# Don't mix "water enhancer" with alcoholic beverages. Why not? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 4, 2013, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-mix-water-enhancer-with-alcoholic-beverages-why-not/675449 "2013-12-04T07:19:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-mix-water-enhancer-with-alcoholic-beverages-why-not/675449/1 "2013-12-04T07:19:53Z")
Right after pouring some water enhancer (which is just concentrated liquid that you squirt a small amount in water to make something akin to Crystal Light) into some vodka and water, I noticed that the label said not to mix it with alcoholic beverages. I drank it anyway and nothing bad happened except it tasted like cherry cough syrup (the flavor was cherry lime but there was no lime taste!), but I’m curious if there’s some reason for this beyond something like them covering their ass in case someone mixes it with straight liquor in order to mask the taste (since it would barely dilute it, unlike mixing it with normal beverages) and dies of alcohol poisoning or something. That seems kind of stupid because people take shots of straight liquor all the time anyway but I don’t know what else it could be. I was going to email them and ask, but their stupid website doesn’t even allow that, they only have a phone number and I don’t want to call. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-mix-water-enhancer-with-alcoholic-beverages-why-not/675449/2 "2013-12-04T07:30:14Z")
After a bunch of searching, it looks like technically they only recommend against using the caffeinated one with alcohol because caffeine+alcohol leads to “unsafe behaviors” according to many studies. (A rule followed by exactly nobody, I think the Jack+Coke market is still thriving) I’m not convinced, though, because as far as I can tell MiO’s website lists this for the normal, non-caffeinated one too. Maybe they’re just being cautious? ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-mix-water-enhancer-with-alcoholic-beverages-why-not/675449/3 "2013-12-04T07:50:42Z")
Ah, it does have caffeine in it, I didn’t even notice that. Do energy drinks have warnings like that on them too? Because otherwise, that’s still weird. And yeah, I haven’t gotten it in years but as far as I know, vodka and Red Bull is still a common drink and bars are happy to serve it. And if MiO says it on their products without caffeine too, that’s also weird. Well, I’m going to live on the edge and do it anyway, unless they all taste as gross as this cherry “lime” deal. My usual mixer is Crystal Light but sometimes I don’t feel like making a whole pitcher, but on the other hand, that’s about the laziest thing in the entire world. ---
**Author:** ![gatorslap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gatorslap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gatorslap)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-mix-water-enhancer-with-alcoholic-beverages-why-not/675449/4 "2013-12-04T07:57:02Z")
The FDA did crack down a while ago on drinks that contained both alcohol and caffeine. But only if they were packaged that way. I haven’t seen that kind of warning label on anything else, and mixed drinks containing caffeine are still very common. I have some Crystal Light Energy, which contains caffeine, and comes in little packets that you’re supposed to mix into a bottle of water. No warning label. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-mix-water-enhancer-with-alcoholic-beverages-why-not/675449/5 "2013-12-04T12:24:16Z")
My WAG would be that it’s 99% CYA. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-mix-water-enhancer-with-alcoholic-beverages-why-not/675449/6 "2013-12-04T12:48:56Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > After a bunch of searching, it looks like technically they only recommend against using the caffeinated one with alcohol because caffeine+alcohol leads to “unsafe behaviors” according to many studies. I believe I have participated in several such “studies” myself. Jägerbomb, anyone? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-mix-water-enhancer-with-alcoholic-beverages-why-not/675449/7 "2013-12-04T14:27:54Z")
On a side note, gin and Sprite with cherry Mio makes a convincing substitute for a sloe gin fizz. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-mix-water-enhancer-with-alcoholic-beverages-why-not/675449/8 "2013-12-04T14:42:01Z")
It’s reverse psychology. They don’t have to put that warning on the label. Because they do, more people will try it than would have otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![aiimeepaiige](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/aeb1de/32.png) [@aiimeepaiige](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aiimeepaiige)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2021, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-mix-water-enhancer-with-alcoholic-beverages-why-not/675449/9 "2021-04-17T00:38:01Z")
