Shawn: I first heard about Liquid Death through Facebook and YouTube ads that seemed to appear all at once. In 2018, Liquid Death was created by a graphic designer named Mike Cessario who specialized in marketing and social media. Cessario created a viral video advertising Liquid Death before a single can was packaged or sold, which proved to be a remarkable success. I refused to drink the stuff because of my stupid aversion to anything popular, but eventually I would realize the error of my ways and give Liquid Death a shot. The first time I ever ordered one was at a speak-easy that had no non-alcoholic beers to chose from, and I was blown away by, well, water. Sure, it was flavored, but at the end of the day it was just regular ol’ water in a can.

In 2023, Liquid Death released three tea-flavored sparkling waters, and since then my fridge is almost guaranteed to have at least one Dead Billionaire waiting for my consumption. Though technically Liquid Death’s Dead Billionaire is more akin to low-calorie soda, it still feels like a lightly flavored carbonated water. Sure, there is a small amount of sugar and a splash of caffeine, but not nearly as much as an Arizona Iced Tea or Brisk. It has hints of lemonade and black tea, just like the Arnold Palmer Tea it is parodying. In fact, Liquid Death initially called this drink “Armless Palmer” until Arizona threatened them with legal action leading to the still-comical rebranding of Dead Billionaire. Initially the Dead Billionaire name was a jab at Arizona and Arnold Palmer, but as of March 2024, the Liquid Death company had a valuation of $1.4 Billion dollars. Crazy, right?

Liquid Death’s Dead Billionaire might be the go-to tall-can of choice for most hipsters, artists and weirdos, but don’t be intimidated by the scary skull in the logo; they bad boys have what it takes to truly murder your thirst.