🔌Review - Ghost Energy - Welch's Grape Juice

First released in 2024 as an official collaboration between Ghost and Welch's, this purple can aims to take you back to your childhood, full of refreshingly sweet Juicebox nostalgia. Ghost formulated the flavors using real Welch's Concord Grape juice concentrates in micro-doses augmented by artificial flavor systems, producing a distinctive sweet + tart profile. GHOST (GHOST Lifestyle LLC) is a lifestyle sports nutrition and beverage company headquartered in Henderson, Nevada. Founded in 2016 by Dan Lourenco (CEO) and Ryan Hughes (CMO), the brand positions itself around its mantra "Be Seen," targeting fitness enthusiasts, gamers, and mainstream consumers rather than traditional bodybuilders. I first encountered them as a part of sponsored content around Call of Duty Warzone on Twitch. Keurig Dr Pepper is in the process of fully acquiring Ghost by 2028, having held the controlling interest in the brand for a number of years.

🛒Price: 3 for $6, two bucks apiece at Publix, similar pricing at RaceTrac stations.

✨Calories: 10, 16oz. can

🍵Caffeine: 200mg, slightly more than a cup of coffee, derived from Arabica beans

👅Flavor: It's weird to start with the aftertaste, but they absolutely nailed it. The major flavors taste just like Welch's purple grape, balancing sweetness and a little bit of sour/bitter acid prickle. Not overly sweet, it treads a good line without toeing over into grape candy or soda land. There is a bit of inescapable energy drink minerality during the major movements of the palate, but it doesn't overly impair the experience.

🧪Ingredients: Zero Sugar, Gluten Free, No Artificial Colors, and Vegan Friendly(whatever that means). Ghost does include detailed dosage information on their active ingredients which is nice as opposed to just listing them.

Sweeteners: Sucralose & Acesulfame Potassium (as much diet energy drinks do)
Energy & Nootropic Blend:

Caffeine (200mg)
Carnipure® L-Carnitine L-Tartrate (1,000 mg): Cellular energy transfer agent aiding in fatty acid oxidation.
Alpha-GPC (Alpha-Glycerylphosphorylcholine) (75 mg): Highly bioavailable choline donor that crosses the blood-brain barrier to support acetylcholine synthesis for cognitive focus.
NeuroFactor™ (Coffea arabica Fruit Extract) (100 mg): Patented whole coffee fruit extract shown to elevate systemic levels of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF).
AstraGin® (Panax notoginseng and Astragalus membranaceus) (25 mg): Absorption enhancer designed to increase amino acid and nutrient uptake.
Taurine (1,000 mg): Osmolyte and neurotransmitter modulator aiding cardiovascular and muscular endurance.

B-Vitamins: B3 Niacin (110% DV), B5 (100% DV), B6 (100% DV), and B12 (100% DV).

🏆Rating: 3.75 - Good, border of Grape Greatness - Color me intrigued and a repeat buyer. While there is a little funk to it from the energy mix, the minerality sits well under the grape flavors which hold up well and closely mimic those of actual juice.

⚖️Scale:

🥃Review 92: 1.75L Costco's Kirkland Kentucky Bourbon 2026

Costco has historically worked with Barton 1792 for it's bourbon line, putting out a small batch , bottled-in-bond , and single barrel edition in liter bottles in waves over the last few years. This new 1.75L edition debuted in Spring of 2026 and mysteriously lacks a named distiller. The label proudly states that it was distilled and aged in Bardstown, Kentucky before being bottled in Columbia, Tennessee by DC Flynt MY Domaines & Estates (never heard of them). Flynt appear to be more wine focused and have led a number of wine bottlings for Costco historically in addition to some Gins. Distilleries at scale in Bardstown include Jim Beam, Barton 1792, Heaven Hill (though primary production is at Bernheim in Louisville), Lux Row, Willet, and Bardstown Bourbon Company. I doubt it is Barton 1792 since they proudly label their existing collaboration and I suspect it may be a producer without a 1.75L bottling line (would justify the move better than just adding logistics for ...

