When it comes to status-symbol drinks in Los Angeles, nothing quite measures up to Erewhon. The chain is known for premium beverages at premium prices. The famous, or infamous, Strawberry Glaze Skin Smoothie — once officially endorsed by Hailey Bieber — costs $21. But will customers pony up for the upscale grocer’s newest offering, a $12 cup of “Sacred Water”?Announced last week in a post on Instagram, the drink was described as a “clarified tonic” with coconut water, jasmine tea, raw honey, holy basil, anise hyssop, green cardamom, white grape juice and coconut milk. It’s a lot of ingredients for water. But it is also $1 an ounce … for water.The new concoction, meant to promote “restoration,” is a collaboration with Jolie — a New York-based beauty wellness company that sells filtered showerheads.Jolie, which announced the drink on Instagram, said water has been a “symbol of renewal, ritual and transformation.” Each cup of “Sacred Water” is meant to embody that tradition. It’s also the most expensive coconut water offering at Erewhon. Erewhon has its own branded 16-ounce bottled organic coconut water for $11, or you can purchase a 16-ounce bottle of Harmless Harvest for $5.49. Erewhon’s latest tonic coconut water, which costs $12 for a 12-ounce drink. (Karen Garcia / Los Angeles Times) On Friday morning, the cafe and tonic bar in the Manhattan Beach Erewhon was bustling with customers ordering smoothies, coffees and breakfast. No one who spoke with The Times said they were in line to order a Sacred Water.A Times reporter sampled the beverage and found it overwhelmingly tasted like coconut water, without a hint of any other ingredients. Shivani Chandra, 28, told The Times she hadn’t even heard about the drink. Chandra was visiting her neighborhood Erewhon — she and her friend drive in from Inglewood — for their favorite treat: a Crushed Cococcino coconut iced coffee that they learned about on TikTok. “It’s only $8 and it’s super good,” Chandra said. “It’s a cute little treat and it’s cheap.” She prefers the iced coffee or the Strawberry Glaze Skin smoothie. The 20-ounce Strawberry Glaze Skin — which people still refer to as the model’s smoothie despite the official removal of Beiber’s name — reportedly supports the skin with a blend of almond milk, strawberries, vanilla collagen, sea moss and other ingredients. It has remained on the menu despite being categorized as a “limited time” item when it first launched in 2022. As a self-described foodie, Chandra said she’s willing to try something new from the tonic bar, especially a tonic water. But for that morning, she was sticking to a Cococcino.
