As far as I’m concerned, it ain’t summer until Red Bull says it is.
Well, good news, that new Red Bull Summer Edition just dropped, and we are now in the midst of a Dragon Fruit summer.
Ah yes, dragon fruit, the magical fruit that hatched into my life about twenty years ago. We’ve all probably tasted dragon fruit in some form, but none of us have actually ever eaten a dragon fruit. Yes, I speak for everyone here. You’ve never had a dragon fruit, nor has anyone you know. If you dispute this claim, I regret to inform you that you are living a lie.
My introduction to dragon fruit – which should be one word – was in the early 2000s when I went through a 2 bottle a day Vitamin Water Power-C phase. Remember when we lied to ourselves about the health benefits of Vitamin Water, only to find out it was essentially melted Skittles with good marketing?
Well, I’m drinking a Red Bull, so I guess times haven’t really changed.
Anyway, I loved the flavor and was pretty pumped to see Red Bull utilizing the fiery fruit of legend.
I found the green can to be an odd choice, but then figured it was probably a tribute to the cosmic beings who brought dragonfruits to this planet. Because if you’ve ever seen an artist’s rendering, it’s clearly alien.
When I cracked the can to a welcoming hiss, I was met with the wafting scent of an Ocean Spray mixed juice cocktail. It looked like one too. The cough medicine purple-ish color was possibly the darkest I’ve seen in an energy drink.
As far as the flavor goes, it brought me right back to those Vitamin Water days. It’s extremely vibrant and spritzy as you’d expect. The dragonfruit taste smacks you in the face at first, but transitions into an unripened berry sourness. I’d say it was almost like a mix of unripened strawberry and raspberry.
Unripe berries are a major buzzkill for me, but the flavor works in an energy drink. I’ve had some Red Bull flavors that left me flat and unsatisfied, but this one really did “revitalize my body and mind.®”
It started sweet, got sour, and finished with a Strawberry Life-Saver aftertaste.
I’d say dragonfruit is the perfect flavor to represent summer because it made me wanna cannonball into the nearest body of water.
For a fake fruit that looks like a pink fireball stuffed with vanilla bean ice cream, dragonfruit really does have a great flavor that definitely works in carbonated form.
Perhaps I will one day trek out into whatever treacherous jungle dragonfruits allegedly grow in and partake of the fruit itself, but for now, I’ll just pick up another can.
This Red Bull gave me wings… and also an earworm because, for some reason, I’ve been singing “Red Bull, Red Bull” to the tune of David Bowie’s “Rebel Rebel” since I drank it. I hope I can now pass that on to you, my fellow dragonfruit non-eaters.
Purchased Price: $2.50
Size: 12 Fl. Oz.
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 160 calories, 0 grams of fat, 125 milligrams of sodium, 40 grams of total carbohydrates, 38 grams of total sugars, 0 grams of protein.