Like the To Relax variety, this dietary supplement comes packaged in a 2 oz. plastic bottle that looks like it was stolen from the "free shampoo" section of your local motel. It's white and accented with black and grey. The front of the bottle also argued that this shot "triggers sleep, improves mood, lowers stress, and combats anxiety."

Crack open the cap on this functional beverage and you are greeted by a subdued scent that's not quite strong. The packaging denotes a "Blackberry" flavor, but I had a hard time finding that smell. It wasn't bad, just hard to detect.

As for the taste, however, it was a tad on the syrupy side, with a heaviness present. The flavor was a subtle "berry" taste, which was supported by the coloring that resembled watered-down grape Kool-Aid.

The directions note that you should drink an entire bottle 20-30 minutes before going to bed for best effect. Now, it's here that I should note that I'm a very light sleeper. I've taken a lot of supplements over the years to help me sleep, such as melatonin and rose hips. Been there, done that, usually not with great effect. So I went into this experience quite skeptical, especially given my experience with Take 10 To Relax.

However, in this case, it worked.

I honestly did feel quite tired after drinking this 2 oz. shot. It's hard to describe, but I took notes. Eyelids felt heavier, breathing calmed, overall just felt more relaxed. I slept good that night! How funny is that?

In this case, I did find that the product worked as advertised, but I'm still not sure about the pricepoint of roughly $2.99 per serving. How much is good sleep worth to you? In any case, if Take 10 could work on their packaging a bit to be less shampoo-y, they may have something very special here!

Ingredients are as follows…

Take 10 To Sleep
Filtered water, natural flavor, citric acid, malic acid, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, sucralose, Red 40, Blue 1.

Featured supplements:
Chamomile extract, valerian root extract, rose hips extract, kava root extract, passionflower extract, L-Theanine, choline, melatonin

A 2 oz. bottle contacts 0 calories, 0 g carbs, 0 g sugards, and 5 mg sodium.

Official Website: Take10Beverages.com

According to the press materials we were provided, this 2 oz. liquid dietary supplement is a finalist in the "Best Relaxation Drink" category of the 2011 International Functional Drink Awards. So now you know.

Functional beverages are a hot thing these days, as marketers and beverage makers are angling that their product not only tastes good, but also provides some sort of positive benefit. Apparently you can no longer just say "hey, isn't high fructose corn syrup great!" and expect to sell tons. Go figure.

Take 10 To Relax comes in shot form, packaged in a clean white bottle with black and green accents. To be honest, while I was drinking it, it felt like I sipping out of a little shampoo bottle you get from a motel. That's probably not the visual they were going for.

Upon opening the bottle, you are greeted by a very strong grape scent (the official flavor is listed as "White Grape"). The drink itself tastes like severely sweetened Kool-Aid. It's non-carbonated and a bit syrupy. There is a grape flavor as well that provides an aftertaste that seems to cling to your tongue.

That flavoring can probably be attributed to the variety of supplements used, including rose hips, GABA, L-Theanine, and valerian root. The drink is also artificially sweetened with sucralose.

This being a functional beverage, just what is it trying to provide? The front of the bottle proclaims that it "improves mood, supports relaxation, lowers stress, and combats anxiety." So does it?

I followed the directions on the bottle and drink the entire thing for "Maximum Relaxation" in the early evening. I also avoided running any heavy machinery or combining it with alcohol.

My results weren't as impressive as I wanted them to be. I tried to sense if I felt more relaxed or mellow, but didn't seem very different. Maybe if I tried more of these on a regular basis, my results would differ. Take 10 is currently selling a 12 pack of these shots on their website for $35.88, which breaks down to $2.99 a serving. Is it worth it at that pricepoint? Personally, I don't think so. (I should note that while I didn't feel relaxed, I did have a hard time sleeping that night. I'm not sure what was up with that!)

Ingredients are as follows…

Take 10 To Relax
Filtered water, natural flavor, citric acid, malic acid, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, sucralose.

Featured supplements:
GABA, valerian root extract, rose hips extract, eleutherococcus extract, rhodiola rosea extract, L-theanine, Choline

A 2 oz. bottle contacts 0 calories, 0 g carbs, 0 g sugards, and 5 mg sodium.

Official Website: Take10Beverages.com

ViB Mango Lime

One of my biggest criticisms of ViB when we first reviewed it is that instead of coming in a namesake bottle, it arrived in a can. The folks at ViB later informed me that the can packaging was temporary. ViB Mango Lime arrives in a unique 12 oz. aluminum bottle that sets it apart from others in the growing "relaxation" beverage category.

Upon opening the bottle, you are greeted by a light citrusy smell. It's not very strong, but you do get a sense of lemon/lime inside. The drink itself is clear with a light red/orange tint. You definitely get the feeling that this is being pitched as "light refreshment."

