Simply Hibi- Hibiscus drink

Made by: Ibis Organics

Origin: UK

The Roselle plant (Hibiscus Sabdariffa) is a variety of Hibiscus grown for its nutrient properties. It is consumed in a variety of different ways, however variants of a soft drink are most popular in the Caribbean, Mexico & Central America, Africa and Malaysia. Contrary to popular belief it's not the actual flowers or petals that are used to make drinks, but the calyces (flower casings) of the plant. When the calyx is ripe it turns a deep, bright red colour and is ready for use. The calyces are cored and then infused, and the colour, flavour and nutrients leach out. Hibiscus has started to generate increasing interest as part of a new group of 'superfoods', prized for their nutritional and especially antioxodant properties.

This drink is a deep maroon colour. The colour is intense, with plenty of purple highlights and becoming opaque at the core, like a young red wine.

Nosing this it is rich, sweet, earthy and with a distinct vegetable note. Here we have freshly crushed blackcurrants, leafy and with beetroot overtones, and steamed artichoke. There is also a little freshly turned earth (reminds me of a cabernet franc wine), and a twist of black pepper...

The palate is light, and dominated by sweet, juicy blackcurrants. In contrast with the aroma it contains few of those vegetable notes, with only a little leafy character and a rhubarb stem detected in the background. A gentle tartness develops, which has a pleasant 'mouthwatering' effect, before the drink ends in a short finish.

Packaging claims: Rich in Antioxidants

Ingredients: Hibiscus infusion 85% (Hibiscus and water), glucose-fructose syrup (15%)

Price: Should be about £1.40 for a 250ml PET bottle, available from Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Booths, Holland & Barrett and other health food and independent specialist outlets

the Berry Company Goji juice drink

Made by: the berry juice company

Origin: UK

The Goji berry is the red berry fruit of the boxthorn shrub. It is also known as the Wolfberry, derived from the Greek origin for the plant Genus. The plant is a relative of the chili pepper, tobacco and deadly nightshade plants, and most commercial plantings are to be found in Northern China. In the past ten years Goji berries have started to generate increasing interest as part of a new group of 'superfruits', prized for their nutritional and especially antioxidant properties.

This Goji drink is pale burnt orange in colour, showing good intensity. It is cloudy/translucent and contains some fine fruit pulp in suspension.

On the nose rich, thick apricot puree, followed by more stone fruits: Mangoes this time. The sweet, fleshy aroma is given a 'lift' with a heady note of passionfruit.

The palate is lighter than the nose would suggest, with satisfying flavours that combine soft orange stone fruits (apricots and peaches) with their tropical cousins (mangoes and passionfruit).

The drink develops from an initial sweetness, akin to white grape juice, to turn pleasantly sour on the finish. The use of passionfruit comes into its own here, providing a tangy freshness and balancing out those sweeter notes. Another interesting release from the berry company.

Packaging claims: No artificial colours, no artificial preservatives, no sweeteners, in partnership with Heart Research UK

Ingredients: Water, pressed Wolfberry/Goji fruit (20%), fruit extract concentrate, pressed passion fruit juice (10%), natural flavour malic acid, antioxidant ascorbic acid

Price: Should be about £1.50-£1.60 for a 330ml PET bottle, available from Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Department stores and health retailers nationwide

Power Horse Sugar Free Energy Drink

Made by: Power Horse Energy Drinks GmbH

Origin: Austria

Imported into the UK by: BTM International UK Ltd

For this review, we are pleased to welcome our guest reviewer Mr Matt Chambers. Matt, together with his wife Karen, is the esteemed founder of Whisky website and blog 'Whisky for Everyone', one of the preeminent influencers working in the world of Whisky today. Here is Matt's review:

Power Horse is an energy drink that is produced by the Austrian food and beverage giant S. Spitz Company. The company was at the forefront of the development of energy drinks in the early 1990s and the Power Horse brand first appeared in 1994. This makes Power Horse one of the first energy drinks on the market and it remains popular throughout mainland Europe. The S. Spitz Company was founded in 1857 and their headquarters are located in the city of Linz. The Power Horse energy drink range stimulates the drinker’s metabolism, responsiveness and is believed to enhance sporting performance. This is achieved by the inclusion of high levels of natural chemicals such as caffeine and taurine in the drinks

Another Austrian, named Dietrich Mateschitz, saw the potential of this genre of drinks and decided to develop his own energy drink. He based his new beverage on the Japanese caffeine based drink Lipovitan, which first appeared in the 1960s. Mateschitz named his new energy drink Red Bull and the rest is history, as they say. Red Bull has gone on to dominate the energy drink market since its launch in 1997, especially in the USA where it has almost 50% of the energy drink market share. The success of Red Bull and Power Horse has led to many copycat products appearing around the globe.

