Homemade Red Bull?

November 1, 2009 2:01 PM

I greatly enjoy the taste of Red Bull. I'm not all that interested in the energy benefits, but is there any way to mimic the drink's taste at home? Cans are outrageously expensive, so I think preparing it in bulk would work a lot more. Ideas?
posted by Miyomei to food & drink (13 comments total)

Previously.
posted by prunes at 2:14 PM on November 1, 2009

Red Bull always tasted like purple ("grape") Smarties to me. Maybe crush them and dissolve them in water? Hmmmm.
posted by raztaj at 2:19 PM on November 1, 2009

I always thought Red Bull tasted like Pixy Stix.
posted by zsazsa at 2:19 PM on November 1, 2009

SodaStream home soda maker and the "energy drink" mixer that they sell. It's a redbull knockoff that makes 12 liters for about $5.00. Tastes just like it.

Sorry for the lack of links... on my phone.
posted by csimpkins at 2:43 PM on November 1, 2009 [1 favorite]

Taurine and guarana. Those are the particular flavors that give the "energy drink" taste.

Unfortunately, they are significantly responsible for the stimulant effects as well.

(And I'm with you. I think many energy drinks taste great. I especially like Red Bull and sugar-free Monster. I don't think they taste like soaped strawberries at all.)
posted by Netzapper at 3:35 PM on November 1, 2009

To be clear, I like the strawberry soap taste.
posted by Sys Rq at 3:38 PM on November 1, 2009

Red Bull always tasted like pineapple flavored soda pop to me. Head to your nearest generic soda display and test accordingly.
posted by wiretap at 4:11 PM on November 1, 2009

Links to what I mentioned earlier:

SodaStream

Red Bull Knock-off Soda Mix

It's really pretty similar... probably as close as you'll get. And you'll save a ton of money if you drink a lot of it. You can find deals on the SodaStream starter kits for as cheap as $70, which makes about 60 liters of soda with the included carbonator.

After that, it's $15 for new 60 liter CO2 carbonators and $5.99 for the Red Bull sodamix, which makes 12 liters... or the equivalent of 33 cans of redbull.
posted by csimpkins at 5:19 PM on November 1, 2009 [3 favorites]

The Sodastream idea is a little pricey, but the energy drink mix is a good place to start. Thanks!

Also, I saw the similar question posted previously, but it had more of an alcoholic drink mix slant that I'm not interested in.
posted by Miyomei at 6:36 PM on November 1, 2009

You don't mention where you are, but there's a chain of discount stores called Big Lots that has almost a full aisle devoted to discounted/discontinued energy drinks and sodas. They typically sell their energy drinks in the 50-70 cent range per can, much cheaper than the $2-3 you'll find at a convenience store.

If you don't have any luck duplicating the taste of Red Bull at home, you might be able to find something that is similar there at Big Lots. I like Monster a lot, and tried several Big Lots drinks before I found Ace Energy, which tastes pretty darned close if not better. Not surprising, since both brands are owned by Hansen, which seems to dump a lot of their overstock on Big Lots.
posted by MegoSteve at 7:05 PM on November 1, 2009

Big Lots store locator.
posted by MegoSteve at 7:10 PM on November 1, 2009

nth the SodaStream soda mix. You could just buy carbonated water to mix it with. If there is one nearby, Kohl's carries the mixes.
posted by jtfowl0 at 7:44 PM on November 1, 2009

FWIW, all of the Kohls near me got rid of the soda mixes about a month ago till next year. They told me they're a 'seasonal item'.
posted by csimpkins at 8:17 PM on November 1, 2009