The Best Hard Seltzers Right Now!

Welcome to the biggest drinks trend of the century: hard seltzers. These bubbly, lightly flavoured waters ‘spiked’ with some form of booze have taken the US by storm and are set to do the same on our shores. According to recent figures, 52% of Americans swapped beer for them in the last 12 months and it’s a trend that is likely to stay too, as more people reach out for a ‘cleaner’, more mindful drinking experience. How does that work? Well, hard seltzers tend to be super refreshing, low in alcohol (4-5% abv), low calorie, made with natural fruit flavours (and in some cases, natural sweeteners), are gluten free and vegan. With these lighter creds than the sugary, boozier alco-pops of the 90’s and their sleek, modern packaging, you can see why they’ve been winning hearts. At around £2 a pop, they’re light on the pocket too. Believe the hype and take the plunge on these super spritzy, summer sippers.

White Claw - Black Cherry

The famous one. White Claw is the wonder brand leading the charge for hard seltzers Stateside and the benchmark everyone is trying to beat. You might not believe the hype, but once tasted, they’re hard not to love. The Black Cherry itself has an almost cultish following, with ripe, cherry flavours on the nose that gives way to fresh, sparkling water with just a hint of fruit flavour. 

Score: 8/10
Size: 330ml
ABV: 4.5%
Find here: £2.25

Smirnoff Seltzer - Raspberry and Rhubarb

The one for a hot day. Light and insanely drinkable, the raspberry and rhubarb aromas are well balanced, natural and fresh, leaving a crisp, subtle flavour in the mouth. A great starter for ten and you’ll want to drink this all day. Just remember, there is some booze in it!

Score: 9/10
Size: 250ml
ABV: 4.7%
Find here: £2

Bodega Bay Hard Seltzer - Apple, Ginger & Acai

The most natural one. Quite a rich, real apple flavour here with a cracking kick of ginger and spice. The acai berry completes the mix to make a genuinely interesting drink with a unique taste. It’s the only one with fully natural ingredients too and its sleek, white, minimalist packaging feels very classy and clean.

Score: 10/10
Size: 250ml
ABV: 4%
Find here: £1

Kopparberg Hard Seltzer  - Passion fruit

The Instagrammable one. Winning the pretty packaging prize is well-loved booze brand Kopparberg. Passion fruit is the star of the range with its up front fruitiness and long lasting flavour. Sweeter than some, it’s still a good, lighter alternative to more calorific bottled booze.

Score: 7/10
Size: 330ml
ABV: 5%
Find here: £2.30

Mike's Hard Seltzer - Lime

The foodie one. The lime flavour in this is reminiscent of green wine gums from years past (remember those?) It’s also quite intense and lingers in the mouth for a while. Not as natural tasting as some, but definitely a thirst quencher and would be a great one with fish and chips.

Score: 6/10
Size: 330ml
ABV: 5%
Find here: £2

Barefoot Wine Seltzer - Strawberry & Guava

The one made with wine. Yes, water with a touch of wine and some natural flavours, though the guava flavouring is pretty pungent. Quite different from the others thanks to the tang of vino, there’s more flavour here than in many, if a bit less natural tasting.

Score: 6/10
Size: 250ml
ABV: 4%
Find here: £2.30

Nordic Wolf Hard Seltzer - Cherry & Cranberry

The one for cherry cola fans. The flavour is stronger here than with the other seltzers, but not sickly. Heavy on the cherry and a moreish tang from the cranberry, this is the one most like a normal soft drink, but without the nasties and cloying sweetness. Fantastic value.

Score: 7/10
Size: 330ml
ABV: 4%
Find here: £0.99

Sparkl Hard Seltzer - Lemon, Ginger & Chilli

The one for fans of vodka and slimline with a slice. Bucking the can trend in a glass bottle, this buzz water is subtle on flavour despite the addition of ginger and chilli. The real lemon zings and despite the alcohol, it feels strangely cleansing.

Score: 6.5/10
Size: 330ml
ABV: 4%
Find here: £30 for 12

Looking for more canned drink goodness? How about checking out these 5 Cracking Canned Drinks or if you’re looking for something slightly wackier then this Dill Pickle Hard Seltzer is always an option!