The flavor itself is actually very refreshing, especially if you partake from a nicely chilled aluminum bottle. There's a crispness there in the experience. Kudos again on the package shape. We're seeing more soft drinks and alcoholic beverages adopt the aluminum bottle approach, and I like it. This sparkling drink doesn't have a fruity flavor, rather it's more just a bubbly drink with a light touch of lime. Despite the "Mango Lime" flavor labeling, I couldn't say that I was able to detect much in the way of mango. That said, the flavor overall wasn't very distinctive. In this case, I'm not pitching that as a negative. Rather, it's not like when you grab an orange soda or a root beer and go "yeah, that's orange" or "yup, it's root beer!" In this case, it's just a light, lime-ish drink that does seem rather refreshing.

Uniquely, in order to keep the calories down, this ViB Mango Lime is sweetened not only with cane sugar, but also the artificial sweeteners sucralose and acesulfame potassium (Ace-K). This produces a 12 oz. bottle that has 60 calories.

ViB Mango Lime is also branded as "The Happy Relaxation Drink." We've been taking a look at this growing sub-genre recently, namely with our reviews of Drank and Drank Deuce, along with other beverages that throw in elements that aim to provide other nutritional benefits, such as Jones GABA Fuji Apple Tea Juice and Fruit2O Essentials Cranberry Raspberry Water. To set Mango Lime apart from the pack, you'll find that B-Vitamins have been added along with amino acids (L-theanine and L-threonine). The company claims that these additions will help you relieve stress and "make you feel happy."

What else is in this drink? Let's take a look at the ingredients:

ViB Mango Lime
Carbonated water, cane sugar, natural flavors, citric acid, potassium benzoate, potassium citrate, potassium sorbate, L-theanine, L-threonine, maltodextrin, lycii berry extract, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, niacin (Vitamin B3), pyridoxine hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), FD&C Red 40, cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12)

A full 12 oz. bottle has 60 calories, 15 of carbohydrates consisting of 15 g of sugars, 0 mg of sodium, and 0 g of protein.

Even with the use of artificial sweeteners (which aren't too noticeable), I have to admit that I liked the taste of ViB Mango Lime. It's light, it's refreshing, it's different. In my opinion, it's far superior in taste to ViB Pomegranate Berry. While Pomegranate Berry tastes a little too artificial in flavor, Mango Lime feels just about right in taste.

ViB Pomegranate Berry

If there is a negative I have to mention regarding the ViB lineup (and I've mentioned this before), it's the amazingly horrible package design. Please ViB, whoever is doing your label branding and concepting work, please fire them now! It looks amateurish, like an intern was given 10 minutes to find a beach scene image via iStockPhoto.com, slapped a prefab logo on the front, and forgot the first rules of brand identity, flavor identification, or how to best stick out in the marketplace.

As I've mentioned in this review, ViB Mango Lime is actually a tasty drink, but there is no way I would have picked it up on store shelves with the way it currently looks. The aluminum bottle is a nice distinction, but it's completely lost with the overtly busy label wrap. On top of that, there's no easy way to tell the flavor differences between Mango Lime and the original Pomegranate Berry. The bottles just feature beach scenes and only if you read clearly the flavor description text (which is in different locations on each flavor) do you know what you are in for. This is unacceptable. Don't hurt the future growth of this product just because you cut a few corners in the design/branding department. Clean that up, and I think you've got something to be proud of here!

The current hype in beverages these days are energy shots, made popular by market leader 5-Hour Energy, with familiar brands like Red Bull and Monster finally getting into the ring. Noted for coming in small packaging, being non-carbonated, not requiring refrigeration, having high concentrations of caffeine, vitamins, and functional "stuff", and featuring a relatively high price point, this new sub-category of energy drinks have become the new darlings of the beverage world.

Drank Deuce is the relaxing take on an energy shot, produced by a partnership between Drank owner Innovative Beverage Group and Layfield Energy. Those involved note that it's "under the specified liquid limit for airport security, which makes it the perfect travel companion when crossing multiple time zones." Another selling point being pushed is a lower calorie count. While a 16 oz. can of Drank packs 220 calories, a 2 oz. shot of Drank Deuce only has 16.

The packaging is the standard look of an energy shot… tiny plastic container with a narrow screwtop. Think a taller bottle of Liquid Paper and you get the right idea. In this case, Drank Deuce comes in black packaging with a wrapped label, showcasing the brand's "D" logo all "pimped" out with a crown and sparkly attributes. The bottom of the shot notes that this is a dietary supplement.

