Gusto Organic Original Energy drink

A couple of weeks ago, Sarah found a little stash of Gusto hidden away at home – and her heart did a little dance. For years, Gusto has been our go-to when we need to focus on a project, power through to a deadline, stay up at a party that’s way past our bedtime, or find ourselves in a foreign city where we need to fend off jet-lag.

Jo also always knocks back a bottle about an hour before giving a speech, to rev her up and get her in the zone for public speaking. (This might sound weird but it’s also brilliant for tasks like cleaning out cupboards – when you might find yourself distracted, but want to complete the task.)

We need to declare an interest here, though. This Gusto drink was originally invented by Jo’s husband Craig Sams (then of Whole Earth Foods), was later run by her stepchildren, sold, then bought back.

Or as we like to think of it: saved for the nation, after the new owners a) changed the recipe and b) put it in a can. (Fact: you may not want to drink all your Gusto in one go, and a screw-top’s really rather useful.)

Once it was back in safe hands, happily Gusto was restored to its original, amazingly effective formula and refreshing flavour. Phew. Sanity had prevailed.

Family connection and back-story aside, though, Gusto is hands-down the best energy drink we’ve ever had. Organically-certified by the Soil Association, the cola drink (made with real cola nut) gets its vroom-vroom-vroom from guarana, which delivers a gentler and more sustained lift than coffee’s peaks and troughs. There are Siberian and Korean ginsengs, for sustained energy, but the ‘secret’ ingredient is a blend of Chinese herbs called Mind Peak, which is why it’s so good for concentration.

You can take our word for it – but we’d rather you tried it for yourself.

One thing we do know is that it won’t be gathering dust in the back of a cupboard in Sarah’s house, moving forward.

£1.89 for 250ml from Ocado – here – or £22.95 for a case of 12 bottles from Amazon – buy here

Prize Draws