Slow Jam

This is a trend I should have seen coming . . .

Along with drinks like Slow Cow and Ex Chill, Mary Jane's is part of a new group of so-called slow-down or anti-energy drinks, which are expected to be among the top food trends of 2010, according to advertising agency J. Walter Thompson.

They rely on folk-medicine sedatives, including kava, camomile and valerian, to provide an alternative to caffeine-laced and jitter-inducing energy drinks such as Red Bull.

My friend, Moneypenny of Orange, spent two weeks in Samoa this past summer, where kava plays a large part of social gatherings. Drunk from little bowls, he reported that the juice gives one a sense of slight euphoria, that all is right in the world. However, at these same social gatherings a lot of beer gets drunk, too, so it is difficult to say what effect the kava actually has. Plus, the Samoans make it straight from the root . . . no chaser.

But I expect these will become a huge seller. I think we just found the new happy hour for Mormons and Southern Baptists.