Boost you mood and unwind with the best adaptogen drinks

Often marketed as an alcohol alternative, adaptogenic drinks incorporate natural ingredients called adaptogens that boast a variety of health and wellness benefits, such as boosting mood, increasing alertness, and relieving stress. Often derived from mushroom, herb, and root varietals, these trendy drinks take many forms, from canned mocktails to supplement powders to coffee alternatives.

Whether you’re looking for a way to cut down on your alcohol intake or destress at night, we rounded up everything you need to know about adaptogens, including the best brands on the market right now.

Understanding adaptogen drinks

Adaptogens are a category of herbs, roots, and plants that have the capacity to help reduce mental and physical stress. Although they have been used throughout history, including in traditional Chinese medicine, the term “adaptogen” was not coined until 1947.

Common adaptogens include ginseng, ashwagandha, lion’s mane mushroom, reishi mushroom, and many more. There are also synthetic adaptogens out there, like bromantane, levamisole, aphobazole, and bemethyl, that perform similar functions but aren’t found in nature.

Adaptogen beverage brands have innovated in such a way that there’s a drink to fit almost every part of your day, whether you’re looking for a low-caffiene coffee or tea alternative, fizzy mocktail, daily supplement powder, or relaxing sleep tonic. Brands like Recess, Hiyo, MUD/WTR, and more have shaped the many adaptogen drink options you might see in your local grocery store today.

Watch: Learn more about adaptogens with Apothékary Founder and CEO Shizu Okusa below:

Potential health benefits of adaptogenic drinks

Adaptogenic drinks boast a variety of health benefits depending on the specific adaptogens included, from improving focus to relieving stress to restoring balance to even making you feel buzzed. Adaptogens also have a history of improving athletes’ endurance with some beverage brands even targeting fitness recovery.

While there’s a lot we still don’t know about adaptogens, there have been several scientific studies conducted to measure the effect of these substances on stress and cognitive function. For example, one study found that adults who took ashwaghanda extract daily experienced less anxiety and even lower levels of cortisol. Rhodiola rosea has also been associated with strengthening the body’s resilience to stress.

Potential risks and considerations

Despite all the health benefits associated with adaptogens, consumers should also be aware that these ingredients may interact with medications and even alcohol. If you’re pregnant, have pre-existing health issues, or take prescription/over-the-counter medication, you should consult your doctor before trying an adaptogenic drink.

While they may not compare to the price of a cocktail, adaptogenic drinks also tend to be on the pricier side and may not fit everyone’s budget.

How to choose the right adaptogen drink

The recent boom in adaptogenic drink brands means there are a lot of products to choose from. If you don’t know where to start, we’ve rounded up a few of our favorites on the market. As you get started on your search, here are some factors to keep in mind.

• Quality ingredients: There’s no right or wrong when it comes to the adaptogens — synthetic or otherwise — that are included in a drink. However, you should examine the ingredients before purchasing to make sure you know what effects to expect.
• Brand ethos: Knowing what drives a brand can help you find the right beverage for you, whether you’re in search of a supplement to add to your smoothies or a drink to replace your morning coffee.
• Flavors: Because these drinks often feature mushrooms, herbs, and more, they can have rather strong flavors. Knowing the flavors you like will help narrow down your options, or opting for a variety pack can help you take that first step.
• Experience: Different adaptogens do different things, like promote deep sleep or energize you. Pay attention to the ingredient list, so you know what you’re getting yourself into.

Popular adaptogen drink brands

Non Alcoholic Alternatives

Hiyo

Hiyo’s unique adaptogen drinks are marketed as social tonics intended to help you “feel the float.” The brand offers just four flavors of its alcohol-alternative, functional seltzers, utilizing adaptogens, nootropics, and plants that provide a variety of mood and health benefits.

Hiyo is by far my favorite adaptogen drink brand, boasting delicious, fruity flavors — I love the Blackberry Lemon — and a nice, subtle buzz. While I love trying new functional drinks when I find them, I keep returning to Hiyo whenever I have an event and I want to go alcohol-free. The brand doesn’t offer a ton of product variety, but it achieves what it sets out to do very well.

