Dear, Abbey: Scotland to Ban Caffeinated Wine?

Once you reach a certain age -- right around the time that you start buying your alcohol based on taste rather than the price tag -- you realize that nothing good can come of mixing caffeine and alcohol. Whether it's Jägerbombs, Four Loko, or any number of other caffeine-and-booze combinations, it generally ends in regret or fisticuffs. Just ask the monks of Buckfast Abbey. No, really. For more than a century, the abbey's Benedictine monks have been selling Buckfast tonic wine, a fortified high-octane brew that's quite popular in Scotland. So popular, in fact, that thousands of police reports name-check the wine as a precursor to various forms of antisocial behavior and criminality. It's gotten to the point where the Scottish Parliament is considering banning the stuff (amid howls of outrage from the English, who find no small irony in being lectured about the ills of drink by Scotsmen). The moral of the story? Caffeine makes a better chaser for -- or hangover remedy after -- than additive to alcohol. Enjoy responsibly... or just stick to coffee. Read more from the New York Times: English Abbey’s Caffeinated Wine Gains Popularity and Scrutiny