Keurig Dr Pepper’s repackaged and reformulated Bai is reaching store shelves now with the tagline, “It’s WonderWater.” The new formula adds electrolytes and zinc. The new taste is sweetened only with stevia for all flavors. The refreshed bottle body is made from 100% recycled content....

A Rockstar branded vodka canned cocktail is available in Canada. Rockstar Vodka contains 6.9% alcohol by volume.

Coca-Cola’s BodyArmor brand and Dude Perfect have teamed up for a limited time summer flavor called Perfect Pop. BodyArmor is the official sports drink of Dude Perfect, a sports and comedy group that gained a wide following by posting videos of...

The pandemic put a temporary chill on choice as CPG companies waded through supply shortages and retail disruption to keep core products on the shelf. As we move further away from crisis mode, expect to see a return to the kinds of customization and personalization that was growing prior to the global upheaval.

Here are a couple of examples that have come across my desk in recent months:

Dream Tea NYC — A consumer answers a few basic questions so the company can create a personalized small batch tea blend for them. BD’s Laura Stanford, a hot tea drinker, gave the program a try. She chose loose leaf chamomile tea with added lavender, bergamot, and vanilla. The can, which she selected in green, was printed with her first name and a list of tasting notes: honey, smoke, citrus, vanilla, and “inspiration.”

Pax — The product is sold in a resealable pouch containing drink mix packets — three each of Cranberry Cosmo, Margarita, Pineapple Paloma, and Moscow Mule. The flavor mixes can...

We tried it. My family assembled at the house this past weekend to sample one of the oddest examples of social media targeted collaboration we’ve seen. I’m talking about Empirical’s Doritos Vodka.

This is the nacho cheese flavored spirit that made the rounds of lifestyle publications, blogs, and social media feeds last December. We took the bait and bought a bottle. All in, the $65 vodka cost us $81.50 for 750-ml after fees and taxes. It arrived in March.

You likely didn’t get a bottle yourself unless you acted fast — the limited run sold out immediately. After all, this bit of laboratory fun by an avant-garde Danish distillery was taken to the masses by PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay to generate free media attention and TikTok level excitement. Guilty as charged.

The first thing I can say is that Doritos Vodka absolutely tastes like Doritos nacho cheese. Empirical describes the flavor as “nacho cheese, corn tostada, umami, hint of acidity.” No disagreement here.

I am not a...