from today’s NY Daily News and Tracy Conner :
State officials are killing the buzz of a company that hoped to sell controversial booze-spiked frozen pops known as Freaky Ice.
The Liquor Authority refused to give its stamp of approval to the frozen malt liquor confections, which come in a plastic tube – and a state judge has backed them up.
The pops come in fruity flavors like Passion Cocktail, Cherry Fusion and Lemon Stinger, but they pack a punch, with a 4.8% alcohol content.
The SLA banned them because they’re too similar to nonalcoholic ice pops popular with kids, and their adults-only labeling was too small.
But the company, Integrated Beverage Group, sued to get the ruling overturned, arguing that because Freaky Ice doesn’t come on a stick, and it’s not really a Popsicle-type product.
The Farmingdale, L.I., hawkers’ argument left Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Nicholas Figueroa cold.
He coolly noted in his written decision that there are plenty of kid-friendly pops that don’t have sticks, either, and let the SLA ruling stand.
Freaky Ice pops were launched a few years ago on the Dutch club scene, became an instant sensation in Europe, and have now shown up in the United States.
They were banned from Swedish supermarkets in 2003 and have come under fire from anti-drinking groups in other countries.
The New York ban comes four months after Attorney General Eliot Spitzer’s office found that no state laws banned a new machine that converts alcohol into breathable mist.
The British-produced alcohol-without-liquid machine was introduced across the state in August, and several officials immediately questioned its legality.
In an completely unrelated story, Vin Baker was spotted running after an ice cream truck.