Wellness shots tend to woo you with their aesthetic labels, fancy ingredient lists full of “superfoods” and powders, and promised benefits: a quick detox, a midday energy boost, an immunity kick, or even just a little mood lift. Each bottle has a goal, and with so many options out there, it can feel overwhelming to pick the right one for your day.
The trick is matching the shot to your mood. Some mornings you need a jolt to wake up, other days you’re looking for something creamy and indulgent, and sometimes all you want is a vitamin-packed boost to fend off sniffles. The challenge? Many of these elixirs taste…well, like they were plucked straight from the ground. Not exactly something you want to linger over.
That’s why we set out to find the ones that actually taste good. Over two weeks, we sipped our way through dozens of tonics to uncover the bottles that taste more like cold-pressed juice or even your favorite movie-night candy. The kind you can toss back in one gulp, but also kind of want to sip on because they’re that good. Below, meet the wellness shots that match every mood—and actually make you excited to take them.
What mood are you in?
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For when you need to detox: Dose for your Liver
Dose is the closest you’ll get to actually “detoxing.” It contains curcumin, milk thistle, ginger, and dandelion to help support liver health (remember, the liver’s job is to remove toxins from your body). Dose is also pretty easy on the taste buds. It has a thin, milk-like consistency that’s more bodied than water. It also boasts upfront citrus notes that recall orange peel, though it carries a small bit of lingering sweetness from its erythritol and monk fruit. The blend includes ginger powder and pineapple, but those flavors don’t really come through. If you’re a fan of orange juice, you’ll love Dose for your Liver.
For an immunity boost: Uncle Matt’s Ultimate Defense Shot
When you’re feeling run down by winter weather or just want a bright vitamin C pick-me-up, Uncle Matt’s Ultimate Defense shot is the way to go. This is hands-down my favorite orange juice blend—and after trying the tiny 2-ounce shots, I stocked up on the full-size jugs so I can enjoy it daily. This is like grown-up orange juice: It has a complex, layered flavor thanks to the tangy pineapple and acerola cherry, plus the zingy ginger and turmeric. While the orange dominates, the flavor doesn’t fall flat like traditional OJ usually does. It’s packed with 1000% of your daily value of vitamin C and 100% of your daily value of zinc, two nutrients that help keep your immunity strong.
When you want a spicy ginger shot: Pressed Juicery Wellness Ginger, Lemon Cayenne
Pressed Juicery
Wellness Ginger, Lemon, and Cayenne
Ginger feels like the poster-child flavor of juice shots. Pressed Juicery’s wellness blend, rife with spice and acid, is exactly what you’d expect. It has just three potent ingredients: ginger juice, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper. You get an immediate zing from the ginger and cayenne, which almost reminds you that juice shots are supposed to do something to you. The cayenne pepper lingers on the tongue for a full minute after gulping the shot down. This pick isn’t for the faint of heart.
When you want something creamy and dessert-like: Lifeway Kefir Functional Shot
When you’re caught between a yogurt and juice craving, Lifeway has you covered. The brand’s organic kefir mixed berry shot is made with organic milk and has a tangy sweetness that’s exactly what you’d expect from a mixed berry flavor. It’s creamy going down and leaves some of its natural body on the tongue. And it’s vaguely reminiscent of those kid-sized yogurt drinks mom used to pack in my lunchbox. Benefit-wise, we love that this is kefir, so it naturally contains live and active probiotics that can support gut health.
For an energy boost: Vive Organic’s Energy + Focus, Passionfruit
Vive Organic’s
Energy + Focus Passionfruit
Vive Organic’s Energy + Focus passionfruit shot is the antidote to bitter caffeine shots. This one leads with pineapple—it’s literally the first ingredient—so you get this bright, tropical sweetness that’s balanced by the signature tangy-sweet punch of passionfruit. And it gets the job done with 75 milligrams of caffeine, which is about the amount in a shot of espresso. I throw this in my gym bag and gulp it down about 15 to 20 minutes before a workout, and I can’t go back to powdered pre-workout ever again.
For when you want to drink your multivitamin: Suja Multivitamin Strawberry Citrus
Suja
Multivitamin Strawberry Citrus
This is one of the best-tasting shots I’ve tried. Apple, peach, and strawberry juices are the first three ingredients, and they definitely dominate the flavor profile. The taste is somewhat like a pink Starburst and a Sour Patch Kidz candy had a baby. Suja’s multivitamin shot contains 3 grams of fiber and contains at least 20% of your daily value of vitamins A, C, and E, as well as some B vitamins. It’s a sweet, slightly tangy shot that makes for a more enjoyable experience than nearly choking on a few multivitamin pills.
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