This drink is the SugarFree version of Power Horse. The colour is a vibrant golden yellow and the nose is sweet yet refreshing. There is a combination of vanilla, chewy fruit sweets and candy floss. Cutting through this is a distinct citrus note that is reminiscent of lemon zest and this helps balance the more obvious sweeter element.

On the palate, this is light, juicy and refreshing. There is an initial saltiness (think of brine or sweat), and while this may sound unappetising it is actually to the contrary. This characteristic combines with the zingy citrus zest from the nose to give a crisp, sharp and refreshing drink. The sweeter elements then begin to appear, especially those fruity chewy sweets (think of bubblegum or fruit pastilles) and the candy floss.

The palate ends with a feeling reminiscent to something like a cream soda. The finish is short yet refreshing with the fruitiness and citrus zing again prominent, although the citrus becomes a little more sour. At all points the elements remain slightly understated.

Whilst not being fully aware of the medical or scientific benefits or claims of this Power Horse SugarFree drink, all that can be said is that it is a clean, refreshing and crisp beverage. It is very pleasant and easy to drink and not as obviously sugary as some of its competitors. You can imagine drinking a can of this on a hot day or after doing some exercise.

Packaging claims: Low energy, sugar free special drink containing taurine and caffeine, with sweetening agents, contains 80mg of caffeine, not suitable for children, pregnant women, and people sensitive to caffeine, suitable for diabetics, do not mix with alcohol, high caffeine content (32mg/100ml), pasteurised

Ingredients: Water, acid (citric acid, sodium citrate), carbon dioxide, taurine 0.4%, glucuronolactone, colours (plain caramel, riboflavin), sweeteners Acesulfame K, Aspartame), flavouring, caffeine, inositol, vitamins (niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin B12)

Price: Should be about £0.70 for a 250ml can, available from larger branches of Tesco (world foods section)

Firefly Lemon, Lime & Ginger 'Detox'

Made by: Firefly Tonics

Origin: UK

This non-sparkling 'detox' drink is a pale, matt lemon yellow colour. The colour fades out to clear at the rim. The liquid is slighty cloudy and contains some fine particles floating in suspension.

On the nose light but immediately attractive aromas: Sultanas, baked apple, crumble topping, lemon butter, sweet spices (ginger, cinnamon)...altogether appetising.

Flavours on the palate are light also, but satisfying and without the dilute quality found in many flavoured waters. That moreish style is replicated here, with flavours of softbake cookies (oat & sultana), more apple crumble topping, and gingerbread.

There is a lovely, zingy thread of citrus acidity running through this, balancing the sweetness perfectly. The heat of the ginger spice comes through late on the finish, bringing with it a pleasant warmth that coats the mouth and lingers. An entirely refreshing experience.

Packaging claims: Natural energy, detox, absolutely nothing artificial

Ingredients: Still water, fruit juices from concentrate: white grape (22%), lemon (4%), lime (3%), apple juice extract, botanical extratcs (ginger, nettle, dandelion, burdock, rosemary) 1%, natural flavourings

Price: Should be about £1.50-£1.60 for a 330ml glass bottle. Available from Waitrose, Holland & Barrett, Department stores, healthfood stores, and specialist food and delicatessen outlets nationwide.

Bundaberg Root Beer

Made by: Bundaberg Brewed Drinks P/L

Origin: Australia

Imported into the UK by: Bundaberg Brewed Drinks UK Pty Ltd

Root beer originates in Philadelphia, USA, where it was first developed as a herbal tea formula and then as a soft drink marketed to miners and the mining community, from where it's popularity grew. Root beer is still strongly associated with North America, however related drinks made using roots, tree barks, herbs and spices exist in many countries (examples being Ginger beer and Dandelion & Burdock in the UK). The original flavouring components of this drink were Sassafras tree root bark, together with Acacia bark. As health concerns gradually surfaced with the use of Sassafras, Sarsaparilla and other complementary herbs, spices and fruits were introduced to flavour the brew.

Bundaberg Root Beer is a dark chocolate brown colour, fading slightly at the rim of the glass. The drink is sparkling and as with other Bundaberg drinks, the bubbles here are very small and rise gradually to the surface from specific points in the glass (as with a fine sparkling wine). There are some small particles floating in suspension.

On the nose a reminder of the medicine cabinet, with a creamy menthol scent: Muscle rub ('Deep Heat' cream), plus notes of vanilla, treacle and malt extract.

Moving to the palate, the initial taste is of a herbal cola, with vanilla and creamy menthol, followed by dark sugary flavours (molasses, treacle, malt..). A refreshing bite evolves towards the finish, bringing grassy, salted caramel and leaving a trace of liquorice in the aftertaste.

