Cool Hunting

On a hot NYC day at this year's Fancy Food show Evan and I sampled several new drinks that were delicious, refreshing and met our "not-too-sweet" standards. Maybe it was the effect of the heat or proof of a thriving industry, but among the cheap Vitamin Water knock-offs and pretentious imported bottled waters we found some superior ways to stay hydrated and healthy.

Purity.Organic Functional Drinks
Purity.Organic's line of Functional Drinks brings organic, all natural and preservative-free ingredients to the "enhanced drink" category. Each of the four flavors (Pomegranate Blueberry, Acerola Cherry, Pomegranate Raspberry and Orange, mango, Tangerine) boasts supplements to support the usual departments: memory, immune, energy and restore, respectively and come in a 16 oz. size. Look for them in your local health food store or pick up select flavors available online from Diamond Organics for a little over $2 each.

Honest Tea Sublime Mate and Pomegranate Red Tea with Goji Berry and Honest Kids
Honest Tea's unique and delicious taste balanced with just the right amount of organic cane sugar are always crowd-pleasers. Their two new flavors, Mate and Pomegranate, give us more to love, as does their children's line, Honest Kids, which packages three low sugar, kid-friendly flavors in portable Capri Sun-style pouches. Check their site to find retailers.

Urban Accents Jalapeño Lemonade
This reinvented lemonade has a pleasing lemony flavor, a subtle spicy kick and, surprisingly, comes as a mix. Simply add water for a new take on the summer classic. Eight ounces runs under $5 and makes two quarts. Get it from Urban Accents.

Dr. Andrew Weil for Tea
Ito En's bottled unsweetened iced teas are another CH staple and their collaboration with Dr. Weil doesn't disappoint. While all the subtle blends are as appealing for their flavor as they are for their health benefits, we particularly liked the spice of the antioxidant-rich Turmeric Powder tea ($48 for a case of 30 from Ito En).

Organic essn Energy
Essn's yet another company that can count CH as fans and their unique approach to an energy drink is another winner in their line and the first USDA certified organic energy drink. The sparkling beverage mixes Green Tea, Mate and Guarana with Pomegranate Limeflower flavor for a natural, more lo-fi and more antioxidant heavy experience than others.

The Republic of Tea Iced Tea on Tap
Using boxed wine packaging, The Republic of Tea's new taps hold 12 cups (96 ozs.) of their unsweetened organic iced teas for easy fridge storage or outdoor dining with a lot less waste. Pick up a box for $13 from The Republic of Tea.