V8 (drink) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
V8 Vegetable Juice

V8 juices exhibited at a store in Hong Kong
Product type	Vegetable juice
Owner	Campbell's
Country	United States
Introduced	1933; 92 years ago (1933)
Markets	North America, U.K., Australia

V8 Vegetable Juice, often just called V8, is a well-known brand of drinks sold around the world. These drinks are special because they are made from eight different vegetables. Some V8 drinks also mix vegetables with fruits. Since 1948, the company Campbell's has owned the V8 brand. The first V8 vegetable juice was mostly made from tomatoes. It got its name, V8, because it used juice from eight different vegetables.

What is V8 Vegetable Juice?

The original V8 juice has a savory, not sweet, taste. It is mostly made from water and concentrated tomato juice. It also includes a mix of juices from eight other vegetables: beets, celery, carrots, lettuce, parsley, watercress, spinach, and tomato. Campbell's makes many kinds of V8 juice. Some popular types are Original, Spicy Hot, Low-Sodium, and Organic.

V8 also has other drink lines like "V8 Energy," "V8 Splash," and "V8 V•Fusion." These drinks mix fruit and vegetable juices, often including carrot juice. V8 Splash is a "juice cocktail," meaning it's not 100% juice and has some added sweeteners. Diet versions of V8 Splash use less sugar. V8 Energy is also a cocktail and has some sweetener. V•Fusion, however, is made from 100% juice.

The History of V8 Juice

An American child during World War II (1943) buys a can of V8, using his ration book.

V8 Vegetable Juice was first created by Frank Constable in Chicago, Illinois. He worked for a company that made individual vegetable juices. The first V8 drink, made in 1933, was about 87% tomato juice. In 1947, Frank Constable made a new recipe for the "Vege-min 8 Vegetable Cocktail Juice." This recipe is still used today. He named the product V8 after the V8 engine, which was very powerful at the time. In 1948, the Campbell Soup Company bought the V8 brand. They have been making the drink ever since.

V8 in Drinks

V8 juice is sometimes used in mixed drinks, like a "bloody eight" or "eight ball." This is like a Bloody Mary, but it uses V8 instead of just tomato juice. Another similar drink mix, Clamato, is also sometimes used. V8 also sells its own Bloody Mary Mix, which is made with tomato and lemon juices.

V8 Fruit & Vegetable Juice

Campbell's also makes sweeter V8 drinks called V8 100% Fruit & Vegetable Juice. These drinks combine vegetable juice with fruit juices. Each serving gives you one serving of vegetables and one serving of fruits. In some places, these are called V8 V-Fusion. There are also "light" versions that have less juice and fewer calories. V8 V-Fusion + Tea is a newer drink that mixes juice with tea.

Some flavors of these mixed juices include:

• Strawberry Banana: Made with Sweet Potatoes, Tomatoes, Carrots, Beets, White Grapes, Oranges, Apples, Strawberries, Bananas.
• Pomegranate Blueberry: Contains Sweet Potatoes, Purple Carrots, Tomatoes, Carrots, Apples, White Grapes.
• Tropical Orange: A mix of Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Yellow Tomatoes, Squash, White Grapes, Oranges, Pineapples.
• Peach Mango: Includes Sweet Potatoes, Yellow Tomatoes, Squash, White Grapes, Oranges, Peaches, Mangoes.
• Açaí Mixed Berry: Has Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Apples, White Grapes, Açaí Berries, Blueberries, Limes.

In Australia, the V8 range includes 100% Fruit & Vegetable Juice in flavors like Tropical, Breakfast, and Pineapple Passion. Australia also has the V8 Power Blend range. These juices contain two servings of vegetables and come in flavors like Healthy Greens and Purple Power.

V8 Energy Drinks

V8 also makes energy drinks that are based on juice. These drinks come in individual aluminum cans. Each can has 80 mg of caffeine from green tea. They also have added B vitamins. V8 Energy drinks usually have less sugar than other V8 juices. They are partly sweetened with sucralose. Unlike many other energy drinks, V8 Energy does not contain extra stimulants like taurine or guarana.

• V8 +Energy: This drink is not fizzy and is 50% juice. It comes in different flavors like black cherry, peach-mango, and pomegranate-blueberry.
• V8 +Energy Sparkling: This drink is fizzy and is 34% juice. Flavors include Orange Pineapple, White Grape Raspberry, and Black Cherry.

Nutrition Facts

V8 Vegetable Juice provides important nutrients. Here is an example of the nutrition information for V8 Vegetable Juice:

A 1947 advertisement for V8, from the Ladies Home Journal

V8 Slogans

Over the years, V8 has used many different advertising slogans:

• "Wow, It Sure Doesn't Taste like Tomato Juice!" (1960s)
• "Should've Had a V8." (1970s-1980s, 2009–present)
• "Drink V8 & Keep Your Diet Straight!" (1990s–present)
• "Drink Smarter with V8." (2000–present)
• "Drink It. Feel It." (2003–2004)
• "Veg up." (present)

See also

• List of juices