I’m going to be honest. I was not a fan of hard seltzer when they first hit the shelves a couple of years ago. I’m a big sparkling water drinker and worried that I would mess that up if I hopped on the hard seltzer train. Ya know — separation of church and state.
But then 2020.
At some point during Quarantine, I was looking for a drink that would be easy, low in calorie, and perfect by the pool or on a walk or bike ride. I decided to give hard seltzers another shot.
Insta Fam
I put a question sticker on my Instagram stories and asked my Insta Fam for their recommendations. It went something like — “Ok cool kids. This mama needs help. I’ve had Truly and I am not a fan. But y’all are feelin’ the White Claw. Which flavors should I try?”
Well, the cool kids really do be feelin’ that White Claw.
I got soooo many recommendations. So many people love the Lime White Claw. Mango White Claw was probably second recommended. Amy Peltier in all her glory said — “to hell with the White Claw — go Lime LaCroix with Tito’s!” Several recommended the Lemonade Truly Variety box. Some even said they could only drink seltzers in a glass on ice. Some need a straw, and others add water.
For research . . .
So, I set out on a quest to try as many hard seltzers that I could get my hands on. Below I will rank from favorite to least favorite. I am not even going to list Truly because as you can tell, I have already written that off.
- High Noon — ok y’all. High Noon is SOO GOOD. Expensive, but sooo good. High Noon is my favorite by far. I did not care for the watermelon (which is a flavor I gravitate to) but loved the grapefruit (which is a flavor I usually do not choose). If I were buying boxes of single flavors, I would choose Grapefruit and Pineapple.
- White Claw — I will likely always keep some White Claw on hand. I think this is the exact drink I was looking for when I started out. I liked each flavor enough and enjoyed them. My favorite is the lime. The raspberry is good but probably my least favorite. It reminded me of Ras-ber-ita from my college days . . . maybe that is why it was my least favorite.
- Bon & Viv — I think this brand is now just Bon V!v. Some suggested some really interesting flavors. I think there is an elderflower one? Which I think I would be OBSESSED with. I was not able to get my hands on anything other than the basic variety pack. These were OK, but not my favorite. I would choose the White Claw variety pack over the Bon V!v.
- Cape Line — I hunted these puppies down. The flavors really got me. They have flavors like blackberry mojito and strawberry lemonade. The calorie count is higher on these, sometimes by 40-50 calories. And in my opinion, the flavors didn’t justify the uptick in calories. They were just ok. Again, I would choose everything above over these.
There were a few others suggested to me — the Bud Light, Smirnoff, and Absolut Seltzers. I did not get around to trying these. I mean whatcha expect?! 😉 But I am pretty satisfied with High Noon and White Claw and will definitely purchase again.
After all this “research,” I will say that I am not at all a convert. I will always be a red wine girl. Always. I may buy a seltzer here and there especially during the blazing Louisiana Summer heat, but if I have a choice, a tall pour of red is where it is at.
Did I leave your favorite seltzer off? Let me know. Happy healthy drinking, y’all.
