Spiked seltzers are all the rage this summer…and we aren’t complaining about it!
So we decided to undertake the very difficult challenge of testing out all the low-cal spiked seltzers we could find — 24 in total.
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It was a really hard job, but we were up for the challenge.
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So without further ado, let’s begin the spiked seltzer showdown!
Georgian Bay (5%)
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Flavour: Smashed Soda Gin Strawberry Calories: 140
Kyle: I don’t taste the gin or the black pepper, and the strawberry tastes real. I like this. 13/10
Liza: I’m not a gin person, but this is soooooooo delicious! I can’t even taste the gin and it’s sweet like real strawberries. 8/10
Flavour: Vodka Smash Calories: 230
Kyle: This drink smashes — maybe it’s the mint? 11/10
Liza: This would be good to sip on while on a dock at Georgian Bay…which I plan on doing all summer. 8.5/10
SoCIAL LITE
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Flavour: Triple Berry Vodka Soda 4% Calories: 80
Kyle: This smells good and tastes pretty great too. Not overly sweet or fake-tasting, which I dig. 11/10
Liza: And this drink definitely makes me feel more social. I love that this is a Canadian company! 8.5 /10
Flavour: BOLD Vodka Soda 6% Calories: 130
Kyle: Oh, I taste the alcohol…that must be the bold! I love that it’s 6%. 13/10
Liza: Do you think that’s why this one is called bold? It doesn’t taste like orange juice, that’s for sure. 8/10
Flavour: Gin Soda lime 5% Calories: 100
Kyle: For not being a gin lover, I would definitely drink this. 12/10
Liza: Definitely refreshing! I can taste that nice lime flavour. Plus, I love the branding of SoCIAL LITE. It just looks like a friendly drink. 9/10
Nude (5%)
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Flavour: Rasberry Lemon Calories: 130
Kyle: The raspberry smell is nice, and I don’t taste the lemon very much. Not too bubbly, either. 12/10
Liza: I love the branding! It’s so simple. The taste is low-key and subtle. 8/10
Flavour: Mixed Berry Calories: 130
Kyle: Before this experiment, I would not pick up anything gin-based, but now I would! This drink is a good entry point to gin. 13/10
Liza: This is berry good! Not too sweet. 8/10
Cabana Coast Moscow Mule (7%)
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Calories: Unknown
Kyle: Holy **** 7%. Oh, that’s sweet! Too sweet for me. Not as spicy as what I would have made…but now that I’m drinking it more, it’s not bad. 10/10
Liza: I usually like Moscow mules, so I like this. I could start with this at the beginning of the night, but I don’t think I could drink it all night…it would get too sweet for me. 6/10
White Claw (5%)
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Flavour: Mango Calories: 140
Kyle: It doesn’t taste like real mango, but I prefer to eat a mango and not drink it. Still delicious though! 13/10
Liza: Let’s see what all this hype is about! Is Claw really the law? *sips* Ok, I get it it! Worth the hype. 8/10
Flavour: Black Cherry Calories: 140
Kyle: I love cherry anything, so I knew I would like this. Super delish, especially over ice. 17/10
Liza: This tastes like it would be way higher in calories. Maybe that’s part of the hype? 7.5/10
Ace Hill Vodka Soda (4.5%)
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Flavour: Raspberry Calories: 100
Kyle: Oh, this one is pink! Smells like raspberry. 11/10
Liza: Can confirm the pinkness and raspberry scent. Oh, I love the slight raspberry sweetness of this. 8.5/10.
