The upward spiral

It all started with truckers’ coffee –

a substance unique in science, supersaturated in both caffeine and sugar beyond the capacity of ‘normal’ liquids

190ml of dirty, dizzy goodness. In all weathers, journeys were punctuated by stops at roadside drinks machines, for just one more. But very soon I had become accustomed to the acrid taste, the furry tongue and the blinding headache. I needed a cleaner and, more importantly, bigger hit.

I turned to the excretions of giant asian hornet larvae. These were my first adventures with Vaam. Alas the mild, sweet, grapefruit drink didn’t transform me into Robowasp. With a feeling of deep disappointment, I resigned myself to continuing the search.

And then I found Mamushigen.

Japan is awash in genki drinks. They’re what keep the little corporate soldiers awake and upright at their desks for 23 hours a day. They brought about the post-war economic miracle, and will remain popular until amphetamines are legalised.

There are thousands of varieties. Some are just sugar and caffeine. Others throw in extras from guarana and a few Chinese herbal whatnots, all the way up to the aforementioned hornet larva extract.

But only one harnesses the awesome power of the pit viper.

Every 100ml of Mamushigen contains 300mg of mamushi extract. And I’m about to down it in one.

See you on the other side.