Beverages

It was evidently good enough for Gilligan and Robinson Crusoe. But is coconut water a healthy choice for people who aren't stranded on a deserted island? A longstanding treat in tropical regions across the globe, coconut water hit U.S. supermarkets a few years back and is now being marketed with a vengeance. Sometimes billed as nature's sports drink, the slightly sour beverage has also acquired a reputation for being able to improve circulation, slow aging, fight viruses, boost immunity, and reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease and stroke.

Apparently "Hansen Natural" didn't have enough bite — the Corona beverage maker is changing its name to the more aggressive Monster Beverage Corp. Hansen makes a line of namesake juices as well as Admiral Iced Tea, Blue Sky energy drinks and Junior Juice. Its website features pastoral images of rolling hills and butterflies. The company that has cultivated a wholesome, feel-good image also owns the gritty Monster Energy drinks. The brand, which sponsors extreme sports events, features a neon-green triple-slash logo on beverage offerings such as Monster Rehab.

AT first glance, the Diamond Head Cove Health Bar hardly looks like it's in the vanguard of 21st century Hawaiian culture. True, it sits on the slopes of the islands' most famous landmark, Diamond Head. But it's in a mini-mall, sandwiched between a beauty parlor and a barbecue plate lunch shop. There's neon in the windows and a Mexican restaurant across the street. Step inside, however, and you'll know in an instant that you've left Waikiki behind and tapped into the native zeitgeist.

About half the people in the U.S. drink a sugary beverage a day, says a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics . Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2005 to 2008, researchers found that a quarter of consume at least 200 calories a day of sugary drinks -- more than the equivalent of a 12-ounce can of cola. Males ages 12 to 19 guzzle the most sugary drinks, about 273 calories' worth per day on average.

In Los Angeles, where medical marijuana dispensaries outnumber Starbucks and McDonald's restaurants combined, a mood-altering beverage with a cannabis-oriented marketing campaign is gaining traction. Southern California has become the bestselling market for Mary Jane's Relaxing Soda, a sugary drink laced with kava, a South Pacific root purported to have sedative properties. Matt Moody, a Denver nutritional supplement developer who created the beverage, said the name is an unabashed reference to weed, though the relaxant compounds in kava are chemically unrelated to those in marijuana.

The United States needs a healthcare sweet spot -- a way to raise revenue for needed programs now and a way to lower healthcare costs in the future. Taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages -- those with added sugar, high-fructose corn syrup or so-called fruit juice concentrates -- would answer that need, and California could be the test case that proves it once and for all. There is arresting logic to the numbers. There are already minor surcharges on soda in many states -- fractions of a cent per ounce in most cases.

ROWS of gnarled Pinot Noir vines slumber under a gray winter sky beside acres of apple trees. The vines belong to Bethel Heights Vineyard, one of the top Pinot producers in Oregon's Willamette Valley. The apple orchard -- owned by Mimi Casteel (whose parents own Bethel Heights) and her husband, Nick Gunn -- produces hard cider. It's quite unusual for apple trees and grapevines to grow side by side.

If you're drinking bottled tea beverages in order to reap the benefits of polyphenols in tea, you may be wasting your money. A new study shows that at least some bottled beverages that boast of having tea content actually have paltry levels of polyphenols. Polyphenols are antioxidants that are thought to promote health by protecting the body's tissues against oxidative stress and related cell damage that can cause cancer, heart disease and inflammation. A typical cup of brewed black or green tea contains 50 to 150 milligrams of polyphenols.

Nearly every beverage can and bottle sold in California is now worth a penny. Consumers won't be able to collect the refund until Oct. 1, but from now on distributors of beer and carbonated soft drinks must pay the state a cent for every container they sell. And distributors must make sure their containers bear the label "CA redemption value." Only cans and bottles with the label will be eligible for refunds.