☕ All Java Monster Flavors Tasted & Ranked

As a habitual caffeine abuser, I have a soft spot for Monster, both for their expansive lineup of flavors as well as their support for Sports and E-sports. Coffee is my standard caffeination vector, so the Java Monster suite of products is the perfect mix of bean flavor and energy boost. In this post, I'll provide my personal rankings and rationale for what is a very strong lineup. Note that I have not been compensated in any way for this write-up... I just like them. Currently, Monster Energy 's Java Monster lineup has five available flavors: Mean Bean - Vanilla Irish Crème Loca Mocha - Chocolate Salted Caramel Café Latte There are two "triple shot" versions of the Vanilla and Mocha which contain 300mg of caffeine though their flavors are very similar to the base versions above. At this point, we should also take a moment of silence for the two cold brew flavors, sweet black and nitro latte. The nitro latte was a personal favorite and I quite liked the sweet black,...

🎮Call of Duty Zombies: The Drinking Game - Rules

Since its introduction in Call of Duty: World at War , Call of Duty Zombies has been a PvE staple for gamers everywhere and has appeared in many subsequent titles. In this post, we'll explore rules for turning a game of round-based zombies into a lovely drinking session. As with all drinking games, set limits before you begin and be sure to conduct yourself both legally and responsibly. Preparation To play the game, you'll need the following in addition to an internet connection, gaming device, and Call of Duty: A Party Sipper of your Choice - I recommend something relatively low ABV. We balanced the rules for a player of moderate ability and a sipper of 4-8% alcohol. Light beer is my go-to here since it has enough lovely hydrating waters to help stave off some small sadness. A Couple of Shots - I would pre-pour a couple of shots to have on hand. Again, lower end of ABV which for shots likely means 80 proof. Kirkland Canadian Whiskey, Tito's Vodka, or Lunazul Tequila wo...

🎮🥃 Call of Duty Zombies: Perk-a-Cola Cocktail Recipes

With yet another Call of Duty release on the horizon, we have assembled a collection of Perk-a-Cola themed cocktail recipes to help you get your zombies gaming session kicked off in just the right way. Be sure to check out our Zombies Drinking Game Rules as these recipes make for a great companion. Recipe Overview In general, these recipes attempt to mimic the color and feel of each perk-a-cola. Dark liquors can be swapped interchangeably to your liking and you can substitute vodka or light rum for gin if needed. To lower the calories, you can use sparkling water of a complementary flavor. Alternatively, you could use hard seltzer to up the alcohol content. Use ice aggressively to fill up to 12oz. To little ice and it will melt faster and provide too much dilution while cooling the drink. All of these can be scaled to make a pitcher, just stir extra where it says to shake. Always drink responsibly. 1. Jugger-Nog Boost your health pool with a bracing and creamy cocktail...

🔌Review - Costco's Kirkland Sparkling Energy Drink - Orange

Released earlier this year in 2026, the Kirkland Sparkling Energy Drink lineup features three flavors: Orange, Tropical, and Peach. The style, ingredients, and caffeine content seem to be talking aim directly at recent CPG success, Celsius Energy. It echoes that brands "clean" veneer with no high fructose corn syrup, GMO ingredients, or artificial colorings. 🛒 Price: $16.99/24 ~$.7/each - Costco. Celsius is normally around $20/12 without sales, so figure around 95 cents savings per can vs. full sticker which is around 58% savings. Celsius is showing up frequently on sale around $15 now but that's still not nearly enough to reach parity. ✨Calories: 10 , 12oz. can 🍵 Caffeine: 200mg, around a third more than a cup of coffee, more than Monster and Red Bull - similar to Celsius. 👅 Flavor: Very effervescent, I get tons of bubbles - close to Red Bull and more than Celsius. It does have a thinner mouthfeel vs Monster Ultra and Red Bull on balance whi...

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