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Some flavors don’t just taste good, they transport you in time and place. Cotton candy melting the second it hits your tongue harks back to hazy summers spent at the carnival. Frosted confetti cake conjures memories of birthdays. And chewy fruit-flavored candies are reminiscent of monthly trips to the movie theater. Those flavors have lasting power, so it’s no surprise we’re seeing them appear in everything from pre-workouts and protein powders to energy drinks—without the sugar high.
Brands are reimagining familiar flavors through a more functional lens. The latest to do it is 5-hour ENERGY, which is tapping into those childhood throwbacks to stand out in a crowded market and bring some nostalgia.
“For many, it reminds us of a better time,” says Manoj Bhargava, founder of 5-hour ENERGY. “Cotton candy, for example, reminds you of when you went to a fair. It brings back the feeling of being a kid.”
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Cotton Candy, Confetti Craze, and Fruity Rainbow bring playful flavor inspiration to the brand’s signature energy shot, proving that growing up doesn’t mean leaving the fun behind.
The experimental flavors are “good for people who want to be the first to try something new—and are afraid they might miss out,” Bhargava adds. “If successful, we make them part of our full flavor lineup, which is what we did with Cotton Candy, Confetti Craze, and Fruity Rainbow.“
The brand is also playing into how people are rethinking when and how they consume caffeinated beverages. With trends like Dry January and sober curiosity gaining momentum, 5-hour ENERGY is experimenting beyond the classic grab-and-go shot. To lean into that shift, the brand hosted a mocktail event at New York City’s Pebble Bar, using the new flavors as the base for non-alcohol drinks.
“Since we launched the new flavors, we’re finding more and more people experiment with mixing them into drinks since they taste so good,” Bhargava says. “Mocktails are very popular, so it’s a new way to enjoy our product.”
Tim Sweeney, beverage director at Pebble Bar, created these three recipes to showcase how you can reinvent a 5-hour ENERGY shot to bring some classic flavors into modern creations.
Cotton Candy Spritz
Ingredients
- ½ oz 5-hour ENERGY® Cotton Candy
- 2 oz raspberry chamomile NA sparkling wine
- 3 oz club soda
- Grapefruit twist, for garnish
Directions
- Add ingredients to a wine glass with ice.
- Stir to incorporate.
- Garnish with a grapefruit twist
Strawberry Rainbow Lemonade
Ingredients
- ¾ oz 5-hour Energy® Fruity Rainbow
- ½ oz ginger syrup
- ½ oz strawberry puree
- 1 oz lemon juice
- 1 oz Seedlip Grove
- 2 oz club soda
- Lemon wheel, for garnish
Directions
- Fill a shaker with ice and add all ingredients except soda and garnish. Shake to combine.
- Strain into a double rocks glass with fresh ice.
- Top with 2 oz club soda.
- Garnish with a lemon wheel.
Confetti Cake Break
Ingredients
- ¾ oz 5-hour Energy® Confetti Craze
- ¾ oz Seedlip Spice
- 2 oz coconut mix (3 parts coconut cream to 1 part coconut milk)
- 1½ oz pineapple juice
- ½ oz orange Juice
- Maraschino cherry, for garnish
- Sprinkles, for garnish
Directions
- Fill a shaker with ice and add all ingredients except garnishes. Shake to combine.
- Strain into a Collins glass with crushed ice.
- Top with maraschino cherry and sprinkles.
If you’re feeling adventurous, explore more 5-hour ENERGY mocktail recipes on 5hourenergy.com.