Dill Pickle Hard Seltzer

If you’ve been anywhere (and I mean anywhere) in the past six months you’ll be aware of how trendy hard seltzer is at the moment. Ever since White Claw clawed its way across the Atlantic, supermarkets have been racing to develop their own alcoholic fizzy waters. 

However, one company has really pushed the boat out and turned what was merely an April Fool’s joke into a real product! Back in April, drinkware brand BrüMate teased a dill pickle flavoured seltzer on their Instagram page and people went WILD. The exotic flavour sparked such an outcry in BrüMate’s followers that on the 25th June 2021 they launched a limited edition ‘Hard Pickle Seltzer - Afternoon Dillight’, teaming up with seltzer company Crook + Marker to create what seems to be a pretty revolutionary drink. 

Crook’dBru, as they’ve called themselves, have not disappointed in any part of this launch - with their incredible website sprinkled with pickle puns (which we respect greatly) and even an online minigame! This isn’t the last we’ll see of Crook’dBru either, as they’ve promised multiple more collaborations, tweeting ‘wait til you see what we have in the works’... How ominous and exciting! Perhaps we’ll see a pickled onion hard seltzer this autumn?! But back to the dill pickles at hand...

Coming in at 5% ABV, Hard Pickle Seltzer has around about an average alcohol percentage for a seltzer. However, if you’re alcohol-free - popping some pickle juice in a SodaStream will probably do the trick! (Though don’t blame us if your SodaStream breaks or it tasted horrible - that’s on you buddy!)

Hold up a second, we’re hearing live from the studio that this isn’t even the first pickle seltzer on the scene! Deep Ellum Brewing Company has put out Blind Pickle Seltzer, Wild Acre Brewing Company has created Magic Brine Pickle Hard Seltzer, UpCountry Brewing has Dill Pickle Gose and (get this) Rio Fresco have a Dill Pickle Hard Seltzer with agave???!!! Is there some underground pickle club we don’t know about?

Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to try Crook’dBru’s seltzer because CLEARLY we’re not cool enough to be in the SPS (Secret Pickle Society), but Jus Dil’Witit (Crook’dBru’s cowboy mascot) describes the taste as ‘tasty, tangy and downright zany’. Yee haw! Just the kind of thing we like over at The Three Drinkers! 

You can still pick up some Hard Pickle Seltzer over on Crook’dBru’s punny site - but it’s currently only shipping to the US (rest in peace our pickle dreams). If you’ve given this alcoholic carbonated pickle juice a go, PLEASE let us know what it tastes like via our social platforms @thethreedrinkers. 

Also, if you know the password to the Secret Pickle Society DM us ASAP. Yes, right now. Don’t ask questions.

Size: 330ml
ABV: 5%
Find here: $22 for a 12 pack

Delicious No and Low Canned Drinks

Written by Helena & Aidy

Drinks in cans are set to be the big trend this summer as outdoor socialising will be the thing with the winding up of lockdown and local picnics will be the order of the day. Here are some great no and low canned drinks that we’ve discovered recently, from alcohol free, to CBD and even some good, old fashioned beer. Your favourite not on the list? Let us know! 

Hard Seltzers

Berczy Hard Seltzer, Passionfruit & Turmeric

Berczy was created by three friends who all wanted to create something delicious that would always use 100% natural ingredients, be low in calories and sugar and be made sustainably.  The result is a range of really delicious, fruity and natural tasting drinks. We particularly love the Passionfruit & Tumeric.

Size: 250ml
ABV: 4%
Find here: £14.95 for 6

Luv Jus

Low-alcohol hard seltzers have become a bit of a thing lately but LuvJus being anything but basic has decided to put an evolutionary spin on the category. This LGBTQ+ venture offers two super refreshing flavours with a kick of personality; Bloody Orange & Pomegranate and Pineapple & Mint. The best part? A portion of profits from each and every can goes right back into supporting a variety of LGBTQIA charities and making a real difference. Drink well, support those in need, kinda sounds like a win/win to me. These beauties are PERFECT for picnic drinking or to wind down at the end of a long day. Only 4.8% alcohol and a fraction of the calories. Oo la la, baby.