Upon opening the bottle, you are welcomed with Drank's notable grape-ish scent, which also influences the light pink/purple color of the beverage, keeping it in line with the original. As for the flavor itself, it's very different from the original Drank. While I thought the canned beverage was very syrupy, this is cleaner in nature. The grape taste is weak, feeling more watered-down in general, as if you made Grape Kool-Aid and didn't get the mixture quite right. There's no carbonation, and surprisingly, I didn't really miss it… nor did I mind that the drink wasn't refrigerated. While I think it would taste better with a stronger flavor base, I actually liked the taste of Drank Deuce more than original Drank. Granted, it's hard to really analyze when you are dealing with just 2 oz. of liquid!

Is there a big difference in the ingredients between the flagship drink and the shot? When comparing the ingredients, Deuce contains the same as standard Drank, complete with the flagship "relaxation" elements of melatonin, valerian root, and rose hips:

Drank Deuce
Water, high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, citric acid, natural flavor, sodium citrate, potassium benzoate, potassium sorbate, niaciamide (Vitamin B3), D-calcium pantothenate (Vitamin B5), valerian root extract, rose hips extract, pyridoxine hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Red 40, melatonin, Blue 1, cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12)

Also just like the canned version, the following callout appears on the packaging:

Warning: This product may cause drowiness. Not recommended more than 2 servings within a 24 hour period.

A 2 oz. shot (which is a single serving) contains 10 mg of sodium, 4 g of carbs (which are sugars), 40 mg of Vitamin B3, 4 mg Vitamin B6, 12 mcg Vitamin B12, 20 mg Vitamin B5, and 42 mg of the aforementioned "relaxation" stuff, which Drank calls it's "Proprietary Calming Blend."

When we first reviewed Drank, I noted that while I loved the concept, I really didn't see many calming effects with the drink itself. I'm a light sleeper and quite sensitive to caffeine ("So why are you reviewing beverages, Steve?") and really wanted to see a personal correlation with the claims. With Drank Deuce, I think the calming effects are more notable, without all that extra stuff like 54 g of sugars and carbonation (Deuce just has 4 g of sugar). I'm not saying all the sudden I got drowsy and slumped over the keyboard, but there was a certain amount of "mellowness" present after about an hour or so. Take it for what it's worth!

Drank Deuce is the relaxation-oriented energy shot version of big brother Drank, making it a curious entry in this growing beverage classification. While the flavor could be stronger, the shot incarnation of the formula agrees with us better in regards to its functional benefits and taste.

Manufactured by the folks at Innovative Beverage Group Holdings, Drank comes to you in 16 oz. cans, similar in size to that of your typical energy drink. The packaging is light purple, which also reflects the hue of the drink. The Drank logo showcases the phrase "Relax", while the front of the can proclaims "Extreme Relaxation Beverage." The back of the can features the following message describing the drink:

We have combined Rose Hips, Melatonin and Valerian Root with a great tasting beverage to create the industry's first "Relaxed Lifestyle Beverage."

These ingredients have the ability to relax your body, mind and soul, so when life comes at you fast, just remember to "slow your roll" with Drank.

The following interesting callout also appears:

Warning: This product may cause drowiness. Not recommended more than 2 servings within a 24 hour period.

So what does Drank taste like? When you open the can, you are greeted with a gentle, grape scent, similar to a grape-flavored SweetTarts candy.

As for the flavor, it started out a lot like 2004's Mountain Dew Pitch Black, with a subtle grape flavor. However, that flavor wasn't as strong, being more watered-down in general. Beyond the type of flavor, Drank seems to be very, very sweet. For a drink that desires to 'wind you down', that surprised me, as the sweetness seemed to counteract that purpose.

While the beginning of the drink experience was subtle grape, the aftertaste seemed rather unnatural, bitter, and syrupy. It wasn't as bad as something that used an artificial sweetener, but it also wasn't clean (for the record, the primary sweetener is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), though sucrose is also high in the ingredient list). The overall flavor experience was on the weaker side of the grape flavor, with a low level of carbonation.

Ingredients:

Drank
Water, high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, citric acid, natural flavor, sodium citrate, potassium benzoate, potassium sorbate, niaciamide (Vitamin B3), D-calcium pantothenate (Vitamin B5), valerian root extract, rose hips extract, pyridoxine hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Red 40, melatonin, Blue 1, cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12)

A 16 oz can will cost you 220 calories, 120 g of sodium, and 54 g of sugars.

I'm a person who is quite a light sleeper, so in the past I have taken melatonin to help me sleep well. Because of this, the concept behind Drank really intrigued me, as it's not often you see a carbonated beverage marketed to not give you more energy, but less. That said, I can't say that I noticed a considerable difference after drinking a can of Drank. In fact, I wonder if it's counterproductive to offer such "calming" ingredients such as melatonin and valerian root, while at the same time packing a drink with the same amount of sugar as typically found in a regular soda.

I like the concept behind Drank, a functional beverage that produces a calming effect. The grape taste is light, but saddled with some negative aftertaste and an overtly sweet flavor. Unfortunately, I personally didn't experience the relaxing influence that the can proclaimed, however your mileage may vary.