Posted by If you’d rather pass on swallowing capsules or chewing on cloyingly sweet gummies, take heart: you can still enjoy all the benefits of botanicals in liquid form. Even if your go-to is a flavorless capsule with water, the growing niche of kratom and kava drinks is definitely worth your attention. With consumers looking for alcohol alternatives, the demand for botanical beverages continues to rise—and happily there’s more variety than ever to choose from. Two established brands stand out in the ready-to-drink (or easy-mix) space: Kats Botanicals and Mitra9. Both offer shots and elixirs that help you unwind, energize, or just feel balanced with zero next-day hangover. Both companies rigorously test their products in independent third-party laboratories and provide COAs that are publicly available on their respective websites. Who should you buy your next kratom or kava—or hybrid—botanical drink from? Read on….
To be fair, the right botanical beverage pick really comes down to what vibe you’re chasing—Mitra9 leans into vibrant, crowd-pleasing flavors across seltzers and shots, while Kats Botanicals is more holistic wellness-focused with concentrated potency and targeted effects in their liquid shots. Here’s a fresh breakdown of how these two botanical beverage vendors stack up, plus our top pick revealed.
Mitra9 – Taste-Driven Everyday Refreshers
Mitra9 (mitra-9.com) specializes in only liquid formats, and they’re out to re-envision botanical drinks as something hip—something you’d grab from a cooler at the beach or a party. Their branding is fun, and the drinks are flavorful and easy to enjoy anytime. Thus far, they’ve nailed masking any herbal bitterness or earthy after tastes, so pretty much every selection will go down nice and smooth–and with none of the regret or headache you’ll get from that frozen cocktail.
Their current range includes a solid lineup of kratom seltzers in a wide variety of flavors: black cherry, tropical, dragon fruit, raspberry lime, watermelon, berry, citrus sun, root beer, and midnight cola. If you prefer kava, their kava seltzers also come in a range of crowd-pleasing tastes: lemonade, orange dreamsicle, strawberry watermelon, paradise lychee). If you’re looking for even more flexibility, their GoPak drink mixers come in tangerine or island punch, plus shots including blue razz kratom & kava hybrids, cool breeze kava, lavender sunrise, and more. All Mitra9 beverages are plant-based, low-cal (typically ~20 calories), and caffeine-free where it counts. All products are lab-tested for safety, and formulated for specific results, i.e. relaxation, mild energy, or social chill.
Their party-friendly cans or quick shots are perfect for parties or solo sips, and with approachable pricing (shots often start around $10, variety packs in the $30 range), there’s no reason not to try them out. Mitra9 offers fast shipping, with deals on bundles, plus a subscribe and save option for your go-to favorites. Their site has plenty of content explaining kratom and kava, as well as a retail locator for physical sales. If you like your botanicals refreshing, hip, and easy on the taste buds, Mitra9 will more than satisfy.
Kats Botanicals – Concentrated Power in Every Sip
Kats Botanicals (katsbotanicals.com) takes a different approach to liquid botanicals. They aren’t selling you on party-vibes, they’re focusing on serious alkaloid delivery—which is to say, high-mitragynine extracts and formulations that target specific results. This generally takes the form of compact, flavored shots built for fast, reliable effects–not sodas for your cooler. Now, if you’re deep into botanicals, you probably are aware of Kats anyway. Kats Botanicals is one of the most innovative and reputable vendors out there with so much more on offer than shots—but their liquids definitely do not disappoint. As with everything else, all shots are USA-made, lab-tested with batch transparency, and formulated for users who want precise, potent results without watering things down.
Key standouts in the Kat’s Botanicals kratom shots lineup include: the Bali 45 Liquid Kratom Shot (125mg mitragynine total), and the Intense MIT (200mg mitragynine per bottle). Both shots contain two servings, which is ideal for experienced folks seeking maximum strength, or easy sharing. For even more potency, check out the Venom Nano, which contains 300mg mitragynine in a nano-enhanced format for ultra-fast absorption. Meanwhile, the Kratavfusion Kava Kratom Shot blends 50mg mitragynine with kavalactones, L-theanine, and ashwagandha in a tasty blue razz flavor—great for calm without sedation.
Pricing stays competitive ($15–$36 per shot, plus bundle deals and other discounts often available). Kats offers free shipping over $100–and even same-day shipping to boot. Their product guarantees, transparency, and customer service add even more confidence to the buying experience. While they don’t lean into seltzers and mixers like Mitra9, Kats’ emphasis on full-spectrum or MIT-forward potency, clean extraction, and purposeful blends are gamechangers. These shots feel like a step up in strength and consistency—especially for those who want real effects vs. party flavors.
Still Can’t Decide? Here’s Our Tie-Breaker
Mitra9 nails the approachable, enjoyable side of botanical sipping—tons of refreshing seltzer options and masked-taste shots perfect for social settings, trying new things, or keeping it light and flavorful. We aren’t yucking anyone’s “orange dreamsicle yum.”
However, if you’re after deeper, more dependable botanical support—stronger alkaloid hits, smarter hybrids, and value from higher concentrations—Kats Botanicals is definitely the one to go with. Their shots deliver quicker onset, customizable potency levels, and a cleaner, more intentional experience that can stretch further per dose. Moreover, they’ve got so many other options in terms of format and botanical variety that Kats is really a premium wellness one-stop shop.
By all means, grab Mitra9 when you want something tasty and social to stock the party fridge, but reach for Kats Botanicals if you want botanicals that elevate your routine and you see them as part of a lifestyle—not just something to sip for kicks.
Check out “Recreational Uses of Kratom.”
You might be interested in reading”Real Botanicals vs. Mitra9: The Botanical Beverage Battle Royale.“