Size: 250ml
ABV: 4.8%
Find here: £14.95 for 6



Mixed Drinks

Austin’s Summer Punch Lemonade

ALDI’s answer to Pimms has gone down very well with its customers (and us!) offering a very similar flavour profile to what would be a Pimms and lemonade. Pour over ice with a bit of fruit and cucumber for an even more authentic experience, even from a plastic glass in the park!

Size: 250ml
ABV: 5.4%
Find here: (and in store) for 85p!!!

Aperini Italian Style Spritz

Again, this is ALDI doing what ALDI does best and offering products very similar to ones we know and love. This is your Aperol Spritz in a can and we have to say, they’ve done a great job, with that quintessential tangy bitter orange flavour and the balance of booze with bubbles being spot on. Drink well chilled for a fabulous picnic tipple.

Size: 250ml
ABV: 5%
Find here: (and in store) for 85p!!!

CleanCo Clean G & Tonic

Encouraged by the massive growth in the market for hard seltzers, TV personality and entrepreneur Spencer Matthews originally founded CleanGin and has just launched his canned range, including CleanRum & Cola and Clean G&T. While the ‘clean’ is always slightly misleading when it comes to drinks, at 0.5% alcohol, these feel like a decent alternative to a traditional hard seltzer, with just 0.5% alcohol and a low calorie count to boot. 

Size: 250ml
ABV: 0.5%
Find here: £11.94 for 6

Strykk Not G*n & Tonic and Not R*m & Cola

These Strykk cans are another great example of a zero alcohol alternative to your regular G&T and Rum & Cola. They work as perfect picnic accompaniment or a great sip when you want to taste something good but don’t want the alcohol. Aside from tasting great, they are 100% natural with no sugar or artificial flavours, vegan, gluten free and low calorie so really there’s really nothing not to like!

Size: 250ml
ABV: 0.5%
Find here: £12 for 6

Bloody Drinks Bloody Classic

Bloody Drinks have hit the nail on the head with their perfectly balanced Bloody Classic. The balance of ingredients means each can has just the right amount of spice and is packed full of delicious flavour. As if that wasn’t enough, you can now get your hands on ‘The Bloody Box’ which contains everything you need to make the perfect Bloody Mary, garnishes and all, and is bound to wow your garden party guests! They’re bloody fantastic if you ask us!

Size: 250ml
ABV: 6.3%
Find here: £19 for 6

INTUNE CBD Drinks & Mixers

INTUNE make all-natural, delicious CBD soft drinks and mixers, but we’ve been drinking the mixers by themselves as they are so lovely. Full of flavour and not overly sweet, these are all classy, CBD soft drinks in their own right with a punch 10mg of CBD in the ‘originals’ and 5mg in the mixers.  We particularly loved the pomegranate and hops CBD drinks and the ginger mixer. Moreish and yummy. 

Size: 200/250ml
CBD: 10mg or 5mg
Find here: £29.99 for 12

Beer

Adnams Earl Grey Lager

There’s something about Earl Grey and its characteristic bergamot flavour that works brilliantly with this lager’s citrussy, Galaxy beer hops. Adnams have smashed it with this fabulous lager. The tannins from both the tea and the hops are well balanced and the result is a gloriously crisp and refreshing, flavourful drink that’s light on its feet and easy to love. I’d take this with my afternoon tea any day. 

Size: 330ml
ABV: 5%
Find here: £19.99 for 12

Adnams Dry Hopped Lager

Here’s a lager for foodies. Brewed with Pilsner malt with Australian, Galaxy hops, here’s a rich and fruity lager with layers of hoppy, malty and tropical fruit notes that is crisp with a bitter finish, preventing it from being cloying in any way. Adnams say it would make a great match for spicy food and we are looking forward to finding out.

Size: 330ml
ABV: 3.2%
Find here: £24.99 for 12

Looking for even more canned drinks? Then we’ve got more yummy treats for you here: 5 Cracking Canned Drinks. If it’s no and low you’re after though, head over to 6 Must-Try No and Low Drinks!