Flavour: Lemon Calories: 90
Kyle: Refreshing and light. A subtle lemon flavour. 13/10
Liza: I love the aesthetic of the cans because the colours are so eye-catching. And it’s way less sweet than other seltzers. 9/10
Tequila Tromba (5%)
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Calories: 130
Kyle: I’ve wanted to try drinking tequila and soda in a can, but it doesn’t have the same effect. It tastes like watered-down tequila. 9/10
Liza: I only like tequila as a shot or in a margarita, but this smells like a party and that makes me nervous! 6/10
Cottage Springs Vodka Soda (5%)
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Flavour: Ontario Peach Calories: 100
Kyle: This reminds me of childhood peach juice…but alcoholic. 15/10
Liza: I LOVE ONTARIO PEACHES! So, I love this. It has the perfect amount of sweetness 8.5/10
Flavour: Watermelon Calories: 100
Kyle: Let’s try this controversial flavor. I say controversial because it’s hard to re-create watermelon flavour without it tasting so artificial. 11/10
Liza: Watermelon sugar high…but in a can. I want to drink this on a cottage dock, please. 8/10
Cottage Springs Vodka Water (5%)
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Flavour: Strawberry Kiwi Calories: 100
Kyle: Oh, that’s different…but I don’t mind it! Strawberry is the more dominant flavour. 14/10
Liza: I was nervous, but excited to try this because it’s vodka water, not vodka soda. It’s different (I was still half-expecting bubbles), but also so good!! 9/10
Flavour: Raspberry Lime Calories: 100
Kyle: Soda drinks make you feel burpy, but this is soooo smooth to drink. 15/10
Liza: Wow! I’m really liking these vodka waters, which is shocking. They taste like spa water, but with booze! 8.5/10
Mike’s Harder Sparkling Lime Water (7%)
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Calories: 180
Kyle: Mike’s was trash in my memory, but this is actually a pretty good lime vodka soda. It’s solid. I would never think to buy this, but now I would. I’m very impressed. 14/10
Liza: This reminds me of a vodka soda with lime that you would get at a club. 5/10
Bacardi Lemonade (5%)
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Calories: Unknown
Kyle: I love rum, and I don’t taste the rum here at all. I taste the lemonade. It’s really good, but it’s sweet…maybe that’s why there are no calories listed? 14/10
Liza: It’s fine, but I don’t love rum so… 5.5/10
Twisted Tea (5%)
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Calories: Unknown
Kyle: The ingredients are water, alcohol, and sugar, and it tastes like that. 12/10
Liza: This smells like childhood iced tea, but with an alcoholic twist. It’s mysterious, because we don’t know the calories or the type of alcohol in it. 6/10
Palm Bay ZERO Sugar (5%)
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Flavours: Key Lime Cherry Calories: 130
Kyle: It smells like cherry-flavoured Coke. It tastes a little fake, but then again, it’s Palm Bay. 11/10
Liza: I was expecting this to be really sweet, so now my tastebuds are all confused. This new packaging is a win, though! 7/10
American Vintage Hard Iced Tea Blueberry (5%)
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Calories: Unknown
Kyle: It’s blueberry flavoured and I thought it might taste fake, but it actually tastes like sweet iced tea. 13/10
Liza: I really like the branding of this, but it does taste really artificial to me. 5/10
Muskoka Spirits (5%)
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Flavour: Coconut Lime Calories: 100
Kyle: It tastes like I’m on vacation, and I like being on vacation. 11/10
Liza: You put the lime in the coconut…and this is what you get! 7/10
Flavour: Cranberry And Blood Orange Calories: 100
Kyle: Oh, this tastes kind of juicy but in a good way. 12/10
Liza: This is refreshing. I taste the cranberry flavour more. 8/10
And our favourites are…
Pop TV/ CBC / Via Giphy
Note: Flavour availability varies from province to province.
SoCIAL LITE BOLD Vodka Soda
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Orange we glad we tried this drink — ’cause we loved it! This is one of our favourites because it’s 6% yet still super delicious. The orange flavour is a great addition to the SoCIAL LITE family. Will be purchasing this to enjoy on sunny days!
Ace Hill Vodka Soda in Lemon
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This drink gets an A+ which perfectly matches the large A on the can. It was the perfect blend of refreshing yet full of flavour. The lemon tasted real because it’s made of real lemon, plus it had the perfect amount of bubbly texture! We will be sipping on this all summer long.
Cottage Springs Vodka Water in Strawberry Kiwi
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This was (surprisingly) one of our favourite flavours. We didn’t expect to really enjoy a still vodka beverage! It was a nice change to drink something that isn’t bubbly and it didn’t leave us feeling too burpy. Plus, the strawberry kiwi flavour is the perfect balance of sweet and tart.
Please note this list was based on products available at the time at our local LCBO.