Attorney generals from 25 states yesterday asked beverage maker MillerCoors to abandon plans for introducing its new caffeine-infused alcoholic energy drink, Sparks Red, calling it ''a recipe for disaster to teenagers.''

The attorney generals say that by adding caffeine to alcoholic beverages reduces the consumer's sense of intoxication to which teenagers are particulaly vulnerable because of their limited judgment and tendency towards risky behaviour while driving or during other activities.

Such stimulant-laced beer that contains eight per cent alcohol by volume, is higher than its current energy-brew offerings, and is extremely popular amongst younger drinkers but the high level of alcohol content in it also delivers a wide-eyed caffeine punch, which could lead to dangerous behaviour.

The 25 state attorney generals had written a letter asking MillerCoors not to introduce Sparks Red in the market and that they would consider taking actionsuch as filing a lawsuit to restrainthe company, if necessary.

The Centre for Science in the Public Interest, a non-profit consumer advocacy group, has already filed a lawsuit in the District of Columbia's superior court, against MillerCoors in an effort to stop the brewer from selling Sparks, which has been targeted at teenagers.

The group wants the court to stop MillerCoors from selling the drink as it is illegally using caffeine, guarana, ginseng and taurine in its range of alcoholic beverages in Sparks Red.

The Food and Drug Administration has not approved the use of ginseng in any food or beverage and permitted limited use of caffeine and guarana, though not in alcoholic drinks. Taurine, which is derived from amino-acid, is regularly used in energy drinks.

Of the 25, the attorney generals of 11 states had investigated  two other energy drinks produced and marketed by Anheuser-Busch, Tilt and Bud Extra, for containing stimulants and again targeted at those under the legal drinking age.

In the course of their investigation they had subpoenaed documents from the company. Although denying that its beverages targeted those under the legal drinking age, Anheuser-Busch had settled by agreeing to remove the stimulants and paid $200,000 to the states that had conducted the investigation.

MillerCoors spokesman Julian Green, said in a statement that her company was not in receipt of the letter sent by the 25 state attorney generals but all their beverages such as Sparks, Sparks Light, Sparks Plus and Sparks Red had the approval of the Federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau for product formulations.