Hi! My name is Sam, and I LOVEEEEE LaCroix sparkling water — so much so that I kind of want to name my firstborn child "Pamplemousse."
A few months ago, I wrote a list ranking all the flavors of LaCroix. Coming last on the list was "LaCola" — cola-flavored sparkling water.
The official name for the drink is NiCola, but it says LaCola on the can and TBH I just like that better, so lets go with that.
Here's the thing: most people, even die-hard LaCroix fans, have probably never tried LaCola, let alone came across a can in real life. It's notoriously hard to find in stores (potentially even impossible, depending on where you live), and your best bet is ordering online.
In an article about LaCola from 2017, Cooking Light calls it "the secret LaCroix flavor you've probably never tried" and said shoppers could only find it in the Chicago metropolitan area and Rocky Mountain area Whole Foods locations.
So when a friend of mine tracked down a few cans of LaCola and gave me one, I thought it would be fun to conduct a taste test of the black sheep of the LaCroix family. Because even though I ranked it last on the list, it was still LaCroix — so it had to be drinkable, right?
First of all, I want to say the can is brown cow stunning. It's giving me gorgeous fierce patriotic vibes. She makes me proud to be an American.
The big mystery is what color the drink would be. Would it be a rich brown like most colas, or clear like a typical sparkling water? The answer is the latter! This is LaCroix, after all.
Finally, it was time to get down to business. Sip sip, BISH! So what exactly did it taste like?
It tasted vaguely cola-esque, but make no mistake, it was first and foremost a sparkling water. But it didn't taste like typical colas like Coke or Pepsi. It tasted more natural than that — the first thing that came to mind for me was actually that it tasted like a whiskey soda once the ice all melted.
But is LaCola even GOOD? The answer is "sort of."
I wouldn't grab a can if BuzzFeed kept them stocked in the office, and I stand by my ranking from my initial post. TBH, I think LaCola would be an excellent mixer — I could easily see myself tossing in a splash of vodka, or even better, whiskey. I'd argue it would even pair better with alcohol than most LaCroix flavors.
Basically, here's me if I ever come across a can of LaCola ever again:
