MD 20/20 is a rather cheap "wine", favored by high school and college students rather than the more typical fans of such a drink. It is most popular in the US, but morven informs me that he remembers it at student parties in Britain, so it looks like not just USians get to enjoy the wonders of this nectar. It is (according to one page I found) produced by the 20/20 Wine Company of Westfield, New York, though the only references to a company by that name I could come up with is for a place in Los Angeles. Odds are it is produced by a well-known wine distributor who wishes to hide their connections to it, much like Gallo's relationship with the noxious Night Train.
Originally called Mad Dog 20/20, this fine wine was later renamed to the more elegant and tasteful MD 20/20. It starts out as something similar to Thunderbird or Night Train, the famous hobo wines, but then various artificial colors and flavors are added to make it potable. It has an alcohol content of 13-16% (depending on the flavor), so a bottle can knock you on your ass fairly easily, and at the cost ($1-$3 US), it's economical as well. Huzah!
As the bottle suggests, it should be drunk very cold, and remember: the first sip is always the worst. It will feel like fire all the way down to your stomach, but it will pass in a few minutes.
MD comes in various flavors, including (yes, the taglines came from the web page as well, I couldn't make this stuff up):
I prefer Kiwi Lemon (the description of 'interestingly citric' is more true than I am willing to admit), as the high acidity helps keep the taste tolerable. There is also, supposedly, a "Red Grape Wine" flavor, which packs a full 18% alcohol content by volume - this should probably be avoided by MD 'virgins' unless the need is dire. Jembeth writes of partaking of this mysterious substance in Alabama last year, and that "It doesn't taste -good-, but it doesn't taste like it's 18% alcohol either."
Like other hobo/bum wines, MD 20/20 has been observed to induce a state of semi-psychosis in its drinkers, despite the fact that no ingredient can be found that might have such an effect. The less than completely foul taste of MD
allows one to drink more of it, and quicker, than with, say, Wild Irish Rose, which may be a factor. In any case, experiments done by myself and some associates have shown that MD 20/20's amazing abilities in this matter are only exceeded by Cisco, at least by the average person. I'm sure Thunderbird can do a real number on your brain, but I've never been able to have more than a few sips without feeling incredibly ill. So, be prepared for sudden rages or deep depressions, taking offense for no reason, and similiar occurances.
Now, I can hardly recommend making MD 20/20 a regular part of your drinking routine, unless you have a serious desire to kill your liver ASAP. But there are times (at least if you're me) when things are hard, you're all alone,
you're angry, upset, frustrated, and/or depressed, and you just want to get tore up and forget everything. That, my friend, is the time to break out the Mad Dog. You'll most certainly regret it the next day, but that's another problem entirely.
References:
Heh. Shortly after submitting this writeup, I noticed I had 2020 XP.