Apothekary

Offering a wide range of herbal remedies, Apothekary sells tinctures and powders for addressing stress, immunity, sleep, digestion, and more. Several of the brand’s products incorporate adaptogens, such as ashwasgandha and reishi, to mitigate stress. Founder Shizu Okusa — who you may also know as the founder of the trendy juicery Jrink — took inspiration from her Japanese roots in creating the brand’s holistic health approach.

Apothekary differs from many other trendy alcohol-alternative adaptogen beverage brands in that its products need to be mixed with warm water in the case of the powder formulas or added to a drink or taken directly in the case of the tinctures. This might make the products a little less convenient as an alcohol substitute at public events, but the variety of the selection means you can choose the option that best caters to your needs.

Do Soi

De Soi specializes in non-alcoholic aperitifs available in bottles or cans. The brand currently offers four fizzy flavors — Tres Rose, Golden Hour, Champignon Dreams, and Purple Lune — all featuring adaptogenic ingredients, such as lion’s mane, reishi mushroom, and saffron meant to give you an alcohol-like buzz.

Cofounded by notable singer-songwriter Katy Perry, De Soi was created to bring people a tasty, non-alcoholic alternative to their nightcap or happy hour. The brand does a great job of describing each drink’s flavor profile down to the level of bitterness and acidity, and the bottle option makes De Soi very shareable and giftable for your next social occasion.

Kin Euphorics

Perhaps best known for its celebrity model cofounder Bella Hadid, Kin Euphorics incorporates adaptogens, nootropics, and botanics into its canned drinks and spirit mixes, leaning into the non-alcoholic marketing angle. These natural ingredients are supposed to help you relax and think more clearly, whether you need an energy boost as you head to a party or you’re ready to wind down for bed.

While you may have seen the buzzy brand’s colorful cans on the shelves in your local grocery store, just be aware that some of the flavors can be more overpowering than some of the other adaptogen drinks on this list, thanks to the botanics. I’ve tried the Kin Spritz and found it goes down a little easier when watered down or added to a mixer rather than drinking straight from the can.

Peak Cocktails

Although many adaptogen drinks are meant as alcohol alternatives for social events, Peak Cocktails found a niche in fitness recovery. The brand’s two flavor options, Passion Fruit Margarita and Blood Orange Spritz, incorporate l-theanine, lemon balm, ashwagandha, and more to promote restoration both inside and out.

While a lot of adaptogen drinks on the market tend to have vibrant, whimsical aesthetics, Peak Cocktails takes on the look of an energy drink with its bold, black can. And with no added sugar and only 35 calories a serving, this drink won’t hold you back from achieving your wellness goals.

Sparkling Waters

Heywell

Heywell is brought to you by two alumni of MillerCoors hoping to make wellness more accessible. The brand sells six drinks that center on different aspects of wellbeing, including calm, energy, focus, immunity, and restoration. The flavored sparkling waters are plant-based, low sugar, and gluten-free, featuring flavors like strawberry lemon, cherry limeade, and blackberry ginger.

The drinks include not only a variety of adaptogens, but also antioxidants, herbs and minerals, such as schisandra, magnesium, ginseng, l-theanine, and more. At $45 for a 12-pack, Heywell’s drinks are also fairly reasonably priced, ringing up at less than $4 per can.

Recess Mood

Recess offers four drink lines, including relaxing hemp and adaptogen drinks, zero-proof mocktails, a mood-enhancing magnesium and adaptogen line, and a convenient magnesium and adaptogen electrolyte powder. Each line has a variety of calming, beneficial ingredients, such as l-theanine.

I really like the flavors of the brand’s Recess Mood collection, particularly the Peach Ginger option, and found them to be quite beneficial for unwinding after a long day. The brand is fairly ubiquitous throughout the U.S., depending on your location, and its ventures into canned mocktails and electrolyte powders mean you’re able to bring the brand with you to a party or on the go.

