From healing the gut to boosting your energy and calming the mind, functional drinks claim you can drink your way to wellness, usually through natural ingredients such as CBD, mushrooms, caffeine or ashwagandha – a small evergreen shrub from India commonly used in ayurveda – amongst many, many others.
It sure beats exercise and therapy, right?
As a welcome antidote to beverages loaded with sugar and alcohol, functional drinks promise to serve a raft of physiological and physical health benefits to the generation that cares about what they put into their bodies. It’s hardly surprising that it’s one of the fastest-growing categories out there – hot on the heels of low-and-no-alcohol drinks, no less – to cater to ever-increasing demand (usually among Gen Z).
Laura Willoughby, low-and-no alcohol expert and founder of Club Soda, a store specialising in booze-free beers, wines and spirits as well as natural mood-enhancers, explains: “A functional drink is anything that has an additional ingredient that impacts you physiologically or offers a health benefit.
In alcohol-free, this can include caffeine, CBD, herbs and adaptogens like mushrooms, L-theanine and a whole host of natural ingredients from ashwagandha to valerian. They all have different effects, such as energising, relaxing and even GABA-stimulating, in which the combination of ingredients stimulates your GABA receptor, replicating the feeling you get from your first drink.”
She adds: “The benefits of functional drinks depend on the ingredient. For example, liquorice root, lemon balm and valerian are known to help you sleep.
Adaptogenic mushrooms have different medicinal benefits based on the specific mushroom: lion’s mane, for example, is known for immune system modulation while chaga contains melanin which can be beneficial for your skin.
Meanwhile, herbs like ashwagandha are great for anxiety and L-theanine offers the calming effect you find in tea and can support thinking, sleep and relaxation.
Finally, CBD is shown to top up your natural cannabinoid levels and reduce anxiety, improve sleep and even help with pain management. Ultimately, when you pick up a functional drink you should look at the ingredients, check there are no contradictions with your medication and avoid them if you’re pregnant – which is the same with alcohol.”
As for the future of functional drinks? Willoughby concludes: “In alcohol-free, this additional feeling or health benefit helps counter the loss felt from not having a social drink that contains alcohol, which makes them very popular.
They are their own drink category and people are excited to explore them. I see this sector only growing as it’s great to come out of the pub healthier.”
Below are the best functional drinks to buy and try for body and mind.
Sentia Spirits Gaba Red
From Professor David Nutt comes Sentia, a new alcohol-free 'spirit' that stimulates the brain's GABA neurotransmitter to mimic the effects of booze - that is, calming, lightness and relaxation - minus the head-splitting consequences afterwards. The drink is made with natural botanicals including ashwagandha to help you unwind, relax and socialise with your mates just as genuine alcohol does.
The red option is slightly spiced and can be enjoyed neat or paired with mixers to create a mocktail. Alternate between full-strength drinks or spend all evening drinking it - the choice is yours. Perfectly calibrated for flavour and effect.
Buy now £27.54, Amazon
Three Spirit Nightcap
There’s something so relaxing about a nightcap before bed, and even more so when it’s Three Spirit Nightcap, a non-alcoholic blend of mellow aromatics, valerian and black pepper with aromas of wood, spice and citrus on the nose and flavours of maple, vanilla and hazelnut on the palate. Perfect over ice as a natural relaxer before bedtime – with no hangover the next day.
Buy now £22.95, Amazon
Punchy Everyday Hydration Mango - 12 x 330ml
This wellness blend from Punchy is packed with essential minerals, electrolytes and vitamins C and D to boost your immunity and keep your muscles in perfect working order. The Mango flavour is juicy, fruity and mouthwatering.
Buy now £21.99, Amazon
Trip Blood Orange Rosemary Mindful Blend x 24
Packing a powerful blend of magnesium, lion’s mane, ashwagandha and L-theanine – viral ingredients that have amassed over 3.5 billion searches on TikTok, no less – Mindful Blend by Trip is the trendiest functional drink to try right now.
Offering a new way to find calm, Blood Orange Rosemary is our favourite flavour, featuring tangy bloody orange, warming ginger and lime, plus lemon balm and rosemary. Beautifully balanced.
Buy now £31.20, Trip
G Spot Soothe Scarlet Apple & Sage x 6
Fresh apples, sage and angelica come together in this flavour of G Spot – the functional drinks brand founded by none other than screen siren Gillian Anderson – boosted with adaptogens and nootropics to calm your mind and mood.
Buy now £16.50, G Spot
Hip Pop Ginger Turmeric Gut Lovin’ Soda
This lightly sparkling soda is infused with fibre, apple cider vinegar, ginger, black pepper, turmeric and live cultures for a concoction that tastes good and supports your gut health. Better still, it’s low-calorie, contains absolutely no sweeteners, and is gluten-free and 100 per cent natural. A spicy and aromatic staple for your fridge.
