If you're 20 years old and male (or want to be), you're probably reading this while clutching an ice cold can of some brightly-colored sweetened beverage loaded with things like caffeine, taurine, sugar and guarana. In other words, an "energy" drink.

In the last few years, the market for energy drinks has exploded - buoyed in part by the success of Red Bull - and enthusiastically adopted by male teenagers and twenty-somethings, who also enthusiastically use energy drinks as mixers with vodka and other libations.

Did you know Red Bull (which currently represents about 60% of the US energy drink market) actually originated in Thailand in the early 1960's? In the 80's, the Thai formulation was tweaked by an Austrian entrepreneur who formed a new company with the original Thai inventor and launched Red Bull in the West. Now Red Bull competes with more than 1,000 niche-market wannabees and some very huge wannabees from companies like PepsiCo and Coca-Cola.

But of course it's not the mainstream drinks we're interested in. It's the cutting-edge beverages you won't find on just any 7-11 shelf. Sure you can drink your energy, but how about your skin care?

Borba Skin Balance Waters are purportedly the first worldwide skin care nutraceutical beverages. Think of them as "skin-gestibles" or drinkable skin care with vitamins, minerals and botanical ingredients - and no calories. The Clarifying Skin Balance Water is designed to combat oily skin, clogged pores and impurities with pomegranate extract. Age Defying Water is designed to combat the appearance of aging skin, fine lines and wrinkles with antioxidant flavonoids from the acai berry. Replenishing Water is designed to diminish skin dryness, sensitivity and roughness thanks to nutrients from lychee fruit, and Firming Water promotes smoothness, elasticity and nourishment with nutrients from the guanabana fruit. All Borba waters also contain Vitamins E and C, and...well...water. Borba Gummi Boosters "Skin Balance Confections" contain acai and green tea extract, and Vitamins A, C and E. Of course the first two ingredients are cane sugar and corn syrup. Borba recommends you eat at least 6 gummis per day - but not the whole bag!

Price Tag: An 8 ounce bottle will set you back $2.50. More expensive are the Borba Gummi Boosters "Skin Balance Confections" at $25 for a 13 oz bag.

In Japan (of course - Japan leads the world in "functional foods" ), Shiseido has come out with a "beauty beverage" called Aperio Forte. With vitamins B, C and E, plus calcium, dietary fiber, collagen, royal jelly, hyaluronic acid and ologosacchrides, Shiseido claims Aperio is a complete beauty drink with 12 essential ingredients to keep skin beautiful all day.

Beauty Milkshake Anyone?

I guess it's technically not a drink unless you throw it in the blender, but I love the idea of "beauty ice cream!" Also available only in Japan, Maiji Bi Charge Collagen and Hyaluronic Acid ice cream. (now THAT sounds appetizing) contains 1500 mg of collagen, 15 mg of hyaluronic acid and 5 g of dietary fiber. It's available in cocoa, green tea and vanilla flavors. I suppose whatever you don't eat, you could smear on your face.

Price Tag: Unfortunately it's only available in Japan for now, so you'll have to make do with Chunky Monkey.

And if you eat too much ice cream, you'll want to try Germany's Xlim beverages containing natural plant extracts designed to affect the metabolic process and support optimal body weight. Boost, with a combination of catechins (tea extract) and caffeine, is designed to speed the metabolim. Fibre is designed to regulate appetite by promoting a feeling of fullness, and Pure helps remove excess water and purify the body with vegetable extracts, such as asparagus and celery. Water, with the revolutionary refreshing ingredient, "water," has reduced calories. I'm not kidding. They really have one called Water.

Not yet available in the US.

If you're looking for a bit more "juice" in your juice, you can soon choose from beverages designed to lower your risk of cancer or osteoporosis, reduce your cholesterol or blood pressure, ease arthritis pain or lessen symptoms of menopause. But not all in one bottle.

The Valio company in Finland, has launched Evolus and Benecol daily dose drinks. Evolus contains bioactive peptides, which have been shown to help control blood pressure, along with vitamin B complex and seaweed-derived calcium. The Benecol power drink lowers cholesterol thanks to plant stanols.

Evolus and Benecol are not yet available in the US.

Joint Juice Fitness, which just launched two weeks ago, comes in Berry, Lemon and Kiwi-Strawberry flavors, and contains 1,500 mg of glucosamine per bottle to hydrate joints, along with essential vitamins and water to hydrate bodies.

Price Tag: One 6 can pack of Joint Juice costs $5.99, and may be found at your local Walgreens.

