I need to take a moment to mourn the passing of my all-time favorite Red Bull variety: Cranberry.
Cranberry Red Bull, just as I was beginning to get to know you, you suddenly left. Literally overnight, you packed your bags and were gone forever. Replaced by that tart Watermelon, you were the perfect Red Bull. I will forever miss you and just wished I could have said goodbye….or at least bought a case.
Seriously, Cranberry Red Bull just left the shelves with no warning. While the other flavors are fine, none have come close to filling Cranberry’s shoes. Even calling the Watermelon the “Red Edition” hurts to see and has led to a few moments of false hope. Usually, when seasonal versions are announced, they don’t catch my attention. This year’s Winter Edition, however, immediately caught my eye: Pomegranate.
Pomegranate-flavored foods tend to walk a very odd line flavor-wise. Real pomegranate tends to be naturally sweet but also quite tart with an earthy quality. As a result, fake pomegranate flavors are usually overly sweet to compensate for their tartness. I know that this flavor wouldn’t completely replace my beloved cranberry, but I had high hopes it would be in the same realm.
The pomegranate scent was very strong when I opened it. Smelling it reminded me of those funky-shaped bottles of pomegranate juice. The earthy juice smell the fruit is known for was very pronounced. This was promising as it made me hopeful it wasn’t going to be cloying.
Well, I’m happy to report, it exceeded my expectations. It has a wonderful balance of tart pomegranate flavor that tingles my cheeks with enough sweetness to enhance the fruitiness. While it’s easy to enjoy as is, it’s certainly a drink that was made to be a mixer.
This Winter Edition doesn’t replace my precious Cranberry, but it’s easily the best flavored Red Bull that’s been released in quite some time. Pomegranate is a hard flavor to get right, and I think Red Bull managed to do so without it being too tart or too sweet. I can foresee this being a popular base for winter/holiday cocktails/mocktails. In fact, I think it would make a good faux-mosa (orange juice and Red Bull Pomegranate) for Christmas breakfast.
Purchased Price: $2.50 (on sale)
Size: 12 fl oz can
Purchased at: Publix
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 can) 160 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 125 milligrams of sodium, 40 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 38 grams of sugar, 0 grams of protein, and 114 milligrams of caffeine.
Do you think the similar coloring* means Peach is potentially on the chopping block? Or is this fairly typical, with Watermelon becoming a regular flavor an aberration?
Maybe you can do an update with some of the holiday mixers if you try some of them.
*At least to my damaged rods/cones/computer screen
Jim, Peach edition is not on the chopping block. Green edition is. Replaced by Dragonfruit as permanent flavor Q1.
We are the same. I never liked redbull until I discovered the cranberry flavor. It was so good !! Unfortunately I discovered it about 6 months before it went away and I was so sad, especially since i hate watermelon anything. I also love the pomegranate flavor. Not as much as the Cranberry. It reminds me a bit of a Shirley Temple. Its a little too sweet is my only complaint but other than that i am happy it exists since they took cranberry from us 🙂
I’ve tasted the winter edition pomegranate from red bowl and it was very good I like it better than the blue can. Anyway how many cans would you have to say it would be a health issue to drink a day of this pomegranate Red Bull ? Seriously,! I like to drink I’ve been drinking two cans a day. And I have Heart disease.
This was my favorite flavor of Red Bull. I’m really disappointed that I’ll probably never get to drink any more of it.