There is a lovely restrained balance at work here, with supple, round flavours loaded with nuance, and just the right amount of bite to cleanse the palate.

As with other Bundaberg drinks, this is a real 'thinking man's' soft drink, whereby the quality of ingredients used allied to traditional production methods produce a captivating experience.

Packaging claims: Naturally brewed to be better, traditionally brewed, plus tbc

Ingredients: Carbonated water, cane sugar, sasparilla root, vanilla bean, ginger root, liquorice root, molasses, sasparilla flavour, caramel, acid (citric acid), yeast, preservatives (E211, E202), Antioxidant (E300)

Price: Should be about £1.40-£1.50 for a 340ml glass bottle, available from Waitrose and selected supermarkets, and specialist retailers

the Berry Company Acai juice drink

Made by: the berry juice company

Origin: UK

The Acai berry is the fruit of the Acai palm tree, which grows in Central and South America, from Belize to Peru. The tree prefers wet, swampy ground. The global demand for Acai berry products (pulp, juice etc) has risen sharply since the 1990s, due to the fruit's beneficial levels of antioxidants derived from polyphenols (the tannic and colouring compounds that give the berries their flavour profile and dark purple appearance).

This Acai juice drink is a matt purple colour. The intense purple fades towards the rim of the glass where it picks up a tawny colour. There is a plentiful sediment of fine Acai and Raspberry fruit particles in suspension, giving the colour an opacity. An unusual clear film develops on the surface of this drink as it settles.

Nosing this is like holding your head over a bubbling pot of mixed berry jam: Blackberry, raspberry and blackcurrant all stirred together. The heady scent of the various fruits has an attractive, juicy quality. Raspberry dominates here, and has a fine syrupy edge. There is a leafy, earthy note that makes its presence felt (reminds me of blueberry).

On the palate the red fruit makes the running, with a soft, billowing raspberry flavour up first and showing that syrupy style. The black fruits follow in support with plenty of jammy fruit to complete the picture. The fruit pulp gives a light texture to the drink, with the balance falling on the sweeter side.

A light juice drink that manages to satisfy, and leaves a pleasant trace of concentrated fruit in the aftertase.

Packaging claims: No artificial colours, no artificial preservatives, no sweeteners, in partnership with Heart Research UK

Ingredients: Water, Acai fruit pulp (20%), fruit extract concentrate, pressed raspberries (10%), natural flavour, citric acid, antioxidant ascorbic acid

Price: Should be about £1.50-£1.60 for a 330ml PET bottle, available from Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Department stores and health retailers nationwide

San Pellegrino l'Aranciata Amara

Made by: San Pellegrino SpA

Origin: Italy

Imported into the UK by: Nestle Waters UK Ltd





The San Pellegrino spring is located in the town of San Pellegrino Terme, North of Bergamo, in the province of Lombardy, Italy. The official spring water bottling company was formed in 1899, and diversified into sparkling soft drinks as early as 1932. An Amara or bitter version of the orangeade was launched in 1949, to mark the company's 50th Anniversary.

The Amara is an intense, matt orange colour with yellow highlights, fading out to a clear watery rim at the very edge of the glass. There is a fine sediment of orange fruit in suspension, and the drink is steadily sparkling when poured out.

The primary aromas on the nose are warm and juicy; here we have freshly sliced Navel oranges with a drop or two or Grand Marnier. As the drink opens up in the glass the impression is much fuller, one of whole oranges: Zest, flesh, pips, even leaves...a whole orange grove. A sharper note suggests grapefruit.

'Amara' translates as 'bitter', and on the palate this really delivers. From an initial burst of mouthfilling, ripe orange flavour with a fresh acidity, there follows a long, controlled transformation to bitterness. The zesty bitter taste sensation, derived in part from Quinine (Chinona tree bark extract), is similar to the experience of eating Kumquats.

There is a lovely flavour concentration here, entirely refreshing and helped no doubt by the high juice content at 15.6%.

Amara is a uniquely invigorating, enlivening drink, and leaves a mouthwatering sensation behind. Within the overall balance, the palate is both stimulated by the acidity levels (felt on the sides of the tongue), and by the extraordinary bitterness (felt at the back of the tongue). The long finish is to be savoured.

Packaging claims: New formula with 30% more orange juice, no preservatives, no artificial colourings

Ingredients: Water, orange juice (15.6%), glucose-fructose syrup, sugar, carbon dioxide, acidity regulator citric acid, natural aromas, Chinona extract

Price: Should be about £0.80-£0.90 for a 330ml can, available from Italian delicatessens, specialist retailers and online