Tru

Tru carries canned adaptogen seltzers as well as mini wellness shots, offering a unique, convenient medium for a quick mood boost. Unlike other adaptogenic drink brands, Tru doesn’t strive to replace your alcohol but rather everyday beverages like soda and energy drinks. All of the brand’s full-sized drinks come in a shot version and target different wellness areas like energy, focus, immunity, and more.

Only the focus-targeted drink mentions the presence of adaptogens and nootropics, listing l-theanine and choline bitartrate among the ingredients. So while Tru does offer health-minded beverage alternatives, its adaptogenic drink options are pretty limited.

Coffees and Teas

MUD/WTR

You probably know MUD/WTR for its “mushroom coffee” alternatives, including Matcha, Cacao, Turmeric, and Rooibos drinks. The brand seeks to celebrate the ritual of coffee without the beverage’s jittery downsides. These drinks boost your body and mind with lion’s mane, cordyceps, reishi, chaga, and more.

All of the drinks come in the form of a powder that just needs to be frothed with hot water or milk. The brand’s original flavor Cacao (a hot chocolate and chai latte hybrid) contains 35 mg of caffeine, while the Matcha has 55 mg. MUD/WTR also sells a creamer, sweetener, and mushroom boost to enhance your drink.

Magic Mind

In a society where people struggle to focus and maintain energy, Magic Mind’s mission is to help humans grow their mental wealth— the way people feel and mentally perform. The concept of mental wealth refers to the psychological assets and emotional resilience that allows individuals to effectively navigate life’s challenges, harness opportunities and maintain a state of well-being.

Magic Mind is a mental performance shot. The beverage fits into a new category of brain supplement, increasing mental performance and decreasing stress, making the day lower friction, more productive and more satisfying. Magic Mind’s benefits increase efficacy over time without creating dependency or withdrawal allowing our consumers to unlock their best self.

Clevr

Clevr’s adaptogen drinks come in the form of a mixable powder that creates SuperLattes and SuperTeas when added to water. The women-led brand focuses on educating consumers about adaptogens, promoting the stress-relieving benefits and complementary relationship with caffeine. The brand’s SuperLatte powders include a plant-based milk for a smooth, creamy texture, while the SuperTeas contain coconut water and are meant to be served iced.

I’ve tested the brand’s Sleeptime SuperLatte and, while I did notice some benefits to my sleep, I couldn’t get past the mix’s earthy taste. However, I think some of the other flavors, like the Matcha, Chai, or London Fog SuperLattes, might offer a better taste profile.

Moon Juice

As a brand that sells supplements, skincare, snacks, and more, Moon Juice carries a variety of adaptogenic powders that can be added to your coffee, baked goods, smoothies, or even applied directly to your skin.

You can shop single-ingredient adaptogen powders, like ashwagandha or rhodiola, to customize your own adaptogenic drink, or opt for an adoptegen blend like the brand’s Brain Dust made with lion’s mane, astragalus, ginkgo leaf extract, and more. While Moon Juice doesn’t offer pre-made adaptogen drinks, the company’s convenient powders allow you to fit adaptogens into your current daily routine and reap the benefits.

Spacegoods

The England-based wellness brand, Spacegoods, specializes in mushrooms, believing they are the way of the future. In line with its cosmic-inspired branding, the company’s two core products are Rainbow Dust and Astro Dust — powdered blends with all the mushrooms and adaptogens you might need for the day and night respectively.

Rainbow Dust is available in a variety of flavors much like a protein powder might be, including chocolate, vanilla cinnamon, and chocolate orange. It promotes focus, energy, and calm via lion’s mane, cordyceps, chaga, and more. Astro Dust was created to help you relax, unwind, and sleep, thanks to reishi, ashwagandha, l-tryptophan, and more. While there isn’t a huge variety to choose from, Spacegoods achieves its purpose of consolidating and streamlining the sometimes confusing world of adaptogens.