Imagine a V8, but even more healthy, and with enough caffeine and other energy ingredients to even fulfill your need for a morning cup of coffee. Some geniuses in Ohio have come out with this fantastic product – and now it is up to us consumers to make sure they become millionaires because of it. In a field of copycat beverages, their drinks truly stands far apart from anyone else. It tastes fantastic, is family owned and run, uses premium ingredients and perks you right up. The only problem I see for them is that they are not nationwide – yet.

“Already we distribute to more than 400 bars, restaurants, and markets in Ohio, including Minotti’s, Great Lakes Brewing Company, and Flying Fig,” says Pinta. “It’s being carried in Meijer supermarkets in five states. Online orders have been going crazy, especially from New York. And both the Today Show and U.S. Weekly have contacted us for further information.”

The product name is Hot D, which is an acronym, based on the first letters in Hair Of The Dog.
“Taste was our main focus, but the fusion of Bloody Marys and energy is what really made Hot D stand out in the beverage market,” said Chris Pinta, owner and creator. “I found the reason most people were drinking Bloody Marys were taste and the fact that they needed a pick me up.”

But this is so much more than a mixer. Like V8, this is a fantastic vegetable juice by itself! Unlike all other bloody mary mixes, this one is great straight out of the bottle as a really good for you caffeinated juice – more than any other energy juice combination I have had.

Taste:10
This drink tastes fantastic just as a tomato juice, without the alcohol content just as well – which is saying something. I can not imagine the horror of trying to slug down a Mrs. T Bloody Mary mix without the alcohol – but the extra spicy version gives a great kick even without the vodka. It is spicy enough to get you moving, and has enough ingredients to taste so much more than the average tomato juice would. This is sweetened with honey, not High Fructose Corn Syrup, like most of the others. You can taste the ginger and pepper, although the normal flavor is not too spicy. They do have a thick and bold flavor which is definitely for a more traditional extra spicy Manhattan Bloody Mary.

Nutrition:10
From the Tomato Juice’s lycopene and it’s role in reducing the risk of cancer and heart disease, to the Ginger to treat inflammation, the common cold, and influenza, this drink is absolutely chock full of really good ingredients. The cayenne pepper always gets me going, and the extra spicy one is a definite boost in the morning. I love the use of honey as a sweetener, and there is no artificial thickening ingredients, like xantham gum or soy.

Packaging:8
these come in very lovely designed big brown bottles, like the kind you would find an old fashioned elixir bottle. These 32oz bottles are very unique, and will definitely stand out on the grocery shelving. I like these bottles al ot, as they also list all their ingredients up front along with their website info for ordering more and contact information. The only thing I had noticed is the lack of caffeine content on them, so it is hard to gauge the amount you could take before getting completely wired. I am not so sure about the cool design on the front though. Even though it is a great design, it really does not tell you anything about the drink or what you can expect from it. While I dont think you need to have a mulicolored grouping of veggies or a big glass of of bloody mary on the front, the point of having it on the bottle was initially lost on me.

Website:6
We first get hit with a splash page – which I never saw the reason for. Why bother doing one? We get to see the animal again, with its very large decorated…appendage. That takes us to the main page – which is very very fast loading, but not an amazing presence. Things are dark and color is used minimally, but it is very easy to navigate. If this were a professionally designed sit, I would give it more points off for leaving the code messy, with odd css choices and macromedia tags all over the place. But for a site which was obviously homegrown, it does all the stuff it should do nicely. The cart which takes you to another site to order is a little wierd, but for those who just want to buy the drink it works.

One quick word about shipping – you could tell alot of thought went into how to send these to you by mail. The container it comes in is one of the coolest marvels of cardboard I have seen in a long time. I was expecting a box with slots or bubble wrap – but got this cool wierd contraption which protects without waste.