Monster Energy Eyeing New Ways to Eff People Up With Booze, Cannabis Drinks

Monster Energy Eyes Booze, Cannabis, and Other Drinks to Expand Its Portfolio

Monster Beverage, the company known for its energy drinks and sponsorship of extreme sports and music events, is open to an expansion into alcohol, cannabis, and other drinks outside its staple energy category, according to company executives at a recent shareholders meeting reported on by the Wall Street Journal.

Amidst calls for a Monster boycott last year following multiple sexual misconduct lawsuits, the California-based company is also facing increased competition from Coca-Cola, which actually owns a minority stake in the Monster brand. Coke, once thought likely to acquire Monster outright, has developed its own energy drink that is available in Europe. Monster is fighting its U.S. release in arbitration.

Prevented from acquiring nonalcoholic, non-energy drinks until its non-compete with Coke expires in a year, Monster currently “has its sights on hard seltzers, malt beverages and spirits,” the Journal reports. But for any Monster fans (so 14-year-olds and over-worked coders?) waiting for a caffeine-and-alcohol combo like the original Four Loko, don’t hold your breath — CEO Rodney Sacks said last week that he wasn’t sure whether that kind of drink would interest the company.

And in other news…

• Jiggs Kalra, a food writer known as the “czar of Indian cuisine” for his role championing Indian fine dining and local culinary traditions, has died at 72. [NYT]
• A 9-year-old saved up his allowance to pay off his elementary school’s entire school lunch debt, because that’s where we are as a society. [The Hill]
• A Vancouver store designed plastic bags covered with “embarrassing” messages like “Colon Care Co-op” to get customers to bring their own reusable shopping bags. [Boing Boing]
• … and soon, that store’s strategy won’t even be necessary. Canada is set to ban “harmful” single-use plastics as early as 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced yesterday. [BBC]
• Just in time for E3, Miller Lite has released a “Cantroller,” a beer can that also doubles as a fully functioning game controller. Okay!! [Foodbeast]
• The World’s 50 Best has named the Best Pastry Chef 2019: Jessica Prealpato, pastry chef at Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée. [Twitter]
• Inside the “lifestyle” and cult of Tajín Chile-lime salt, which goes very well with ripe fruit. [NYT]
• Disney World’s latest frozen treat — essentially a mimosa topped with Dole whip — looks good enough to excuse its terrible name, the “FOMOsa.” [PopSugar]

• All AM Intel Coverage [E]