Heart breaker, soul shaker
Ive been told about you
Hot-D Bloody Mary energy
Ok so when I saw this on the web one day I was pretty happy. I mean what a great idea. People drink Bloody marys a lot in the mornings. What better way to kick this idea up a notch than to add all your favorite energy drink ingredients to the mix. Hot D stands for Hair of the dog so lets see if it lives up to it’s name and potential.
Packaging: Hot-D comes in a nice big dark brown 32oz bottle with black screw on lid. Not your typical mixer bottle at all. It is much squatter and fatter. It has a nice shiny silver and black label with some kind of a creature on it. (Turns out the creature is a Gaelic symbol meant to represent the combination of a dog and a fish). The label is silver in the middle section where the creature is and black on the sides. Above the creature in Black font it reads “BLOODY MARY + ENERGY”. Below the creature it reads “HOT D wake up juice” in a nice cool black font. Around the top it highlights the fact that it contains no preservatives as well as some other information. On the black part of the label you get Nutrition facts on one side and on the other the ingredients. The ingredients list is in silver font except for some key ingredients which are in white font to highlight them. This side also points out the health benefits of Lycopene and the iron and vitamins. I am going to give Hot D a grade of A for packaging. It is a unique shaped and colored bottle which will make it stand out and draw attention. The creature is also going to draw you in. The white font highlighting the key ingredients is also a great idea.
Slogan: Not really a slogan on the bottle to speak of. On the site I did find the phrase “Revolution in Rejuvenation” which is not bad. I have to say this unique drink/mixer fits well with the slogan. I’m giving them a grade of B for Slogan. I think there is some room for an even cooler slogan on the bottle which could help get peoples attention.
Taste: Ok so you have to shake it real good since there could be some separation. I shook it up good and poured about 8 ounces in a glass. It comes out a nice dark brownish red as expected. It is pretty thick, thicker than say a V8 and has a lot of bits of pepper/, horseradish and other ingredients. It has a smell of tomato mixed in with some sweetness and a hint of peppery smell. Really the smell whets the appetite. The first time I tried it I threw in a stalk of celery but no alcohol. I wanted to try it alone first. It tastes like a really good Bloody Mary. Tomato juice with some sweetness from the honey and you can taste the Worchester sauce and ginger. At the finish you get a really nice level of heat from the mix of peppers, hot sauce, and horseradish. The level of heat it just right and really livens up the flavor of the other ingredients. The honey gives you a different and unique kind of sweetness and cuts the acidity of the tomato well. I am going to give Hot D a grade of A for taste. You can tell a lot of effort was put into balancing all the ingredients out to get a great tasting drink that has some real personality. Every time I drank it I discovered some nuance I had missed before. I tried it mixed with vodka and of course that worked out great as well. The flavors blended well with the alcohol not totally overpowering it with a ton of sweetness like some mixes I have tried.
Kick/ingredients. Well let’s get to it. Sure it might taste great but what about the boost? This drink is supposed to get you going in the morning especially if you might of overindulged the prior night. Keeping with the spirit of things I tossed back a few the night before (for review purposes only). I woke up early and was feeling rundown and grouchy. I poured me an 8oz glass and drank it over about 15 minutes. I’d say about 15 minutes after that I was feeling much better and my eyes were wide open. I got a much better than expected boost. The boost lasted over 3 hours and I was in a great mood during that time. I did not crash but rather just wound down smoothly. I’d put the kick on par with a Red Bull and probably a bit above since you get the added nutrition from the quality ingredients. Much better than a morning cup of coffee as far as getting the day started. So what are the key ingredients in this you ask? Tomato Juice, Honey, Horseradish, red wine vinegar, Hot sauce, Cayenne, Ginger and more are all good healthy ingredients but then you throw in the Taurine and the Caffeine to get the kick. No HFC in here, no preservatives, No brominated vegetable oil, and no artificial colors. I will give them a grade of B for kick and ingredients. The kick is a solid C but the top shelf healthy ingredients raise it up to a B.
Web presence: They have a nice little site at tryhotd.com. For a small company the site looks real nice and has a good layout. You have all the things you need like ordering info, ingredients information, history, a news/press section, and contact information. Not a huge site but a quality one that gets the job done. I’d like to see some recipes and maybe the caffeine and Taurine amounts on the site but otherwise it is fine like it is. I will give it a grade of B- which is better than average.
Recap:
So what you have here is a really unique product. It is healthy (it has to count as 1 serving of fruits/vegetables right?) alternative energy drink/mixer. I like the fact that I could drink it in the morning and I was full and alert. Like having coffee and a nutritious breakfast all in one glass! On a Sunday morning it was nice to enjoy a bloody Mary (with Vodka) and still be awakened. This really is a great break from your sweet energy drinks. It might not be for everyone but I think a lot of adults will really enjoy this one and I suggest you give it a try. I hope to see it in single serving bottles soon. It would be great to grab as your rushing off to work in the morning. Make sure to mention this to your local bar as well. I’m sure it would be a hit with them as well.
Make sure you check out my interview with Hot-D founder Chris P