A Canadian company has come out with Soy2O, which contains a blend of fruit flavored water and natural soy isoflavones, widely believed to help reduce menopausal symptoms. Soy2O is crisp and clear in appearance with no hint that the product contains 20 mgs of soy in every 12-ounce bottle, according to the company. Soy2O is available in Blueberry Grape, Peach Mango, Strawberry Guava, Peach Mango, Strawberry Guava and Lemon Green Tea flavors. I wonder if they'll come out with a kosher version called "Soy Vey?"

Price Tag: Check fro Soy2O at your local health food store. One 12 Oz. bottle retails for $1.79 USD.

FRS anti-oxidant health drink with vitamins and metabolic enhancers is designed to give athletes smooth, sustained energy throughout the day. FRS is available in a ready to drink beverage and also in chews. It contains quercitin (anti-oxidant), green tea extract, fruit juices and caffeine. Sixteen ounces of FRS supposedly supplies the same amount of flavonoid antioxidants as five servings of blueberries, 12 servings of red onions or 17 glasses of red wine (guess which one I'D rather have).

Price Tag: You can buy FRS online for about $2.50 a can.

If you can't stand calcium chews, you might like Sanfaustino Calcium Water. Available in Italy since 1894, Sanfaustino is a lightly effervescent mineral water that naturally contains calcium, and now available in the US. Eight glasses of Sanfaustino provide up to 80% of the adult calcium recommended daily allowance (RDA) and is sodium free. All-natural Sanfaustino comes from a single mountain spring in Umbria, Italy.

Price Tag: Sanfaustino is available in fancy-shmancy grocery stores for about $3.99 a liter.

Maybe because they want women to drink more beer, or maybe because they really do know something we don't, the Karlsberg Brewery in Germany has launched a "health beer" called Karla which is sold in pharmacies. Karla is mixture of beer and fruit juice with an alcohol content of only 1%. Karla Well-be contains folic acid, soy and lecithin, while Karla Balance contains vitamins and plant extracts.

Price Tag: Sadly, Karla is still hanging out only in Germany. But I'm sure the St. Pauli girl is available tonight at your local liquor store...

Okay, back to energy drinks. In the "only in the US" category comes Pimp Juice marketed proudly by rapper Nelly. In August of this year, Pimp Juice - The Purple Label was launched featuring a fresh prickly pear and pomegranate flavor. Pimp Juice contains 100% of the RDA for Vitamins C, B12 and B6, Niacin and Panthothenic Acid, along with the usual caffeine, taurine and guarana. Rest assured children, it is not made from real pimps.

Price Tag: You can buy your Pimp Juice for about $2.30 a can online - and even get a t-shirt that says, "I am a Pimp" - to go with your "I'm with stupid" collection.

Although the FDA may have a sense of humor about pimps, it does not take the same view of "Cocaine." Launched in September of 2006, Cocaine Energy drink was pulled from the shelves in the US as a result of the FDA's decision that Cocaine was "illegally marketing their drink as an alternative to street drugs". The makers of Cocaine, Redux Beverages, began working on a new name for the product immediately. At the end of May, 2007, the Redux team decided to change the name to "No Name" energy drink, with the new can label featuring a large blank space for fans to write their chosen name for the drink. On June 17th, 2007, the drink was redistributed in the U.S. under the new labeling. "No Name" (or the energy drink formerly known as Cocaine) contains 350% more caffeine than Red Bull, along with 750 milligrams of taurine.

Price Tag: Hard to find the original on the shelves, but Amazon.com has a bunch of Cocaine for sale in their "Everything Else" category as a "collectable" from $19.99 on up.

After a night of drinking Cocaine, you'll certainly need something to calm down. You once again have Japanese technological know-how to thank. For the perfect late night drink, the Otsuka Pharmaceutical company developed Nemu, made with milk taken only during the late night hour-when cows are most relaxed, and their melatonin levels are presumed to be the highest. As you probably know, the hormone melatonin is said to induce sleep, as well as lower body temperature, blood pressure and pulse. The Japanese worked in conjunction with Finlands' University of Kuopio, where Professor Maija Valtonen, of the University's Institute of Applied Biotechnology, is an acknowledged world expert on melatonin. With her colleagues she developed a unique test method that made it easier to accurately monitor the level of melatonin in cows' milk and worked out how to control melatonin secretion in cows to achieve the optimal concentration. Udderly amazing.

Price tag: It is packaged in a 180ml microwaveavle cup price at 150 yen (1.29 USD) with a design featuring a sleeping cow.