Cartwheels And Burps In The Night (Red Square Reloaded)

Member Name: shewhosmiles

Product:	Red Square Reloaded
Date:	04/08/02 (1797 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Tastes Good, Refreshes, Alcoholic

Disadvantages: Too Gassy

Getting ready for a night out isn't the same if I don't have a drink or two and listen to Bon Jovi or UB40 while attempting to make my face and hair presentable rather than frightening.

Normally I choose white wine or Holsten Pils for my pre night out drink, but when I'm a bit tired as I was yesterday I buy Red Square Reloaded at the corner shop for £1.25 for a 275ml bottle. You can get bigger bottles for £2.99 but they had run out yesterday. Pubs and clubs around here charge anything from £1.50 to £3.00 for the smaller bottle, depending upon the age of the regular clientele. The younger they are the more they are willing to pay it seems.

Red Square Reloaded is reasonably strong at 5.5% volume, about the same as Holsten Pils if I remember rightly. Some of the ingredients are caffeine, ginseng, taurine and vodka (13.4%). The wake you up kick coming from the first three.

Forgive me if I stray a bit here but the first time that I came across anything like this was Red Bull being sold under the counter of bars and gyms in Malta in the early 90s. At that time Red Bull was illegal on the island because the ingredients were reckoned to be akin to keepmeawake drugs, so I was quite surprised to see Red Bull and the mix drinks like Red Square on sale here a few years later.

We drank our illegal drinks with vodka but the young Maltese mainly drank Red Bull on it's own. I remember asking a Maltese friend why so many young men were doing cartwheels late at night. He told me that it was because they had been drinking Red Bull. I had too and even though I was very fit back then I kept my dignity and didn't attempt any cartwheels. Don't think I did any last night either!

Red Square bottles are mainly silver with a black neck and red, black and white writing on the labels. My bottles were made of glass but I read somewhere that plastic bottles are available too. The overall appearance is strong; the bottles certai
nly stand out from other brands on the same shelf. The Red Square logo is a bird of prey (falcon?), with outstretched wings and 2 heads outlined in silver on a red background.

When the time to open my first bottle came I couldn't find a bottle opener grrrr. Then I remembered the one that I always keep in my handbag with Malta written on it, again reminding me of my illegal drinking.

Bottle open, the smell is quite strong. My now sticky nose can't decide what it reminds me of other than my fruit bowl when the contents are starting to get a bit ripe, but not unpleasantly so.

The colour is a bit like cider with a faint greenish tinge and the taste is great but doesn't remind me of anything. I don't like the taste of a lot of types of spirits and beers so it is nice when I find something alcoholic that is enjoyable and easy to drink.

A big swig and your throat lets you know that you are drinking alcohol and not pop. Yes I've just had some more; I saved a bottle to drink while writing my opinion this afternoon and am feeling quite nice again burp!!

Oh no I'd forgotten the downside. Although it doesn't appear gassy, Red Square always makes me burp for England. I tried to avoid that last night by quickly pouring my bottles into a pint glass, making a big frothy head and then leaving the drink to settle. A tip that the landlord of the pub that I used to work for gave me. It doesn't work with this drink, last night burps punctuated nearly every sentence that I spoke and interfered with my drinking process all evening. Today I'm drinking from the bottle and it's started again.

Did it keep me going? Yes, I felt refreshed and fresh all at the same time. I managed to strut my stuff from 7.00 pm until midnight without my earlier tiredness catching up with me. I only went home then because the nightclub was a bit quiet (no talent) due to it being Keighley Gala day and the all day drinker
s having a skinful and going home early.

Would I buy it again? Yes, I like Red Square unloaded and prefer the original flavour to fruity Alco pops, which can be a bit sickly. Unless I find something similar that doesn't make me burp this is the keep me going drink of my choice, but you can't have everything I'm told.

Halewood International Ltd., Roberttown WF15 7LL UK, manufactures Red Square Reloaded
Website: www.halewood-int.com

You are warned that the drink is not suitable for diabetics and persons sensitive to Caffeine.

Other Red Square flavours are: Loganberry Ice, Cranberry Ice, Blueberry Ice, Lemon Ice, Mandarin Ice, Irn Bru Ice and Wolfberry Ice. Haven’t tried any of them but I won’t rule trying any of them out.

I found a fun Red Square Club site at www.red-sq.com and enjoyed looking round it.

I also enjoyed my night out apart from the burps, curry belly and hangover.

Summary: