AOk Red Grape & Cherry Juice Drink

Made by: AOk Drinks Ltd

Origin: UK

AOk Drinks was founded in 2008, with the aim of creating a drink to deliver the body's daily antioxidant requirements in a single serve. Antioxidants are utilised by the body to combat 'free radicals', being harmful molecules which enter the body in a variety of different ways, ultimately as a result of our interaction with the environment.

Unless free radicals are neutralised by antioxidants then they cause damage to cells that results in accelerated ageing and ultimately disease. The result of the founders' research was a drink formula combining different, complimentary active ingredients, thereby producing a potent antioxidant mix.

The drink is a deep purple colour, opaque at the core like a young red wine, and containing a small amount of red fruit puree in suspension.

Aromatic on the nose, with a sweet, earthy (like ginseng) and berried quality. There are various notes of gingercake, liquorice, menthol, molasses....quite complex.

Sweet, soft earthy blueberry and prune flavours give way to the gently sour and tart cherry. Gingercake and mint add interest, and there is a nice balance between the sweet and tart elements.

The effect becomes lightly mouthwatering on the finish, with the sweeter notes sustaining the flavours well.

Verdict

There's a lot going on here on the nose and palate, although considering the prominence given to cherries and cherry juice on the label, it's distinct flavour is well integrated and hard to isolate beyond the tart effect it produces on the finish. The dark, rich and sweet flavours should appeal to fans of blueberries, ginseng and Concord or black grape juice. Quite apart from that the drink's powerful antioxidant content is delivered in a compact and handy size.

If you like this drink then you may like to try these: the Berry Company Acai juice drink, Feelgood Drinks Co. Apple & Blueberry juice drink, Top Gin ginseng drink

Our thanks go to Helen Lewis for providing the sample.

Packaging claims: Anti-oxidant drink, 100% natural ingredients, no artificial sweeteners, no artificial colourings, no artificial ingredients, no added sugar, your daily recommended requirement of antioxidants, one of your 'five a day', just 145 calories

Ingredients: Juice from concentrate and pressed juice 99% (grape 83%, tart cherry puree 15%, ginger 1%), rehydrated powdered aloe vera juice 1%, natural flavour

Price: Should be about £1.60-£1.70 for a 250ml PET bottle, available from branches of Waitrose, via Ocado, and from health food stores nationwide

Fever Tree Naturally Light Indian Tonic Water

Made by: Fevertree Ltd

Origin: UK

Fevertree Naturally Light tonic water uses pure fructose (fruit sugar) as a sweetener, instead of sucrose, thereby delivering 45% fewer calories than the standard product (20.5 Kcal per 100ml in this case).

This version is clear and bright, with fine bubbles rising steadily. Fresh lemon icing on the nose, this is delicate, powdery and very attractive.

On the palate there follows a fresh lemon citrus attack, with a zesty flavour and good intensity. This drink has a very clean mouthfeel (no cloying, oily or salty notes), with a firm and bone-dry finish.

Verdict

We're not normally convinced by anything lighter or milder (read low calorie), but this one really works. The drink is well balanced and does not compromise on flavour. The key difference is that this version is drier on the finish compared to the regular ('Premium') version. All Fevertree drinks deliver on flavour and have a clean finish, which is really their signature.

Packaging claims: Lower in calories, Fever-Tree with 45% fewer calories, no artificial sweeteners, flavourings or preservatives, contains natural quinine

Ingredients: Spring Water, Pure Fructose (fruit sugar), Citric Acid, Natural Flavours, Natural Quinine

Price: Should be about £0.75 for a 200ml glass bottle (£3.00 for a 4 x 200ml pack), widely available

Fentimans Curiosity Cola

Made by: Fentimans Ltd

Origin: UK

Fentimans Cola is a dark chestnut brown colour, clear and carbonated with fine bubbles. In contrast to other Fentiman drinks, there was no visible sediment in this bottle.

The nose is fragrant with sweet confectionary: Cola bottles. There is plentiful vanilla and sweet spices (cinnamon, allspice), and baking aromas that suggest gingerbread, spice cake and empty icing bowls.

Adequately flavoured with sweet 'cola bottles' on the palate, with layers of vanilla and baking spices to follow. There is a syrupy sweetness in control (reminds me of a sodastream concentrate), before the acids take over, clean up and refresh. Soft finish, remaining sweet.

Packaging claims: Botanically brewed, fermented botanical drink with herbal extracts

Ingredients: Fermented ginger root extract, carbonated water, sugar, catuaba extract, guarana extract, caramel (E150), phosphoric acid (E338), cola flavour 9594 (flavouring), caffeine

Price: Should be about £1.00-£1.20 for a 275ml glass bottle, available from Waitrose, Booths, Health food stores, independent and specialist food stores nationwide

Fentimans Victorian Lemonade

Made by: Fentimans Ltd

Origin: UK

Fentimans was originally founded in 1905, when Thomas Fentiman, a West Yorkshire steel worker, traded a loan for a ginger beer recipe, to be held as collateral. The loan was not repaid, and Fentiman commenced production of the ginger beer and started selling it door to door. The company closed between the mid 1960s until 1988, when Eldon Robson (great-grandson of TF) restarted production on the original site.

Fentimans lemonade is a pale lemon yellow colour, cloudy and containing a fine sediment. There is a green tint to the colour when examined in the light.

The nose is aromatic and distinctly herbal, with plenty of juicy lemon intensity, given an unusual green and lime-like quality.

Grassy, sappy lemons follow suit on the palate, with nettle and basil giving leafy flavours. Tangy now, with fizzing sherbet and mouthwatering flavour. Good intensity too...

This is an original take on lemonade, with green herbal notes providing an unusual twist.

Packaging claims: Botanically brewed, not more than 0.5% alcohol by volume, fermented botanical drink with herbal extracts

Ingredients: Carbonated water, sugar, lemon juice concentrate (12.7%), glucose syrup, ginger, pear juice concentrate, cream of tartar, natural flavours: lemon, speedwell, juniper extracts

Price: Should be about £1.00-£1.20 for a 275ml glass bottle, available from Waitrose, Booths, Health food stores, independent and specialist food stores nationwide

Fever-Tree Mixers Part 2

Made by: Fevertree Ltd

Origin: UK

Following on from the initial review (see below), we present the second series of classic mixers from the Fever-Tree portfolio: Soda Water, Bitter Lemon and Ginger Ale...

Fever-Tree Soda Water

Fever-Tree Soda Water is a bright, clear liquid. It is highly carbonated, with noticeably small bubbles rising steadily from various points in the glass when the drink settles.

There is a very light, powdery scent to this, like a well diluted Alka Seltzer or the spray of a vintage Soda Syphon.

Lively mouthfeel, with the Soda Bicarb pinging around the palate. Biscuity, with a creamy bite, like water biscuits covered in a thin layer of salted butter. A light bitterness precedes the short finish. A cleansing and refreshing mixer.

Packaging claims: Made with pure spring water

Ingredients: Natural spring water, bicarbonate of soda

Price: Should be about £0.75 for a 200ml glass bottle (£3.00 for a 4 x 200ml pack), widely available

Fever-Tree Bitter Lemon

A pale yellow colour, slightly cloudy and with a wide watery rim developing towards the edge of the glass. The lively carbonation soon settles, and the trademark small bubbles settle in and tick over steadily.

Concentrated lemon juice on the nose- Jif lemons. Warm, appetising and juicy. There are powdery notes too, recalling lemon sherbet. This is aquatic, breezy and altogether nostalgic.

A 'lemon grove' experience on the palate: Whole lemons, with pith, rind, oils, pips... Zesty and tangy, with good balance between the elements. Fresh and intense now with great clarity of flavour, leading to a bitter finale as the quinine comes through and adds length on the finish.

Packaging claims: No artificial sweeteners, flavourings, colours or preservatives

Ingredients: Spring water, cane sugar, Lemon juice 3.7%, citric acid, natural flavours containing natural quinine

Price: Should be about £0.75 for a 200ml glass bottle (£3.00 for a 4 x 200ml pack), widely available

Fever-Tree Ginger Ale

This is a mid lemon yellow colour. The liquid is clear and bright, and the inital burst of carbonation soon settles down in the glass to reveal the familiar small bubbles now rising steadily.

Warm aromas of honey, lemon and discreet, freshly grated ginger. There is a lovely purity and depth on show here.

Light yet satisfying flavours, as some subtle gingers tickle the palate with a trace of pepper spice. This is fresh, biscuity and clean. The ginger here never escapes the leash, always held in check by some more determined caramel notes. Within the light structure one finds an excellent balance, and a clean finish that are the hallmarks of these mixers.

Packaging claims: No artificial sweeteners, flavourings, colours or preservatives

Ingredients: Spring water, cane sugar, citric acid, natural gingers, natural flavours, natural caramel

Price: Should be about £0.75 for a 200ml glass bottle (£3.00 for a 4 x 200ml pack), widely available

Fever-Tree Mixers Part 1

Made by: Fevertree Ltd

Origin: UK








We were thinking of making a few long drinks to combat the muggy weather, which had us hunting the shelves for a mixer or two... This brought us to Fevertree, a company that since 2000 sought to create an Indian Tonic mixer from all-natural ingredients, including quinine (the bark extract of the Cinchona tree, colloquially known as the 'Fever Tree').

They launched their Tonic Water in 2005, and have since managed to redefine the mixer category by eschewing the use of artificial ingredients (using only natural sweeteners and flavourings, and avoiding preservatives), taking instead a qualitative approach to drink formulation and packaging. They have since grown their product range, and success in new markets followed and continues apace...

Fever-Tree Premium Indian Tonic Water

Fever-Tree tonic water is a bright, clear liquid. It exhibits a lively carbonation, with noticeably small bubbles rising steadily when the drink settles in the glass.

An attractive, fresh, delicate aroma of lemon icing on the nose, with that familiar dusting of icing sugar...

On the palate, fresh lemon citrus, with some supple acids producing a gentle tang. There is excellent balance here between the elements, as a stimulating lemony bitterness develops and persists on the finish.

A quality mixer that speaks for itself, with a unique texture and flavour profile, that avoids the cloying, salty nature associated with artificial sweetener and preservative use.


Packaging claims: Contains natural quinine, no artificial sweeteners, flavourings or preservatives

Ingredients: Spring water, cane sugar, citric acid, natural flavours, natural quinine

Price: Should be about £0.75 for a 200ml glass bottle (£3.00 for a 4 x 200ml pack), widely available


Fever-Tree Lemonade

Fever-Tree lemonade is a colourless, bright liquid. After the initial rush of carbonation, much smaller bubbles can be observed rising slowly through the liquid in the glass.

Fragrant, biscuity nose with sweet lemon. This is juicy, mouthwatering and with plenty of sun-warmed fruit.

A lemonade that is soft and round in the mouth, with warm, biscuity citrus flavours. Supple acids again producing a gentle tang on the short finish.


Packaging claims: Contains Sicilian lemons, no artificial sweeteners, flavourings or preservatives

Ingredients: Spring water, cane sugar, lemon juice 2.5%, citric acid, natural flavours

Price: Should be about £0.75 for a 200ml glass bottle (£3.00 for a 4 x 200ml pack), widely available


Fever-Tree Ginger Beer

Fever-Tree ginger beer is a cloudy, pale yellow colour that takes on a green hue when examined in the light. There is a fine sediment of ginger particles in suspension.

Instantly aromatic on the nose, with fresh ginger in abundance, and then some. There is an extraordinary scent here, earthy and distinctly spicy- cumin? Intoxicating stuff...

Be sure you're sitting down for this one! An intense rush on the palate, with a controlled explosion of deep, freshly grated ginger flavour, topped with lemon and black pepper seasoning. This is as peppery and fiery as you could want, with that entrancing and utterly unique spicy, earthy cumin note intact and almost musky now. Predictably long finish as the chilli and fire trail off, this remains clean and refreshing throughout.

A heady, entrancing experience; a one of a kind ginger beer that sets a stylish example.


Packaging claims: Contains natural gingers, contains natural sediment, no artificial sweeteners, flavourings or preservatives

Ingredients: Spring water, ginger extract, cane sugar, natural flavour, ascorbic acid

Price: Should be about £0.75 for a 200ml glass bottle (£3.00 for a 4 x 200ml pack), widely available

Vita Coco Coconut Water with Peach and Mango

Made by: Paraipaba Agroindustrial Ltda. (for All Market Inc.)

Origin: Brazil

Imported into the UK by: All Market Europe Ltd

Vita Coco with Peach and Mango is a matt yellow colour. The drink is cloudy and still, and contains a fine puree of fruit floating in suspension. The colour fades to clear at the rim of the glass.

An odd lactic aroma on the nose reminds us of a calpis (fermented milk) drink. It manages to shake this off eventually and here you have peaches running the show, with a sliver of green mango skin in the background.

A different story on the palate, where the elements integrate and the coconut is allowed to breathe, just, between layers of peach. There is plenty of that soft, round texture that typifies these drinks, together with the sappy green freshness that prevents them from becoming too cloying. The whereabouts of the elusive Mango is hard to pin down here but is hardly missed. Short, clean finish.

Another useful addition to the Vita Coco stable. For those who like their coconut water on the fruitier side...

Packaging claims: Hydrate naturally, more electrolytes than leading sports drinks with 15 times the potassium, has more potassium than two bananas, 100% natural

Ingredients: Natural coconut water, mango puree, peach puree, ascorbic acid (Vitamin C)

Price: Should be about £1.70 for a 330ml Tetra Pack carton, available from Selfridges & Co and health food stores, and also online (eg www.aqua-amore.com)