TD criticises potent 'Fat Frog' alcopop mix

A cocktail of alcopops served in a pint glass has caught the attention of a Fianna Fáil TD.

A cocktail of alcopops served in a pint glass has caught the attention of a Fianna Fáil TD.

The drink, which is green in colour and called a Fat Frog, has an extremely high alcohol content and should not be served by publicans, according to Mr Martin Brady, from Dublin North East.

According to Mr Brady, the drink involves mixing three different alcopops - Wicked Blue, Smirnoff Ice, and Bacardi Breezer - in one pint glass.

"It costs around €15 and it has a very high alcohol content," he said. "It would be like me drinking six pints. After three or four of these, they're out of it."

READ MORE

Mr Brady believes the Fat Frog is part of a recent trend among young people for expensive and highly potent cocktails, which he first identified when he attended a 21st birthday party during the summer, when he bought a drink for a young person.

"I went to pay for it and it cost 11. I asked him what was in it and it was made from three or four different concoctions. He said he drank it all the time. I was amazed."

Mr Brady, who ran a bar for nine years, believes that publicans and the drinks industry should also be more responsible in relation to alcopops. "Drink is a thing to be enjoyed. I like a few pints myself," he said.

There was "little labour involved" for pubs selling alcopops, hence their popularity in the trade.

"Pubs can just dish them out to beat the band. But young people are drinking this stuff for a quick high. It's contributing to violence and unsociable behaviour," he added.