While I am a stimulant junkie, there are times when even I want to relax. And I have been, on occasion, known to drink something that doesn’t have caffeine in it. Like milk. And…you know. Milk. But I do like trying new drinks, especially when they sound as nice as “Vacation in a Bottle.” It’s pomegranate berry flavored, it says, so that is nice. It promises a “wave of relaxation,” which is also nice. And while the fact that it has no caffeine makes it sound like something that I would burst into flames if I ever tried, I would say that you’re thinking about it the wrong way. Vacations take time. So if you can have the equivalent of a vacation in the time it takes to drink something–how could that not appeal to a stimulant junkie?
Granted, I was worried that the thing might lose its mojo, considering that it arrived in cans. But if you consider it, “Vacation in a Can” just doesn’t have the same elegant sound to it.
Popping the top, you get the whiff of the berry-ness, which is pleasant. The first sip is very pleasant–there’s more berry flavor there than full on pom, but that’s pleasant. It’s extremely mild, mellow even. Then…the wave of relaxation is drowned by a wave of chemical aftertaste. And that’s the sucralose undertow, folks.
[ad#longpost]Here it’s even crueler than in most drinks because everything up until that point has been A1 status. But there’s nothing relaxing about sucralose. And I know my sucralose-hatred seems like it knows no boundaries, but don’t misconstrue. It’s not all bad news. The aftertaste does not linger as long as say, the Engobi snacks. That’s probably due to the fact that sucralose shares the stage with cane sugar. But whatever the reason, the drink could certainly be a lot worse.
And it’s a shame, because this is a drink I wanted to like for all the reasons stated above. I think they’re onto something here. While everybody else is fighting for a sliver of the energy drink market, you have people like VIB that are going for a relaxation drink just like Brain Toniq is going for a think drink. So it’s smart to do a drink that’s a little different, that promises to help you unwind rather than wind you up.
If I could recommend anything to these guys, it’s lose the sucralose and promote the fact that you’re using cane sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup. Even better, since you’ve already setup the “Chill-N” as a variation under the VIB umbrella, leave it alone and create a different version for people like me. And then everybody happy. So sucralose-tolerators, I think you’re going to love this one. Everybody else, I’m really pissed that I have to advise you to back away slowly.
It is stuff like this that makes me want to drink port. It is all natural goodness.
I have actually tried this drink and love it! I had it when visiting a friend in dallas. It taste great when mixing with vodka too! I was very suprised and disapointed with your review!
Stephanie: I’m surprised and disappointed that you’re surprised and disappointed that somebody might have an opinion that differed with yours. If everybody liked the same drink, there would be maybe three on the market, and even those would be regular, decaf and diet variations of the same drink. Regardless, thanks for stopping by and we appreciate the comment.