There’s something about bright blue drinks that is both inviting and disturbingly unnatural. This is a blue raspberry flavour lemonade, American home-made style, so not fizzy like our Sprite or soft drinks. It’s really a glorified cordial, with real bits of lemon in it.

That being said, it’s super refreshing, but I suspect it’s not the healthiest drink out there. It’s definitely nicer than any other cordial I’ve had, but at about $5 per bottle, this drink should only be for special occasions or when you’re really in need of something to freshen up your taste buds.

The Taste Test

Look, I’ll be honest with you. The first sip hits you with this artificial blue raspberry sweetness that immediately transports you to a 1990s corner store where everything seemed to come in lurid colours that nature never intended. But here’s the thing: it works. Somehow, impossibly, it works.

The lemon pulp bits floating around give it just enough legitimacy to pretend this isn’t basically liquid candy. They’re not overwhelming, just enough to remind you that somewhere in the production line, an actual lemon was involved in this process. The texture is thicker than your standard soft drink, sitting somewhere between juice and cordial territory, which makes sense given its American heritage.

The blue raspberry flavour is bold without being cloying, sweet without making your teeth hurt (immediately, anyway). It’s the kind of drink that makes you feel like you’re doing something vaguely rebellious, even though you’re just sitting at your desk on a Tuesday afternoon.

The Reality Check

Now, let’s talk about what we’re actually drinking here. The nutrition panel reads like a sugar manufacturer’s annual report. This isn’t health food, and Calypso isn’t pretending it is. It’s a treat drink, plain and simple. The kind of thing you grab when you want something interesting, not when you’re trying to nail your New Year’s resolution to drink more water.

At around $5 a pop, you’re paying for the novelty factor as much as the drink itself. That’s the American import tax for you. You can get a whole bottle of cordial for less, or several litres of actual soft drink. But neither of those comes in that distinctive bottle or that otherworldly blue colour that looks like someone liquified a swimming pool.

The Verdict

Calypso Ocean Blue Lemonade occupies a weird middle ground in the beverage world. It’s too expensive to be an everyday drink, too sugary to be healthy, and too artificial-looking to feel natural. But sometimes, you just want something different. Something that breaks the monotony of water, coffee, and the same old soft drinks.

It delivers on refreshment, absolutely. On a hot day or after something salty, it hits the spot with its sweet-tart combination and that thick, almost syrupy consistency that coats your mouth in the best possible way. The real lemon pieces elevate it above standard cordial territory, giving it just enough texture and authenticity to justify the price tag.

Would I buy it regularly? No. Would I grab one again when I’m feeling adventurous or need a sugar hit disguised as refreshment? Absolutely. It’s the kind of drink that exists purely for moments when you want to treat yourself to something a bit special, even if that “special” is just unnaturally blue and unnecessarily expensive.

Rating: 7/10 – A solid novelty drink that delivers on taste and refreshment, even if your wallet and your dentist might not approve. Perfect for special occasions when regular drinks just won’t cut it, but not something you’d want in your regular rotation unless you’ve got money to burn and a sweet tooth to satisfy.