Buy now £5.25, Waitrose
Goodrays CBD Infused Sparkling Elderflower & Yuzu 6 x 250ml Cans
As the strongest CBD carbonated drink on the market with 30mg of Colorado-grown CBD per can, Goodrays is our go-to for a hit without the high, while each drink is also packed with loads of vitamin D. Elderflower & Yuzu is our preferred pick with a refreshing and vibrant taste.
Buy now £11.25, Amazon
Living Things Raspberry & Pomegranate
From clear skin to good sleep, there are myriad of benefits linked to gut health, which is why the prebiotic sodas from Living Things can only be good thing. Each can is teeming with two billion live cultures to help with your gut health while being high in fibre and low in calories.
Buy now £21.59, Amazon
Acti+ Peach & Apricot
Made with all-natural ingredients and added nootropics, vitamins and minerals – basically, all of the good stuff – Acti+ is a clean energy drink that promises to fuel performance. The brand-new Peach & Apricot flavour is refreshing on the palate while improving mental performance, combating tiredness and supporting immune health.
Buy now £5.00, Tesco
Mother Root Ginger Switchel
Enjoy a fresh mix of fiery ginger, zippy apple cider vinegar, mellow blossom honey and a lick of chilli heat from Mother Root Ginger Switchel, an alcohol-free aperitif that’s redefining drinking for pleasure for the health-conscious generation. We enjoyed ours over lots of ice with soda or sparkling water. The secret is in the apple cider vinegar, whose benefits range from increased energy to improved gut health.
Buy now £28.45, Amazon
FHIRST Cherry Vanilla
Got a taste for the nostalgic? You’ll love Cherry Vanilla from FHRIST – a probiotic and prebiotic living gut soda with no sugar or sweeteners – which tastes exactly like the childhood favourite but with none of the nasties. Over two billion stable living probiotic cultures are contained within a single can for enhanced gut health and overall wellbeing. Zero sugar seals the deal.
Price is for 12.
Buy now £20.52, Amazon
Selfish Sparkling Prebiotic Drink Apple & Raspberry
Each can of the prebiotic drink Selfish contains real fruit juice and 5.2g of fibre to support your gut health, and all under 80 calories. A guilt-free and gut-friendly way to satisfy that sweet craving this summer without reaching for sugary pop.
£18.99 for 12 cans.
Buy now £17.10, MyProtein
Sweet Freedom Fizz Mango & Mandarin Sparkling Water
Featuring a first-to-the-UK-market natural sweetener in the form of cocoa juice, Sweet Freedom Fizz can be served straight-up or mixed into a mocktail, its range comprising four flavours for different benefits. Try Mango & Mandarin which promises zen thanks to schisandra berry to support your nervous system.
Buy now £17.75, Amazon
Vievé Protein Water Wild Cherry
Protein waters are big business, now lining the shelves of most supermarkets, so it can be hard to see the wood for the trees. Our pick is Vievé, each of its seven flavours containing 20g of collagen in every 500ml bottle, making it the perfect post-workout drink or hydrating top-up without the need for bland food or powdered drinks. Wild Cherry is lipsmackingly good.
Buy now £13.95, Amazon
MOJU Extra Strength Ginger Dosing Bottles (4 x 420ml Pack, 28 Shots Total)
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Who doesn’t like a ginger shot to get the day off to a good – and fiery – start? Making them something of a morning ritual is MOJU, a functional shot pioneer with a range of all-natural shots to get you going. The Ginger Vitality Extra Strength crams an eye-watering 25.4g of fresh Peruvian ginger root into every dose for a fiery kick that provides natural energy and immune support.
Buy now £34.00, Amazon
INTUNE Grapefruit & Mint CBD Drink
Instagrammable good looks aside, the Grapefruit & Mint flavour CBD drink (containing 10mg of the latter) from INTUNE is a riot of flavours on the palate, zesty and flesh with a touch of mint, quince and passionfruit for good measure. Drink straight from the can with lunch or pour over tequila for a twist on a Paloma cocktail come evening.
Buy now £16.20, Amazon
Agua de Madre Water Kefir Bottles
As the original cultured beverage – a fermented water kefir packed with billions of live cultures that are great for your gut – it would be remiss not to include Agua de Madre, the female-founded brand from Mexico. It’s sparkling and low in sugar while the Pomegranate & Hibiscus flavour will have you saying ‘adios’ to sugary fizzy drinks forever.
£60 for a six pack.
Buy now £60.00, Agua de Madre
