15 Better-for-You Sparkling Drinks We Love to Sip On
Broaden your seltzer stash.
Garnish Studios
LaCroix might be the face of America’s sparkling water infatuation, but it’s not the only carbonated beverage worth obsessing over right now. In fact, boasting double-digit growth, the sparkling water market is ripe for innovation. From fizzy tea to seltzer infused with traditional Asian flavors, brands are getting creative with bubbles. Here are some carbonated drinks we love to sip on.
AVEC drinks are made with real juice, spices and herbal botanical extracts, coming together for a drink that works perfectly as a casual beverage, or as a lighter mixer to step up your cocktail game. With 80-90% less sugar than most mixers or sodas, AVEC can be a great addition to any type of night out. We’re partial to the Ginger flavor, ourselves.
Dubbed the first Asian-inspired sparkling water, Sanzo offers flavors beyond the ubiquitous lemon and cherry. Made with yuzu, real Indian alphonso mangoes, Thai lychee, calamansi, a type of citrus from the Philippines, each variety is a fun way to try (and fall in love with) fruit that’s not always easy to find in the U.S.
Casamara Club wanted to create the perfect "leisure" soda after years of not seeing the same quality and care for non-alcoholic beverages compared to their alcoholic counterparts. Using botanical extracts and other flavors reminiscent of Italian kitchens and bars, Casamara Club created an elevated summer beverage under 20 calories.
Clocking in at 45 calories or less per can, Olipop’s bubbly beverages are flavored like classic soda flavors — ranging from Vintage Cola to Classic Root Beer. As an added bonus, Olipop includes prebiotics in its beverages, which the company claims is supportive of digestive health.
Spearheaded by supermodel Bella Hadid as a break from the typical celebrity alcohol route, Kin Euphorics boasts a possible alternative to both alcohol and coffee. The drinks also work as mixers with "gentle caffeination" allegedly meant to spark a small, but euphoric, buzz.
PepsiCo is moving into the functional sparkling water category with a line called Soulboost. Coming in four flavors (Blueberry Pomegranate, Strawberry Rose, Black Cherry Citrus and Blackberry Passionfruit) and two "energy shifting" options ("Ease" and "Lift"), these 10-20 calories cans might be the pick-me-ups you’ve been looking for. "Ease" contains L-theanine, while "Lift" contains panax ginseng. While it’s unclear how much these drinks can actually affect your mood, the flavors alone are exciting enough to add an extra touch of brightness to your day.
Rishi Tea’s Sparkling Botanicals mixes the brand’s high quality tea and botanicals into a drink that rivals the best sparkling drinks, all without added sugar or sweeteners. For people that love good tea, but often don’t have the time to brew it, look no further than Rishi’s Sparkling Teas to get your fix.
While many sparkling teas are overly syrupy, Minna’s lightly brewed recipe doesn’t use sugars or sweeteners. There are fruit-forward flavors for both black and green tea lovers. The popular Citrus Black Tea has notes of mango and orange peel, while the Tropical Green Tea tastes like pineapple and passionfruit.
Kombucha is naturally bubbly due to fermentation, but Revive Sparkling Kombucha adds even more carbonation with a proprietary pasteurization process. Despite being shelf-stable, the kombucha still contains five billion live probiotics at the time of manufacture to supposedly support digestive health.
Longstanding San Pellegrino is now entering the flavored seltzer game — previously, it sold its iconic unflavored sparkling bottles or super-sweet sparkling fruit drinks — with Essenza, a flavored mineral water line with zero calories or sweeteners. The line includes three flavors that will have you feeling dapper, like all its drinks do: Lemon & Lemon Zest, Tangerine & Wild Strawberry and Dark Morello Cherry & Pomegranate.
A blend of Kombucha Town’s raw kombucha cultures, water from the North Cascade Mountains and yes, lots of bubbles, Kombucha Town’s Live Seltzer carries all the purported health benefits of kombucha in convenient cans. All ingredients are fresh-pressed, including cucumbers, Jasmine tea, ginger and grapefruit.
Spindrift sparkling waters are unsweetened and lightly carbonated, and they're made with real squeezed fruit. All of the flavors are delicious, so don't limit yourself to just one: Opt for the variety pack so you can enjoy lemon, grapefruit, raspberry lime and orange mango.
There are those who swear by Topo Chico — and while, yes, it’s just plain sparkling water, it seems to have gotten carbonation just right. The bubbles in these bottles are in no short supply, but are a bit gentler on the mouth, and the drink leans slightly salty. So if LaCroix or any number of the plain seltzers on the shelf just aren’t doing it for you, opt for one of Topo Chico’s glass bottles, and you might finally understand the seltzer hype.
Carbonated water, organic lime flavor and organic ginger flavor — that's all there is to these amazing Nixie sparkling waters. Prepare yourself for a clean and refreshing taste you won't be able to resist.
