Alani Nu’s Winter Wonderland Energy Drink Is Back—and It’s Actually Good This Time

A beautiful sight, we’re happy tonight, drinking up a Winter Wonderland. Yes, Alani Nu is back with a new flavor after an uncharacteristically long hiatus. We were lucky enough to pick up an early can directly from Alani Nu at this year’s NACS Expo—let’s crack open this early taste before it freezes.

What’s different about this year’s Winter Wonderland flavor?

Pretty much everything! This year’s version of Winter Wonderland features an entirely new can design and an entirely new formula. I’m surprised they didn’t give it a new name so folks aren’t confused when it tastes totally different from 2024’s coconut sunscreen flavor.

Alright, it wasn’t straight coconut sunscreen, but it was too close for many people. Last year’s Winter Wonderland got very mixed reactions from Alani Nu’s adoring public. While the flavor was internally referred to as “Coco Berry Bliss,” reality was far less blissful. I gave it a middling 6.5 out of 10—the worst score I’ve ever given an Alani Nu energy drink here on Sporked. (It’d be second worst, but Tyler beat me to reviewing this fall’s Pumpkin Creme, which he gave a 9 despite it earning a 3 at max in my book.) It sounds like Alani Nu heard our feedback; let’s find out if they nailed it the second time around.

New Alani Nu!

Alani Nu Winter Wonderland 2025

Target

Pros: Oh, thank god, it’s good. I haven’t drank an Alani Nu in a while, so the strength and brightness of this flavor was a positive punch in the face. The last line of my Winter Wonderland V1 review was, “Would it have been so hard to just do cranberry?” so I was delighted to see this flavor described as “frosted sugar plums and cranberry pearls” on Alani Nu’s website. I’ll cosign that description—if we flip the two flavors. This is cranberry as all hell and I couldn’t be happier.

Cons: Did y’all know there’s a difference between sugar plums and sugarplums? Sugar plums are the seasonal treat made of pure sugar and spices, while “sugarplum” could refer to multiple different fruits depending on your region. The terms are used interchangeably by mistake, so I have no clue whether this Alani Nu is meant to taste like straight sugar or multiple fruits. (It’s pretty close to both.) This concludes today’s etymology lesson—class dismissed.

Credit: Liv Averett / Target

Rating:

8/10

Sporks