Prodded by the attorneys general of California and 17 other states, the Food and Drug Administration is asking the makers of caffeinated alcoholic beverages to provide evidence that their drinks are safe. The FDA this morning said it has contacted nearly 30 drink manufacturers seeking safety information on the drinks. Under federal law, an ingredient can't be added to a food or beverage unless it's been approved by the FDA or is generally recognized as safe. The FDA has never approved caffeine as an additive to alcoholic beverages.

Some of the nation's largest food and beverage companies proposed new self-imposed regulations Thursday to drastically restrict the kinds of products they advertise and market toward children. The uniform nutrition criteria comes after a handful of federal agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission, were directed by Congress to establish guidelines for such advertising. The industry plan targets a number of food types, including juices, dairy products, grains, soups and meals.

WASHINGTON--Advertisers and food and beverage industry officials called the government's new guidelines for advertising directed toward children a "reckless" maneuver in light of today's fragile economy. After Congress asked the Federal Trade Commission, along with three other federal agencies, to develop a strategy to target childhood obesity, the FTC released a set of guidelines in April. They call on advertisers to encourage children to choose healthy foods and to limit the amount of saturated fat, trans fat, added sugars and sodium in food marketed to children.

Abdullah Saadi fingers the fine brown leather belt with holsters for thimble-sized coffee cups and a dagger. He is a keeper of customs, Baghdad's professional server of coffee. He sits in a brick house behind an iron gate in the cramped warrens of Sadr City. The room is painted bright lemon in contrast to the gray street outside. His mother walks through the room, half-embarrassed, singing for guests, "I am the mother of the coffee maker. " She thumps her chest and laughs at her son. In Iraq, coffee isn't merely a matter of ordering a grande to go from Starbucks.

The fact that we have a word in Korean, anju , specifically for types of food that one eats with alcohol, should give a good indication of how much Koreans love to drink. The drink of choice can be mekju (beer) or makgeolli (a cloudy unrefined rice wine), but it's usually soju , a clear distilled alcohol, traditionally made from rice and most often compared to vodka. I'm not sure which came first, the drinking or the snacking, but Koreans never drink without having something as an accompaniment.

After missing one of the biggest marketing opportunities in a generation, PepsiCo says it is not about to make the same mistake twice. Pepsi is ponying up more than $60 million to sponsor "X Factor," Simon Cowell's new talent show set to debut this fall on the Fox network. The beverage giant took a pass on sponsoring "American Idol," which long featured Cowell, when the show launched nine years ago. The singing contest went on to become one of TV's most popular programs of all time, and Pepsi, in recent years, has seen its sales decline.

With commercial airliners more crowded and heightened security measures threatening long delays at airports, private charter jet companies and rental car agencies may be beneficiaries of the growing airport headaches. A Zogby International poll released last week found that 42% of likely voters said that enhanced pat-down search techniques and the increased use of full-body scanners by the Transportation Security Administration would cause them to use a different mode of transportation.

london -- Cadbury Schweppes appeared to end months of speculation about the future of its U.S. beverage business, announcing Wednesday that it would spin off the maker of Snapple and Dr Pepper rather than sell it. Cadbury said it would issue shares to its own shareholders and list the business, Americas Beverages, on the New York Stock Exchange after faltering credit markets made a sale difficult.

SEATTLE -- Starbucks Corp. is raising prices on certain harder-to-make beverages -- and cutting the costs for simpler ones like a plain cup of coffee, the company said Thursday. The price hikes, on average between 10 and 15 cents and as much as 30 cents, went into effect Thursday. "This is as a part of our comprehensive approach to providing the value while balancing our business responsibilities," said spokeswoman Valerie O'Neil. The increases will be added to "complex" drinks, like the company's frothy blended frappuccino.

Two beverages among the most likely to be sipped at a beach or summer barbecue ? margaritas and Kool-Aid ? are working hard to stay in the mix this holiday season. Sauza, owned by Beam Global Spirits & Wine, a unit of Fortune Brands Inc., is teaching women how to make winter margaritas. Kool-Aid, owned by Kraft Foods Inc., made its first appearance in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, with its Kool-Aid Man on a skateboard. Sauza is looking to benefit from a trend toward entertaining at home.