Trader Joe’s Organic Elderberry Juice Shot

I recently performed in a community theatre play, and the common cold and other bugs were … well … common in our area at the time. In the weeks and days leading up to opening night, multiple people in our cast and crew dealt with sniffles and hoarse voices.

So when I was shopping at Trader Joe’s — an Aldi cousin — during tech / dress rehearsal week, some products in the refrigerator case caught my eye. There were several varieties of “juice shots,” each featuring different ingredients and promising various benefits, all in tiny 2-ounce bottles. There were energy juice shots containing caffeine, and there were probiotic juice shots and “Mighty C” juice shots. I also spotted juice shots containing ginger or turmeric.

I landed on an elderberry juice shot that contains added zinc and vitamin C. Elderberry might boost immunity or help treat cold and flu symptoms, and it’s common in supplement form. I dropped one of the elderberry juice shots in my shopping cart, figuring it couldn’t do any harm, and it might help.

The elderberry juice shot features “a blend of elderberry juice & 5 other juices with added amla extract as vitamin C & zinc gluconate as zinc.” It has 100% of your daily value of vitamin C and zinc.

We bought this ourselves with our own money for review purposes. Trader Joe’s Organic Elderberry Juice Shots cost $1.99 for a 2-ounce bottle at my local Trader Joe’s in 2024. That’s around $1 per ounce.

This is USDA Organic and was certified organic by Midwest Organic Services Organization. It’s also kosher. The label says, “We use a cold water pressure method called HPP (High Pressure Processing) to maintain the safety of the juice and quality of flavor.”

This contains 100% juice. Ingredients are elderberry juice, pomegranate juice, orange juice, apple juice, coconut water, lemon juice, amla extract (vitamin C), and zinc gluconate.

The label states each one-bottle serving contains the juice of 1/2 cup of elderberries, 1/4 of a pomegranate, 1/4 of an orange, 1/4 of an apple, and 1/8 of a coconut.

If you’re looking out for allergens, this contains coconut.

One bottle — which is one serving — has 25 calories, no fat or sodium, 6 grams of total carbohydrates (2% DV), 6 grams of total sugars, no added sugars, and no protein. One serving has 2% of your daily value of potassium, 100% of your daily value of vitamin C, and 100% of your daily value of zinc.

The bottle states to keep refrigerated and to use within five days of opening. Shake well before serving.

As for how this tastes, it’s good. It’s lightly sweet and not tart. It’s good, simple 100% juice.

And by the way, I did make it through our entire theatrical production weekend without catching any bugs. Whether the juice shot made a difference, I don’t know, but it certainly didn’t hurt.

The Verdict:

Trader Joe’s Organic Elderberry Juice Shots are part of a range of various types of juice shots Trader Joe’s sells. (Other choices include energy juice shots, turmeric juice shots, probiotic juice shots, and ginger juice shots.) The elderberry juice shot features elderberry juice and other fruit juices, along with a full daily dose of both vitamin C and zinc. As a bonus, we like the taste.