Sunny Delight

Reviewed by Ryan Jenkins
June 25, 2006

Manufacturer: Sunny Delight Beverage Company Website: Click Here Review Rating: 6 out of 10

Sunny Delight probably holds a special place in the heart of those of a certain generation bombarded by advertisements for the beverage during after school programming. In the ads, a couple of kids open a refrigerator and are bored by the usual choices of milk, soda, and purple stuff. These same children get all psyched when a ‘cool' mom delivers “Sunny D” which purportedly gives nutritious value in a much more hip format than regular OJ. These commercials featuring the mythical mother who probably also gave her children cookie crisp as part of a balanced breakfast, made a strong enough impression on my childhood to warrant a bit of nostalgia as I unscrewed the top to a 20oz bottle of the sugary orange alternative.

But with all that corporate manipulation put aside, how does Sunny Delight actually taste. Not so great. The drink tastes like someone poured about a pound of sugar into a perfectly fine glass of orange juice. The overpowering sweetness challenged me to finish the whole thing. And I can't imagine Sunny D being good for my health at all. But maybe all that means that the child inside me has died and I just need to reconnect with that youth who opens the refrigerator looking for something cool to quench his thirst.

Even though this drink didn't do it for me in the taste test, Sunny Delight has enjoyed a great deal of popularity and acclaim for over a decade. I don't see any reason that the tang-like soft drink will disappear from seven-elevens or your local grocery stores.