It’s hard to know whether Liquid Death is killing it in the sparkling water world. Everywhere I shop, its cans and multipacks are buried within the hordes of LaCroix, bubly, Waterloo, and store brands. While the company is concerned with murdering our thirst, I wonder if the others are slaughtering its market share. Well, to get a little market share elsewhere, Liquid Death is taking a stab at the energy drink market with a line of Sparkling Energy Drinks.
Available in four flavors—Scary Strawberry, Tropical Terror, Orange Horror, and Murder Mystery—Liquid Death’s energy drinks have zero sugar, no sucralose or aspartame, no artificial colors or dyes, B and C vitamins, and 100 milligrams of caffeine naturally sourced from coffee beans.
Yup. Just 100 milligrams of sweet caffeine. A nice round number that Liquid Death calls “unextreme.” I’m a bit flabbergasted by that amount because for a company that wants to murder our thirst and bring death to drowsy (the can’s words, not mine), I’m disappointed these don’t have 187 milligrams of caffeine. But I guess 100 isn’t so bad since a 12-ounce can of Red Bull has 114 milligrams.
If you’re familiar with Liquid Death’s other products, you won’t be surprised by the mild, watered-down flavors these have. If you’re not familiar, they have a taste that’s between the other sparkling water brands I mentioned in the opening paragraph and any other energy drink, but leans more towards water.
Among the four varieties, the two that stand out are Murder Mystery and Tropical Terror. I initially thought the former would be a mystery flavor, but it turns out it has the same flavor as Liquid Death’s Doctor Death, which has a Dr Pepper-like taste. As a fan of Doctor Death, I approve of it. I also endorse Tropical Terror, which tastes terrific. It has a noticeable, tasty pineapple flavor with a hint of coconut, which makes me wonder if this is similar to Liquid Death’s Pina Killada, which I have never tried.
Scary Strawberry and Orange Horror were also great tasting and reminded me of strawberry and orange sodas, but, you know, watered down like the others. I believe there have been strawberry and orange Liquid Death options, but I haven’t tried them, so I can’t compare. But all four are worthy of a rebuy.
While there’s a lot to like about these, not coming in 16-ounce cans from the get-go is disappointing. Most new energy drinks seem to come in 12-ounce slim cans, which I don’t mind. But if I’m standing in front of tens of thousands of milligrams of caffeine, and they’re all roughly the same price, my hands are more likely to pull off the shelf something with 16 ounces. If these are someday available in 16-ounce cans, maybe they could have 187 milligrams of caffeine?
Overall, I think Liquid Death’s foray into energy drinks is a successful one. A negative I’ve had about its sparkling water is the lack of caffeine, but these have erased that issue. If you’re a fan of the company’s previous beverages, the way these taste won’t be unfamiliar to you. However, if you’re used to sweet energy drinks with a ton of flavor, these might not appeal to you.
Purchased Price: $2.50 each (sale)
Size: 12 fl oz cans
Purchased at: Safeway
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Murder Mystery and Tropical Terror), 7 out of 10 (Scary Strawberry and Orange Horror)
Nutrition Facts: (1 can – all flavors) 5 calories, 0 grams of fat, 5 milligrams of sodium, 2 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.
I might try these if I spot them in local stores, especially that “Tropical Terror” flavor. Watered-down I think I can handle in an energy drink; it’s the chemical/artificial sweetener aftertaste of many energy drinks that’s a real turn-off for me.