Rad Refreshments

Bottled beverage options can now take us to exotic lands, purify and heal our bodies, and give us a much-needed boost. Here are a few newbies to try next time you’re thirsty.

Kick it up a notch: Yerba mate offers the trifecta of consumer desires—health benefits, energy boost and taste. Maté (mah-tay) comes from the leaves and stems of an evergreen plant found in South America, where it’s often called the “drink of the gods.” With 90 percent antioxidants and 24 vitamins, it provides calm energy. Its earthier flavor can be an acquired taste, but with Bombilla & Gourd Maté Tea (16 ounces, $1.99, bombillagourd.com) available in Lemon, Blueberry and Mint & Honey, it goes down easy.

Superfruit to the Rescue: Pomegranates were just the beginning of the exotic superfruit explosion. Berries like açaí (ah-sigh-ee) are commonly seen now and noni and goji are catching on as well. Sambazon’s Rio Energy (10.5 ounces, $3.29, sambazon.com) combines acai juice with mate. For a lollapalooza of interesting ingredients, there’s Honest Tea’s Pomegranate White Tea with Açaí, and Pomegranate Red Tea with Goji Berry (16.9 ounces, $1.49, honesttea.com) to quench your thirst.  

Power Women: With its slim can and pure pop, Red Bull supercharged the beverage world, making room for other male-skewed offerings such as Full Throttle and Monster Energy. Now, make way for drinks for women—Go Girl Energy (12 ounces, $1.69, gogirlenergy.com) is a female-powered energy drink offers vitamins B2, B3, B5, B6, B12 and the appetite suppressant Cuper-Citrimax, among other ingredients.

Smooth Solutions: Not just an ingredient for your body lotion, aloe vera is the hottest thing in juice. Aloe Breeze (16.9 ounces, $1.79, aloebreeze.com), a purified water with organic aloe vera juice in Orange Mango, Cranberry Raspberry, Mountain Berry and Kiwi Lemon Lime, promises to improve digestion, pump the immune system, reduce inflammation and promote healthy skin, all for zero carbohydrates and zero calories. --Denise Shoukas

Denise Shoukas is a regular foodspring.com contributor and is the author of foodspring’s food forager blog.