Its other original active ingredients included taurine, ginseng and guarana, common to energy drinks.

Other varieties included a sugar-free "Sparks Light" version with a bright blue top.

[3] On July 3, 2006, Miller Brewing Company announced it had entered into an agreement to acquire Sparks from McKenzie River Corp. for $215 million,[4] with acquisition completed on August 14, 2006.

[citation needed] In September 2008, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington, D.C.–based non-profit watchdog and consumer advocacy group, sued MillerCoors, claiming that its Sparks alcoholic beverages that include caffeine are a health hazard.

[6] Three months later, at the behest of San Francisco and thirteen states, distributor MillerCoors LLC announced it would remove the caffeine from its Sparks line of energy drinks, and would change its marketing campaign.