Over the last few years there seems to have been a boom in energy drinks. 'Red Bull' was one of the first, is the best known and is certainly the market leader in the energy drinks niche. Latterly 'Solstis' from Lucozade, 'Red Devil' and now this one 'Spiked Silver' have emerged in an attempt to try and challenge Red Bull for the number one spot but without any degree of success BUT that could soon change.
I get up very early in the morning (5:30) and for the first hour of my day, drive around doing a zombie impression. I used to stop off somewhere and pick up a coffee to wake me up but got fed up of the disgusting taste of machine coffee so I tried Red Bull at a freinds recommendation. Although being very sweet and acidic, Red Bull does the trick - it wakes your mind and stimulates your body, preparing it for action for the coming day. However on the off chance I tried Spiked Silver for a change and I got a very nice surprise - Spiked Silver does the same job as Red Bull but is far more natural tasting and doesn't have the sweet aftertaste that Red Bull tends to have.
Spiked Silver is a cranberry based energy drink with quite a high cranberry content (7.5 %) - this is quite high in comparison to other cranberry based drinks. As well as cranberries which have natural qualities the drink is rich in vitamin C which is also good for you. Spiked Silver is also spiked with alcohol free highs such as taurine, caffeine and yerba mate - taurine helps to produce chemicals inside your body which promote energy while the level of caffeine is simular to the amount found in coffee. Although not being suitable for people who are sensitive to caffeine or who are diabetic, the drink is suitable for vegetarians.
Spiked Silver is mostly a silver can as the name suggest with a light blue coloured tick on the front, it is quite similar in appearance to Red Bull. They are available in 250ml cans as is the norm with energy drinks but I have also seen them in four packs. The four packs would be useful if you consume these drinks at home but as I only purchase them as a pick-me-up when I am out on the road at work, I only ever purchase the single cans. These drinks don't come cheap with the 250ml single cans retailing for around £1.09 and the four packs retailing for roughly £2.99. Certainly a lot more expensive than a six pack of 'Coke' or 'Pepsi' but the drink shouldn't be viewed as a drink that should be consumed in large quantities. One can is sufficient to give you the energy boost you are looking for.
Once the can is opened this drink has a very strong smell of cranberries which is very enticing. The colour is quite a dark tint of purple, very reminiscent of 'Ocean Spray' cranberry juice and certainly darker than Red Bull. The taste is refreshing and natural and without a nasty after-taste. Spiked Silver in my view is easily the most refreshing and tasty energy drink I have consumed. Red Bull is the best known and the one that gets all the plaudits but Spiked Silver is far superior in my view and at roughly the same price you cannot go wrong.
Unfortunately because this drink is still fairly new it isn't that easy to find but hopefully that will begin to change over the coming months. It is distributed by Foodbroker's Ltd and is stocked by the likes of Sainsbury's, Allday's, Budgen's, One Stop and Dillon's. It can be found on BOGOF (buy one get one free) occasionally but promotion of this product is still fairly light. I have also seen the product in Garage's and in Cash and Carry's such as Makro and Bookers. Apparently it is also distributed by Carlsberg Tetley Ltd of Northampton for pubs and bars but I have yet to see them on sale anywhere so the places available are few and far between. I haven't used Spiked Silver yet as a mixer with a spirit so I can't comment in that regard but I would imagine it would be worth trying out.
If you like energy drinks or haven't seen or tried this product yet I would highly recommend it !
