In this link from the START program, we will investigate further into different types of alcohol and how they are served. Since the safety of your guests should be your first priority at your event, you can judge for yourself how safe these types of alcohol are for your guests’ consumption.

Absinthe: Absinthe is a typically green spirit, although it can be clear. Due to high alcohol content and reported psychoactive properties, it has been illegal in the United States until recently. While the chemical thujone, which has previously been blamed for the psychoactive effects of absinthe, has been removed from modern versions sold in the US, the high Alcohol By Volume (ABV) of 45-75% makes this particular spirit potentially dangerous. Absinthe is legal for sale in the state of Missouri. However, due to its extreme level of ABV (most liquor in the US has around 40% ABV) START does not recommend serving absinthe to your guests. And, if one of your guests brings absinthe to the event, keep an eye on usage. If people drink absinthe expecting the effects of other liquors they can reach a dangerous level of intoxication quicker than expected.

ABV: Alcohol By Volume is the percentage of alcohol (ethanol) in a beverage. In the US the Proof of an alcohol is always twice the ABV. This can help you to calculate how many standard drinks a person has had. For instance, domestic beer is usually 4-6% ABV, wine is generally 10-14% ABV, and hard liquor can be around 40% ABV (or 80 Proof). Keep this in if two individuals are drinking the same amount of alcohol in a plastic cup, but one has beer and the other has a mixed drink with half whiskey and half soda. Besides the fact that the carbonation in the soda will increase the rate of alcohol absorption, that person may have 5-10 times more alcohol than the individual with the same amount of beer. Remember this to help avoid guest intoxication.

Alcopops: According to a report by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) by Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates, Inc., alcopops are sweet, fruit-flavors, malt-based drinks. More from the CSPI on ‘alcopops’:
“New beverages, including Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Rick’s Spiked Lemonade, Doc Otis’ Hard Lemonade, Jed’s Hard Lemonade, Tequiza, Sublime, and Hooper’s Hooch, come in hip, bright, and colorful youth-oriented packaging. The labels resemble non-alcoholic lemonade, fruit punches and soft drinks -- all popular with teens -- though labels do disclose alcohol content. More than 80% of teens say "alcopops" are easy to get if they want them.”
If an underage individual tries to bring in a bottle with ‘lemonade’ or other beverage names on it, be aware that this may be an alco-pop type beverage. Avoid underage drinking and all of the related problems by being vigilant in keeping these types of beverages away from your underage guests.

Beer Bellies: The Beer Belly is an alcohol dispensing device. It can be worn under clothing and has a hose that dispenses alcohol from a container held in a sling close to the wearer’s body. Underage individuals who are determined to drink in your event may try to sneak alcohol inside, and this, along with hidden flasks or other containers, should be something you keep an eye out for. If you can avoid underage drinking at your event you can avoid the possibility of many liability issues for you and your organization.

Energy Drinks and Alcohol: Sometimes people consume alcohol mixed with a caffeinated drink, or with some other ingredient that includes a stimulant, such as guarana, taurine or ginseng. These energy drinks include Red Bull, or Monster. At times, these drinks are premixed, and sometimes individuals will mix caffeinated drinks with alcohol. Some believe that the mix will allow them to experience the feelings of being intoxicated without impairing their coordination and other physical abilities. This is incorrect. If someone drinks alcohol to intoxication while consuming caffeine, they will become a very excited drunk. Their level of impairment with regards to coordination, reaction and judgment will remain. Also, mixing levels of a stimulant, like caffeine, and a depressant, like alcohol, may prove to be dangerous to someone’s heart, causing both short and long term damage. Avoid mixing energy drinks and alcohol at your event. Another issue to consider is the use of pre-mixed alcoholic energy drinks. These contain alcohol and are packaged in cans that are similar to non-alcohol energy drinks. If an underage individual attempts to enter your event with one of these cans, ask to inspect it and see if it contains alcohol.

Jungle Juice: Jungle Juice is the practice of mixing many different types of alcohol into a common container, such as a punch bowl, which everyone drinks from. The dangers of using a common container, such as the use of date rape drugs, should be evident at this point in the training. Also, remember that alcohol is still the number 1 date rape drug. The use of ‘standard drinks’ to gauge someone’s level of intoxication is important to your servers to help monitor your guests’ BAC. Also, many of your guests will come into the event with the responsible notion that ‘tonight, I will only have ‘x’ many drinks’. Both of these techniques for monitoring use become impossible when jungle juice is used, because it is nearly impossible for guests to gauge how much alcohol is actually in the drink they are consuming. This could lead to more guests becoming intoxicated, which may lead to other problems we’ve discussed, such as arguments, fights and other bad decision.

Pocket Shots: Pocket shots are alcoholic drinks that come in bagged containers which could include different types of liquor. While being marketed as a product that is easily consumed anywhere, the fact that pocket shots closely resemble traditional children’s drinks such as Capri Sun make some feel as if they are marketed specifically to underage drinkers. The fact that these drinks are in fact liquor, as opposed to a lower ABV beverage, such as beer, makes these items an even bigger potential problem leading to faster intoxication. If you believe that one of your underage guests is consuming alcohol from a pocket shot, make sure to intervene. Ask the drinker to either throw the shot away or leave. Don’t let them be the cause of you and possibly your organization having legal problems related to underage drinking.

Proof: Proof is 2 times the Alcohol By Volume (ABV) (see above on how to use ABV to gauge guest intoxication).