Who knew all you needed to stay functional was a drink? If you’re new to functional drinks, they’re usually canned (often sparkling) drinks infused with ingredients like electrolytes, magnesium, vitamin C or adaptogens.

They’re designed to give you more energy, help you calm down, or even support your gut health – depending on the brand. They’re also simple, easy to drink, and might just save you from a £40 haul at Holland & Barrett made up of supplements you’ll forget to take by next week.

Any human being in the 21st century will appreciate the power of convenience. Sure, some of us have a sourdough starter slowly dying in the fridge. But that’s often the extent of our DIY wellness endeavours (and that’s if sourdough even counts as wellness).

Just like you can now get canned cocktails and surprisingly good mocktails, you can also sip your vitamins. The best part is that many of them taste as good as any sparkling drink, with the added bonus of ingredients that may support hydration, energy or focus.

But we’re not about to recommend a £3.50 can just because it looks good on a shelf. So, we’ve done the research and taste testing to find a few that genuinely deliver. But first:

What are functional drinks?

Functional drinks are beverages formulated with ingredients that aim to provide health benefits beyond basic hydration or nutrition. Unlike standard soft drinks or flavoured waters, these serve a specific purpose. It could be replenishing electrolytes post-workout, supporting cognitive function during high-focus periods, or easing stress after a long day.

The category includes drinks enhanced with:

• Electrolytes (e.g. potassium, magnesium, sodium) to support hydration and muscle function
• Vitamins and minerals (especially B vitamins, vitamin C, D, and zinc) for energy metabolism and immune health
• Adaptogens (like ashwagandha, ginseng, or rhodiola) thought to help the body manage stress
• Nootropics (such as L-theanine or lion’s mane mushroom powder) for mental clarity and focus
• Probiotics and prebiotics for gut health
• Botanicals and natural extracts with potential calming or energising properties (e.g. chamomile, green tea extract, turmeric)

What’s in your functional drink?

Functional drinks tend to make claims related to boosting energy, hydration, calm, focus, immune support, or gut health, depending on the key ingredients used. But how exactly do they achieve these effects?

Energy

If a drink promises natural energy, it usually means it contains B vitamins, caffeine, or some kind of adaptogen. The B vitamins (especially B12 and B6) do matter — they help your body turn food into energy – but unless you’re low on them to begin with, they’re unlikely to give you a noticeable boost.

Caffeine, however, works. Whether it’s from yerba mate, green tea, or straight-up coffee extract, it will almost always improve alertness, especially if you don’t overdo it. A lot of energy drinks now also include ingredients like maca or ginseng, which are meant to help with stamina and focus, though the research there is still in the early stages.

Calm and stress support

Lots of drinks now promise to help you relax, using ingredients like L-theanine, ashwagandha, chamomile, or CBD. L-theanine is one of the few that’s actually backed by research. It’s an amino acid found in green tea that can help calm the mind without making you sleepy.

Ashwagandha is another common one. It’s a plant used in Ayurvedic medicine, and there are studies showing it may help lower cortisol levels (that’s your stress hormone). CBD is a whole separate conversation. In high enough doses, it can help some people feel more relaxed. However, but in most drinks, the amount included (usually 15–30mg) is very small.

Gut health

If it’s a fermented drink (like water kefir or certain kombuchas), it should contain live probiotic cultures – the kind that support your gut microbiome. Probiotic drinks have the most established science behind them – provided the strains are clinically proven and delivered in effective doses.

The other type you’ll see is prebiotic drinks. These don’t have bacteria in them, but they include ingredients like inulin, chicory root, or apple fibre, which help feed the good bacteria you already have. Bottom line: If the label doesn’t list probiotic strains or any fibre content, it’s probably not doing much.

Focus and brain function

You’ll see words like “nootropic”, “cognitive support”, or “brain boost”, usually tied to ingredients like lion’s mane, L-tyrosine, GABA, or ginseng. Lion’s mane is one of the more promising ones – early studies suggest it may help with memory and mood, particularly in older adults or people with mild cognitive decline. But if you’re otherwise healthy, the research is still thin.

L-tyrosine has also been shown to help with mental performance under stress, especially in high-pressure scenarios. But again, the dose makes the difference, and most drinks don’t hit those clinical amounts.

Some of the best functional drinks we tried

1.Punchy

Punchy is a genuinely functional option for hydration and recovery. Each can is packed with electrolytes like sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium, plus added zinc and vitamin D, making it a great choice for hot days or post-workouts (or post-workouts on hot days!).

You’re also spoilt for choice, with three flavours based around natural ingredients and bold, refreshing profiles. The newest one, Mexican Lime, tastes like a crisp, refreshing lemonade, without the sugary hit or artificial aftertaste.

Punchy’s drinks are lightly carbonated, which gives them more of a hydrating, rehydration-focused feel than your average sparkling water. If you tend to forget to drink electrolytes or can’t stand the taste of typical sports drinks (us!), Punchy is a genuinely enjoyable and easy swap. They have hydration sachets too.

• Price: £9.95 for 4, with bigger packs available
• Where to buy: www.punchydrinks.com, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Booths and Holland&Barrett

2. Agua de Madre

3. Catalyse

4. TRIP

TRIP made its name with those now-iconic pastel CBD cans—an original line-up featuring 15mg of broad-spectrum CBD designed to promote calm and clarity. Their latest launch, Mindful Blend, leans more into functional wellness, swapping CBD for a Magnesium-based formula. Each can contains 120mg of magnesium and 100mg of Lion’s Mane, aiming to support relaxation and focus.

We tried the Blood Orange & Raspberry and Raspberry & Orange Blossom flavours – both genuinely delicious. The taste is natural, not overly sweet, and refreshingly free of that earthy CBD aftertaste, making them very easy to drink. Did we feel instantly calmer after one can? Not especially, but with ingredients like magnesium and adaptogens, the effects are likely more cumulative than instant.

• Price: £24 for a 12-pack or £5.50 for a 4-pack (Waitrose)
• Where to buy: drink-trip.com, also available in all major supermarkets

5. Apeal Wörld – ACV Sparkling (Metabolism)

Apeal Wörld is one of the few brands making ACV drinks that don’t taste like punishment (believe it or not). Each 250ml can contains 4.5% organic apple cider vinegar (that’s around 11.25ml per can) alongside organic spices and no added sugar. The brand claims benefits like steadier glucose levels, reduced energy crashes, better digestion, and even support with cravings.

The Metabolism flavour with cinnamon and clove tastes like spiced apple soda – the vinegar is still there (in all honesty!), but mellowed out by the warmth of the spices. There’s no sugar, but it doesn’t feel flat or thin. It’s sharp in a good way; we’d drink this in the morning or after a heavy meal.

• Price: £30 for a 12-pack
• Where to buy: acvdrink.com, select independent health stores