This is 100% not reverse psychology. Please do yourself a favor and do not mix the mio energy’s with alcohol. I don’t drink hard liquors, only the 5% seltzer’s and i’ll add mio to make them a little sweeter. Last night i grabbed one to bring out with me and i picked up a energy one not thinking much of it (also not reading the label) i only had three drinks and put 2-3 squirts in each one. Within 30 minutes of when i finished my third one i was incapacitated and vomiting non stop, i couldn’t hold my head up and was nodding out off of seltzers that any other time wouldve given me a buzz. Fast forward to this morning and i had to get brought to the ER and spent most of my day there being pumped like i had alcohol poisoning and i still feel no better. If there’s a label on something it’s for a reason, and even better always read the labels on your stuff so this doesn’t happen to you. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2021, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-mix-water-enhancer-with-alcoholic-beverages-why-not/675449/10 "2021-04-17T02:40:26Z")
Does this combo also make zombies dreadfully ill? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2021, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-mix-water-enhancer-with-alcoholic-beverages-why-not/675449/11 "2021-04-17T12:04:44Z")
It was “like you had alcohol poisoning” because you had alcohol poisoning, which was caused entirely by the alcohol. You would have gotten the same effect by drinking the same amount of booze without the flavoring. If the flavoring had any effect at all, it was just to trick you into drinking more. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2021, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-mix-water-enhancer-with-alcoholic-beverages-why-not/675449/12 "2021-04-17T13:32:00Z")
Or, and I mean this in all seriousness, someone put something else in one or more of your drinks. Unless, of course, you were alone. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2021, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-mix-water-enhancer-with-alcoholic-beverages-why-not/675449/13 "2021-04-17T19:22:09Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > It was “like you had alcohol poisoning” because you had alcohol poisoning From three hard seltzers? Consumed by a person who routinely drinks hard seltzer in similar quantities? Seems unlikely. That’s pretty much like having three beers. There’s gotta be something else in the mix here. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2021, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-mix-water-enhancer-with-alcoholic-beverages-why-not/675449/14 "2021-04-18T02:30:42Z")
Sometimes people who drink to excess don’t remember exactly how much they had to drink, and sometimes people who drink too much are inaccurate in reporting just how much they drank. I know, it’s amazing, but true. That’s more likely than there being some unknown interaction between the absolutely ordinary ingredients in Mio and alcohol. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2021, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-mix-water-enhancer-with-alcoholic-beverages-why-not/675449/15 "2021-04-18T12:46:42Z")
There are water enhancers, [https://images.uline.com/is/image/content/dam/images/S/S16000/S-15768L.jpg](https://images.uline.com/is/image/content/dam/images/S/S16000/S-15768L.jpg) and then there are water enhancers [![](https://i.huffpost.com/gen/1748855/images/o-PALCOHOL-facebook.jpg) ](https://i.huffpost.com/gen/1748855/images/o-PALCOHOL-facebook.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![FigNorton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fignorton/32/5619_2.png) [@FigNorton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FigNorton)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2021, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-mix-water-enhancer-with-alcoholic-beverages-why-not/675449/16 "2021-04-18T13:59:31Z")
Amazing. I remember reading an old Stainless Steel Rat novel (joins the army?) where he snuck powdered alcohol (it might have said dehydrated) onto the base. I remember thinking “That’s stupid. You can’t dehydrate alcohol”. Looking it up they use some micro-encapsulation process. Neat. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2021, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-mix-water-enhancer-with-alcoholic-beverages-why-not/675449/17 "2021-04-18T14:13:25Z")
Powdered alcohol isn’t available yet in the U.S., and many states have prohibitions concerning sale and use. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2021, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-mix-water-enhancer-with-alcoholic-beverages-why-not/675449/18 "2021-04-18T14:39:04Z")
Probably truth in advertising concerns. Am I the only one troubled that the Kamikaze tastes just like a Margarita? ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2021, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-mix-water-enhancer-with-alcoholic-beverages-why-not/675449/19 "2021-04-18T21:56:55Z")
Vodka/lime juice/triple sec (Kamikaze) vs. tequila/lime juice/triple sec (Margarita) tastes the same? You are clearly not using enough tequila in your margarita. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-mix-water-enhancer-with-alcoholic-beverages-why-not/675449/20 "2021-04-19T20:45:19Z")
My understanding is that, if you can taste anything, you’re not using enough tequila in your margarita. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-mix-water-enhancer-with-alcoholic-beverages-why-not/675449.md?page=2)