Like most people, I love the idea of “drinking healthy.” I’ve always called the Cape Cod (vodka and cranberry) the “healthy way to drink.” Bloody Marys and Screwdrivers? You bet. But there may be no healthier mixer on the world right now (unless you’re having a wheatgrass and rum, maybe), than the new juice called Purple.

Purple is a blend of seven — yes, seven — antioxidant-packed juices, including acai, black cherry, pomegranate, black currant, plum, cranberry, and blueberry juices. The drink is indeed decidedly purple when you crack the 10 oz. bottle open.

Some may scoff at the smallish bottle, but believe me, Purple is best in small doses. There’s no way I could drink a whole bottle of this stuff in one sitting. The flavor is a bit like grape juice spiked with wheatgrass. There’s a bare amount of sweetness here, but you have to fight to get to it. The aftertaste is pretty thick. In a nutshell, it tastes healthy.

On it’s own, I’m not a huge fan. But as a mixer, Purple offers some interesting possibilities. You could simply sub it for cranberry juice in any recipe, and sure enough it tastes fine with regular vodka to spice it up. But I found a number of better combinations that taste much more inspired.

Flavored vodka (try Stoli Blueberry) really worked well. Interestingly, your standard brandy was a good mixer, too. I was less of a fan when I tried cachaça.

For something really unique, try mixing it with an absinthe or absinthe substitute. If you like licorice, the Purple really brings it out , while cutting the Purple aftertaste completely. I am not sure how much I could drink of it though before tiring of the taste… and I love absinthe.

But my absolute favorite was to add Soho lychee-flavored liqueur. The sweetness balances the tart Purple perfectly, plus you get the perfume of lychees as well. This was just about perfect.

Purple is currently on sale in New York, Los Angeles, and Miami, and spreading nationwide this fall. A 10 oz. bottle costs $4. You can visit the company’s website at drinkpurple.com.

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