We Tried 24 Low-Cal Spiked Seltzer Brands In One Afternoon

    We did the hard work so you don't have to.

    by
    Liza Hicks
    by Liza Hicks

    BuzzFeed Staff

    ,
    Kyle Richmond
    by Kyle Richmond

    BuzzFeed Staff

    BuzzFeed

    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.

    A flat lay of different canned drinks that are part of this taste test.
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    It was a really hard job, but we were up for the challenge.

    A photo of Liza sitting on a deck in front of her computer sipping a drink while cans of other drinks rest beside her on a table.
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    So without further ado, let's begin the spiked seltzer showdown!

    Leroy Patterson/Giphy / Via giphy.com

    Georgian Bay (5%)

    Two cans of Georgian Bay drinks – one is Vodka Smash and is blue and white with citrus illustrations on front, and the other is Smashed Soda (Gin) in red and white with an illustration of a strawberry.
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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%)

    Two cans of Nude – one is blue and is a mixed berry gin soda, while the other is white and is a vodka soda with raspberry lemon.
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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%)

    A can of Cabana Coast Moscow Mule that is in a gold and white can with an intricate gold pattern taking up most of the can.
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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%)

    Two cans of White Claw Hard Seltzer, one says mango and one says black cherry.
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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%)

    A can of Ace Hill Raspberry (pink can) and Ace Hill Lemon (blue can).
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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%)

    A can of Tequila Tromba with a green landscape illustration on the front of the can with illustrations of limes at the top.
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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%)

    Two cans of vodka soda from Cottage Springs. One is Ontario Peach and one is Watermelon.
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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%)

    Two cans of Cottage Springs vodka water which are in blue cans. One is raspberry lime and the other is strawberry kiwi.
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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%)

    A small can of Bacardi with yellow bands around the can and palm trees in the background.
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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%)

    A yellow and blue can of Twisted Tea that says "original" on the can in blue and white. There's a sun burst peaking out on the background.
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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%)

    A white and blue can of Palm Bay Zero Sugar Key Lime Cherry with blue palm trees framing the can.
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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%)

    Two cans of Muskoka Spirits – one can is green and white with half an illustration of a coconut intersecting with half a lime. The other can is red and white with half an illustration of cranberry intersection with half an illustration of blood orange.
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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.