Unlike many of its energizing competitors, Red Bull’s revitalizing effects aren’t based on its caffeine content, said Max Gosling, an advertising junior and one of two student representatives for the Red Bull company at MSU.

“It doesn’t give you a body buzz; it’s more like a fuel for your body,” he said.

Red Bull officials contribute most of the drink’s energizing ability to the natural amino acids it contains - taurine and glucuronolactone.

Though the two acids are naturally found in the body, where they eliminate toxins, their production is slowed during times of extreme physical exertion.

The resulting effect of the more natural drink leads to a better awareness and a clearer train of thought, said Gosling, who first tasted Red Bull last year when a friend offered him a can before taking an exam.

“The rest is history,” Gosling said. “I drink it before every test now and whenever I just need to be more aware in general. It really works for me.”

A can of Red Bull contains about the same amount of caffeine as a cup of filtered coffee.

The beverage was developed in 1987 by an Austrian inventor and was first released there. Today, the drink is available in almost every European country and is circumventing the globe while sweeping across North America, South America and Africa.

Though Red Bull serves as an energy booster, the drink’s popularity is most evident at bars, where it can be mixed with vodka and other liquors, said Jesse Lafer, Red Bull’s second MSU representative.

“There is a lot of Red Bull hype on the club circuit,” the engineering senior said. “The company really relies on word-of-mouth for publicity and it seems to be working the most there.”

Lafer first heard about the beverage from a friend who ran across it while studying abroad in England. He got his first taste of the candy-flavored energizer mixed with vodka at a Detroit bar.

Scottie Busque, general manager at Rick’s American Cafe, 234 Abbott Road, said Red Bull has become one of the most popular drinks at his bar since he began stocking it about 10 months ago.

“Different flavors of vodka seem to be the most popular mixers, but because it’s still a relatively new thing, a lot of people are experimenting with other drinks which kind of make it fun,” he said.

And Scott Marcou, manager of The Riviera Cafe Restaurant and Lounge, 231 M.A.C. Ave., said the drink really markets itself.

“Its popularity is definitely still escalating,” he said. “More and more people keep asking for it and we keep stocking more.”

Other common Red Bull mixers include a JSger Bomb, a half-cup of Red Bull with a shot of JSgermeister; and Capt. Red Bull, or Red Bull and Captain Morgan Rum; Marcou explained.

Busque said Red Bull mixers cost a little more on average than typical drinks - between $4 and $5.

Single cans of the energy drink - not combined with alcohol - cost about $2 at area convenience stores.

Red Bull arrived in the United States in 1997 and first found its way into Michigan about two years ago. It can now be bought in 40 countries worldwide.

But it isn’t stocked at all East Lansing-area bars.

Jennifer Wood, bartender at Harper’s Restaurant and Brewpub, 131 Albert Ave., said Red Bull can’t be found behind her counter.

“The last thing we want to do is make a lot of energetic drunk people,” she said.

Besides, the product doesn’t really fit Harper’s image, Wood added.

“We are a microbrewery so we like to focus on that and our restaurant aspect,” she said. And though Harper’s doesn’t carry Red Bull, Wood said her bar has noticed its swelling image.

“People used to come up to the bar and ask if we had it,” she said. “Now, they just order it assuming that we do.”

Red Bull officials suggest some of the best times for drinking the beverage are before tests and exams, when there\'s no time to sleep, when driving on long sleep-inducing motorways or as first aid after a long party night.

Since its debut more than a decade ago, several rumors have been circulated about Red Bull - one being that it is made from bulls’ testicles because it contains the amino acid taurine.

Though taurine can also be found in humans, it was first detected in cattle, prompting its name to be derived from the astrological bull-sign Taurus.

But according to Red Bull’s official Web site, he connection doesn’t hold up.

Though Red Bull seems to be more well- known for its alcohol compatibility, manufacturers don’t market it as an alcohol mixer, Lafer said.

The product can mostly be seen via advertisements as a sponsor to extreme sporting events.

Two weeks ago, Red Bull sponsored a ski weekend at Schuss Mountain in Bellaire, Mich. Student skiers and snowboarders from six state universities attended, he said.

“(Red Bull) really likes to be shown in that extreme aspect,” Lafer said. “It’s more of an envelope-pushing, new and fresh image.”