Looks like Rockstar's branching out, trying something new, with a new energy drink all about hydration. Rockstar Recovery comes in a bold, simple, and eye-catching can. The almost fluorescent yellow stands out like a traffic cone and the completely black top seems to give it an edge. Reading the label, there's a lot of things that are unique about this as well. This is, of course, the first time I've seen "hydration" on a Rockstar can, and it's also very cool to see that there are only 20 calories in the entire can. From the name Recovery, I assume this drink is for either recovery from a bad hangover or for a little helpful boost plus hydration during sports or physical activity. So, what do I expect? First off, Recovery implies that it's going to be refreshing. Any normal energy drink to me, would most definitely not be refreshing, but I think Rockstar does some things that are very smart. Carbonation can get in the way of a thirst-quenching drink. This is why Rockstar chose to make Recovery non-carbonated, something I like very much. Another thing that can get in the way of a good, refreshing drink is loads of sugar. Recovery addresses this by reducing the sugar to a mere 1 gram and sweetening it mostly artificially. And of course, Recovery's got electrolytes. Three good things I've been able to find about the drink and I haven't even opened it! I guess it's time.
I crack open the top and Recovery doesn't fizz one bit. Me like. The smell reminds me of those artificially sweetened Tropicana light soft drinks; totally sharp lemon flavor with no sweetness. I delicately poured some into a cup and noticed it was clear with a cloudiness like they wanted to trick you into thinking it was real lemon juice. I actually tried looking for pulp, though there is none. My first sip is delicious, and definitely on the sour side. First, it's just kind of refreshing and neutral, but then, you get a little zing from the sourness of it, and the lemon taste lingers a while longer before the flavor disappears. Nothing about it says "energy drink" to me, which would surprise people trying it for the first time. It's pretty amazing to me how much this tastes like the same Tropicana drinks I mentioned earlier. The Recovery is a little better, considering it doesn't make my tongue feel so dry after I have a sip. So there's a plus. I don't really know why, but I hadn't expected this drink to be so sour. I had imagined more of a subtle lemon with little to no zing. This one isn't as bad as other drinks out there, but there's a little bit of gumminess backing up. However, on a scale of water to Sunny D, this one doesn't even make it past the halfway mark. I'll admit, the lemonade is tasty, but I find it to be a little too one-dimensional. I like it, but it hardly leaves me begging to take another sip. Still, this could be part of Rockstar's approach to a hydrating drink. One thing that I often complain about in low-carb/low-cal drinks is the artificial sweeteners, but Rockstar's done it right, with a combination of Sucralose and Ace-K. And of course that hint of Sucrose adds a little brightness and naturalness to the mix. Overall, I'm pleased, but not overjoyed. Rockstar concocted a solid drink with a good taste and nice sweetness, but it's not as flat-out addicting as I find Monsters to be. Now, I'll do my best to examine my hydration level. If that's possible.
Rockstar Recovery's ingredients list goes as follows: Purified Water, Lemon Juice, Sucrose, Taurine, Citric Acid, Natural Flavors, Sodium Citrate, Caffeine, Benzoic Acid, Sorbic Acid, Acesulfame Potassium, Sucralose, Panax Ginseng Extract, N-Acetyl Cysteine, Prickly Pear Extract, Milk Thistle Extract, Niacinamide, Calcium Pantothenate, Magnesium Lactate, Gum Arabic, Calcium Lactate, Ester Gum, Monopotassium Phosphate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, and Cyanocobalamin. The difference I see from most energy drinks is purified water instead of carbonated water. It's also neat to see lemon juice in the ingredients list. Above the Supplement Facts, it states that the beverage is 3% lemon juice. High in the list is also Taurine. The Supplement Facts mention that there are 1000mg per serving, 2000mg per can. Early on, we never really understood what Taurine was good for, but now we know that Taurine helps absorb fat-soluble vitamins. Caffeine is also part of the energy ingredients, weighing in at 160mg total. Not quite a massive dose, but definitely a good jolt to get you going. Panax Ginseng is present at 100mg and N-Acetyl Cysteine, which sounds like an amino acid, is present at 50mg. There are 40mg total of Milk Thistle, an ingredient I've seen often in Rockstars. Finally, the last ingredient of Rockstar's energy blend, Prickly Pear Extract, exists at 50mg. I could not fathom why Rockstar would choose Prickly Pear Extract to put in here, but a quick search tells me it's helpful with hangovers. Ah, so there's my proof, Rockstar Recovery is a drink designed to bring you back to life after a night of drinking. Vitamin B, Caffeine, Prickly Pear, and electrolytes (the compounds near the bottom of the ingredients list), among other things work in conjunction to quell your headache, dehydration, and fatigue. Seems logical enough Rockstar would come out with this, since mixing alcohol with energy drinks is somewhat common. Now, how ironic would it be to use Recovery as a mixer?
Kick: 7.5 - A respectable jolt, though it doubles as a hangover cure and yields some nice focus
Overall: 7.6 - A good idea, though I don't see it being a go-to drink
Reviewed by: Jeff
12 comments:
It is definitely my go-to drink.
I think it's on the go-to drink list for me, simply because the whole can is 20kcal without barf-inducing taste of the other no-calorie drinks. Plus, like you say in the review, it doesn't feel like I just chugged two cans of soda afterward, it's more like you drank a tallboy of tea.
Luv this drink, have completly replaced my 2 large triple triple coffees in a day with ONLY 1 of these.
I'm gonna have to agree with you guys, this drink has really grown on me in the past few months. It's definitely a great, flavorful, calorie-light drink.
This drink definitely helps me with my hangovers, almost as much as having another alcoholic beverage would, so while I'm picking up rockstar original to go with my jägermeister, I also pick up a couple of cans of this to see me through.
I never really knew how great this stuff was until it was my turn to drive back home from Vegas after a loooong night of heavy drinking. Pretty safe to say I was hungover. After drinking a can of this stuff I started to feel so much better!! I work overnights and i drink half a can when I get to work and half a can right before I leave to be alert on the road.
As a diabetic, I'm tied to a very small selection of energy drinks. Most of them taste positively acrid. Sugar-Free Red Bull literally made me vomit, and Monster's Zero-Carb wasn't that great. The Rockstar No-Carb (in the blue can) was tolerable, but tasted like carbonated cough syrup. I actually crave the taste of the Recovery. Lemonade's my favorite, but the Grape and Orange flavors are pretty good too. I get the energy I need, but I don't get the huge head rush (even when I chug the whole can), and I don't crash out an hour afterward like with the little energy shots. One Recovery a day has, on all but my worst days, completely replaced my six-pack-a-day Diet Coke habit, for which my stomach lining and teeth are very grateful.
It is the BEST energy drink out there all things considered.
This is my go to drink now, not only after, during or before drinking, but any morning I'm looking for an energy drink. Along with the prickly pear is the milk thistle. Milk thistle is where this thing really helps the hangover. I take milk thistle daily and hardly have a heavy hangover. it's been noted on television as well lately as doctor oz's cure for the hangover. i love this drink!
I used to hate energy drinks and would never waste my time. But this drink gives them an entire new market. I literally pick one up every day when I start work at 5AM.
Definitely my favorite energy drink. Delicious thirst quenching lemonade, low cal, and mixes great for drinks :D
I love this drink. I got into the "energy" drinks a couple years ago with various Monster drinks, especially the M-80. But they are sooooooo sweet/sugary that just the smell tells you it's loaded with sugar. I've had many of the original Rockstar recipe but the taste leaves plenty to desire. But this Recover lemonade flavor and lack of carbonation for me is just great.
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