. Opened: use immediately, as it goes flat within hours.
Usage
Poured cold and freshly opened as the tall element in an energy-drink highball, most familiarly in the Boston Trash Can. Keep the measures honest, since the drink combines a stimulant with alcohol.
The Category It Built
Red Bull launched in Austria in 1987 and built the energy-drink category around itself: a carbonated mix of caffeine, taurine, B-group vitamins and sugar, sweet and sharp and served very cold.
It is worth noting that the format arrived complete. Almost everything that followed it is a variation on the same specification rather than an independent development, which is unusual for a drinks category.
The can size is part of the design rather than an accident. It was sold as a measured dose from the start, which is why it comes in a smaller can than a soft drink and why a bar pours it whole rather than by the measure.
A Stimulant Mixer
Behind a bar it is not a soft drink, and that is the whole character. It lengthens a drink the way a soda does, and it brings caffeine and taurine along with the alcohol.
That puts it in the honest-measure category. A drink combining a stimulant with alcohol is a different proposition from the same drink built on lemonade, and it should be poured knowingly rather than by habit.
In the Glass
In the Boston Trash Can it is the tall pour, stretching a stack of spirits into something long and fizzing. That is its main cocktail role and the one most people meet it in.
Cold and freshly opened is the only way to serve it, because the carbonation and the bright sharp edge are what it contributes. A warm or flat pour brings the sugar and none of the lift, which leaves a drink that is sweet and heavy.
Keeping It
Refrigerate cans and use them the day they are opened. A part-used can loses its carbonation quickly and there is no real way to hold it.
Small cans are the practical purchase for that reason. The drink is designed to be opened and finished, which is convenient behind a bar and wasteful anywhere a single measure is wanted.
It also carries a good deal of sugar in the standard version, which is easy to overlook given how sharp it tastes. A drink built on it needs no sweetener of its own, and adding one is how these serves become undrinkable.
Top Tips
- It is a stimulant mixer, not a soft one: caffeine and taurine ride in alongside the alcohol, so pour it knowingly and keep the count honest.
- Serve it cold and freshly opened: the carbonation and the bright sweet-sharp edge are the point, and both fade fast once flat.
- Its sweetness is assertive, so it leads the flavour: build around it rather than layering more sugar on top.
Possible Substitutions
- Any comparable carbonated energy drink
- Lemon-lime soda for a non-caffeinated, softer lengthener
Production Method
A carbonated soft drink built around caffeine, taurine, B-group vitamins and sugars (or sweeteners in the sugar-free version), water and citric acidity.
Common Questions
Is Red Bull a stimulant mixer?
Yes. It carries caffeine and taurine, so mixing it with spirits combines a stimulant with alcohol. Pour it knowingly, keep the measures honest, and treat it differently from a plain soft-drink mixer, because it is a different proposition.
What cocktail uses Red Bull?
The Boston Trash Can is the classic, a long energy-drink highball where Red Bull is poured tall over the spirits to lengthen and fizz the drink. It also serves as the general-purpose mixer in energy-drink highballs.
Can I swap in another energy drink?
Yes. Any comparable carbonated energy drink stands in for Red Bull with a shift in sweetness and edge. For a softer, non-caffeinated lengthener, reach for a clear lemon-lime soda instead.
Does it need extra sweetening?
No. The standard version carries a good deal of sugar, which is easy to miss because the sharpness masks it. A drink built on Red Bull needs no syrup at all, and adding any is the quickest way to make the result undrinkable.
Why serve it freshly opened?
Because the carbonation and the sharp edge are what it contributes. A warm or flat pour brings the sugar and none of the lift, leaving a drink that is sweet and heavy rather than long and bright, which is the opposite of the intention.
Featured In These Cocktails
Often Used With
Guide by Jerry Can Spirits