We like our self-care in liquid form, but we always get such weird looks when we pop open a White Claw at the end of a yoga class. (Um, what ever happened to the divine in you honoring the divine in me?) So, we were intrigued to hear about Dewdrop, a brand-new “sparkling functional beverage.” Dewdrop is a flavored sparkling water with 35 to 45 calories and 9 grams of sugar per can.
Are they the only wellness drink on the market? No. Are they the one with the prettiest packaging? Maybe!
But, looks aren’t everything — otherwise, literally no one would eat passion fruit — so we wanted to give these wellness beverages a try to see if they’d actually reduce our stress level. Worst case, they’d be delicious. Best case, we’d actually get some sleep instead of watching Joe Exotic’s music videos.
Do Drinks to Reduce Stress Actually Work?
They actually might.
We went looking for medical research that could spill the tea. Or the sparkling water. You get the point. Turns out the science is actually there. Research on adaptogens suggests that adaptogens may “exhibit a neuroprotective, anti-fatigue, antidepressive, anxiolytic, nootropic, and CNS stimulating activity… [and] increases mental work capacity against a background of stress and fatigue, particularly in tolerance to mental exhaustion and enhanced attention.”
In other words, they can reduce stress, exhaustion, and may help you focus. So maybe don’t mix them with vodka?
The study above focused on rhodiola (an ingredient in Pretty Happy), Schisandra, and Eleutherococcus. Another study suggests Ashwagandha (found in Pretty Balanced) may reduce stress, and Reishi mushroom (found in Pretty Bright and also known as Ganoderma Luciderm) may have anti-anxiety effects — at least in mice.
Reishi might have anti-aging effects in humans, though, so that’s a win for you. Unless you are a stressed-out rodent, in which case, enjoy your blissed-out ashwagandha drink and hope your new Parisian bistro is doing well!
We weren’t the only skeptics. Dewdrop creator Celeste Perez originally was too.
“That said, there’s a tradition of herbal medicine in my Filipino culture that endures. In my case, I ended up trying adaptogens out of desperation — I just really needed help managing stress. But they didn’t just balance my stress levels, they did so much more.”
Ok, So What Do They Taste Like?
Based on what flavored sparkling waters usually taste like, we weren’t expecting much.
Here’s our review of the three Dewdrop flavors.
1. Pretty Happy
Flavor profile: Passion fruit, Cacao, Vanilla Bean, Rhodiola
And, yep, it actually did provide some relief from the usual way-past-bedtime racing thoughts. Hello, zzz’s, we’ve missed you!
2. Pretty Balanced
Flavor profile: White Peach, Lemon Verbena, Moringa, and Ashwagandha
Pretty Balanced has the vibe of a confident woman who has her shit together and just got a promotion and loves Soul Cycle. We’ve had a lot of time to work on our vision boards lately!
Want to feel more focused? Need to tackle a looming deadline? This might be the bev for you. That may be thanks to the ashwagandha. Cheers to that!
3. Pretty Bright
Flavor profile: Yuzu, Ginger, Reishi Mushrooms
We saved Pretty Bright for last because we’re petty, and seeing reishi mushrooms on the list reminded us of those earthy pyramid-scheme “wellness teas” that our high school friends are always hawking on Facebook.
But this drink was yummy AF. The ginger was the most prominent flavor, but it wasn’t overwhelming. It’s also great for soothing tummy troubles — like on a long and bumpy road trip or when you’re nervous to give a presentation at work.
Can I Mix Dewdrop With Alcohol?
While these drinks were all delicious as-is, alcohol is a key part of our self-care routine, so we did some hands-on research to find the best booze for each flavor. Here are a few suggestions:
- A splash of tequila made Pretty Happy taste like an island paradise.
- A shot of dark rum complimented the spicy ginger notes in Pretty Bright.
- Pretty Balanced is a fancy lady drink, so I coupled it with a “grown-up” kind of alcohol: vermouth. I felt like a CEO as I drank spiked sparkling water while I wore a silk robe in my tiny apartment.
Friendly reminder that alcohol is technically not a wellness beverage, so don’t drink six glasses of vodka and Dewdrop and expect to wake up without a hangover. It has superfoods, not superpowers.
Where Can I Buy Dewdrop?
Dewdrop is available online, and shipping is fast. You can buy singles, or get a handy three-pack wellness kit and try every flavor. The pretty pink cardboard box even comes with the dopest astrology worksheet about how you should eat based on your sign. (Hopefully ours includes Cheez-Its or we’ll have to rethink our entire meal plan.)
“It’s funny that we’ve launched at such a stressful time for the entire world because it really puts our product to the test,” Perez says. “We hear from our customers that while drinking Dewdrop they feel refreshed and calm, that they feel like they are able to manage stressful situations better, and feel a little more upbeat.”
Come to think of it, you may want to pony up for the 12-pack.
When she's not lesson planning or editing, Laken might be hanging out with her Fulbright or graduate school colleagues, writing for sites like Entropy and Lambda Literary, or eating apple peelings.
Follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn and feel free to ask her how she was almost abducted by a cult while on a writing retreat in Ireland.
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This is great, usually my stress reduction drinks are grain alcohol.