Australian researchers report that one of four teens say they cannot detect the taste of alcohol in sweet "alcopop" drinks, the Melbourne Herald Sun reported Feb. 27.

Researchers at the consumer group Choice had 18- and 19-year-old volunteers taste 10 drinks, including soft drinks, alcopops, beer and wine, and concluded that sugar and flavorings served to mask the 4.5-percent alcohol content in the alcopops.

VicHealth CEO Todd Harper charged that the sweet drinks were designed specifically to appeal to young drinkers who would otherwise be turned off by the taste of alcohol. "A lot of these drinks have a high sugar content to make them palatable for young drinkers," he said. "They are inexpensive, but have a high alcohol content. They give young people as much low-cost booze as possible."

"We know that premixed spirits are the preferred drink of young and underage drinkers, who put their safety and their health at risk by binge-drinking," added Geoff Munro of the Australian Drug Foundation.

A spokesperson for the Distilled Spirits Industry Council of Australia acknowledged that many young drinkers prefer sweet drinks but put the blame for underage drinking on those who supply alcohol to youth. "Inevitably, some of these products will appeal to those aged 15 and 16 who want to do the things that adults do," said spokesperson Stephen Riden, adding, "Around 90 per cent of alcohol consumed by teenagers is bought for them by parents or older siblings."