Ah, Rockstar. Previously its own entity, Rockstar was purchased by Pepsi Co for $3.85 billion in 2020. I was made aware of this energy drink through its brief inclusion in the movie Crank, a timeless cinematic masterpiece and gem of its time.
Rockstar sat at 3rd place in the US with an 11.8% market share in 2007 1 behind Monster (2nd) and Red Bull (1st). Evidently they were the first to package energy drinks in the iconic 16oz cans way back in like 2001, which was double the size of a Red Bull at the same price point. Rockstar has since fallen very far down in market share and I don't know anyone who seeks out Rockstar in particular. Controversially Pepsico changed the flavor in 2021 2 and also changed the can colorway. I've heard there is not a huge difference between the new and OG flavors but I personally have not compared them side-by-side.
The taste is tart and crisp. Extremely smooth to drink. The first time I had one I thought the taste was so tart that it bordered on caustic; maybe my palette has developed but I grew to love this dimension of Rockstar and no longer feel that it is overbearing.
The finish is like biting into a peach. The fine bubbles give the drink a silky texture as if it were nitrogenated. It is a thoughtful, beautifully composed drink.
I didn't notice this before but the full-sugar Rockstar, where other drinks use high-fructose corn syrup, specifies that it uses glucose syrup. Like how all squares are rectangles but not all rectangles are squares, high-fructose corn syrup is a glucose syrup but not all glucose syrup is the high-fructose corn type. With Rockstar my mouth is not as sticky as when I drink something like Rip It Dragon Fire which suggests they derive this syrup from a plant other than corn.
Amount | |
---|---|
Volume | 16 floz |
Calories | 260cal |
Caffeine | 160mg |
According to a Reddit post citing an email from Pepsico Consumer Relations ↩