Wikidrunk
By chance, I started cruising around Wikipedia yesterday. It has some great drinking references. There is, for instance, this post about Buckfast Tonic Wine. I'd never heard of the stuff, but I guess it's (i) brewed by monks, and (ii) favored by the devil. "Within the above areas, Buckfast is alleged to be the drink of choice for drinkers who are prone to committing anti-social behaviour when drunk, especially drinkers under 18 years. Its high strength (15% ABV/14.8% in the Republic of Ireland), relatively low price and sweetness are characteristics that are thought to appeal to underage drinkers. The drink also has a very high caffeine content, with each 750ml bottle containing the equivalent of eight cans of cola. Many politicians and social activists single out Buckfast Tonic Wine as being particularly responsible for crime, disorder, and general social deprivation in these communities."
Buckfast is part of group of wines, known as "Forified Wines." This post has pretty much everything you want to know about 'em:
In contrast to table wine, which may be enjoyed as an accompaniment to a meal, or high-end fortified wine, enjoyed as an aperitif or digestif, low-end fortified wines are generally used to cause drunkenness. These wines may be called "hooch," "street wine," "fortified wine," "goon," "bum wine," "sterno" or "ghetto wine". They typically have an alcohol content between 15 and 20 percent alcohol by volume. They often include added sugar, artificial color, and artificial flavor.