The Best No & Low Drinks To Discover in 2021

Written by Aidy Smith

As we enter 2021, many of us are making decisions to better our mental health and wellbeing which sometimes means drinking less but better. I’ll be honest in that I’ve never been a fan of ‘Dry January’, but what I do believe in is making better life choices throughout the year. In this piece I’ll be showing you first-hand how no and low alcohol doesn’t have to mean zero taste, quite the opposite actually. In 2020 more no-low products entered the market than ever and the category is now continuing to boom. Again, I’ll be upfront in saying there’s some stuff on the market that has been rushed to hit a fad and, in my opinion, shouldn’t be in people’s glasses, but everything below has my endorsement out of the hundreds of products i’ve tried from this category. Enjoy!

HOLOS 'Sparkling Oolong' Kombucha (750ml)

How about a sparkling Kombucha made from Oolong tea leaves? Fermented in West Sussex using luxury loose leaf Oolong, this treat is a perfect excuse to toast amongst mates when you don’t want an ABV in your glass. Notes of elderflower and lychee intertwine, making this a floral driven sweet treat – it’s like the demi-sec of Kombucha. 

£24 (for 2) from HOLOS kombucha

Copenhagen Sparkling Tea RØD
(750ml, 5% ABV)

A renowned sommelier from Denmark loved his tea and one day it just hit him – why don’t we explore the same process with tea leaves instead of grapes?! The result was quite genius, I never thought I’d exclaim that I truly enjoyed drinking a sparkling version of tea, but here goes, it’s great! RØD is their version of a sparkling rosé and is ripe with blackberries, red berries, hibiscus and a balanced citrus. Lady Grey and Early Grey teas (two of my favourites!) create a slight bitterness from the bergamot oil which balances everything together quite nicely. Honestly, this is something you’ve got to try!

£18.50 from Fortnum & Mason

The Original Small Beer Session Pale
(350ml, 2.5% ABV)

Hands down one of the BEST low alcohol beers on the market. I visited the brewery last year and saw first hand how they create these wonders. The Session Pale is one of my faves, given it has such a tropical fruit backbone to it with a little apricot thrown in. You get that refreshing juicy burst of fruit followed by a crisp balanced hoppy finish. The best bit? It just tastes like a really well made beer – the alcohol content doesn’t even cross your mind. Small beer, great minds. 

£12 for 6 from Majestic

OTO CBD Botanical Seltzers (250ml)

Two things began to surge in 2020 – seltzers and CBD. OTO is arguably the most luxurious and quality driven CBD brand on the market right now. So, when they decided to launch their own seltzer range, naturally, I got pretty excited. I’ve been using the products for a fair while now and can confidently say my anxiety levels have fallen and I feel a better sense of calm. There are three flavours, each containing 25mg of CBD and matching the 3 categories across the OTO range - Focus (Korean Sencha, Mint and Kampot Pepper), Amplify (Bitter Orange, Goji Berry and Habanero Chilli Extract) and Balance (Elderflower, Cucumber and Liquorice). Honestly, they are well worth a try. As we enter 2021 health is our most important asset and we’re going to need to invest in it. 

£11 for 3-Pack from OTOCBD.com

McGuigan Zero Rosé (750ml)

Finally, a de-alcoholised wine that actually tastes decent. Many have tried, few have succeeded, but I have to say McGuigan have done a great job. The magic lies in spinning cone technology, which draws the wine into fine layers for enhanced vaporisation. This basically means alcohol is removed at much lower temperatures so the taste can remain! The result is not just aromatic and vibrant, it’s bursting with fresh strawberries, cherries and a citric kick which holds everything together. 

£5 from Sainsbury’s 

Sea Arch Coastal Juniper (700ml)

If you’re longing to feel the sea breeze against your skin like the good old days when we actually leave our towns and cities, well, this may be for you. This 0% gin takes inspiration from its Devon based roots. 

Aromatic juniper berry with herbal notes of sage upfront. Coriander and grapefruit peel results in a clean, crisp feel on the palate along with some peppery notes. Sweet blood orange adds complexity and together with lemon undertones drives the perception of juiciness. Cardamom spice gives a balanced warmth to the finish. Sugar kelp and samphire are the stars of the show, with juniper, coriander and blood orange playing the harmony in the background. Add a splash of your favourite tonic and you’ll unravel juniper and bitter grapefruit with a sweet-spice blood orange and breeze of seaside herbs. 

£25 from SeaArchDrinks.com

Mockingbird Spirit (500ml)

Say hello to the UK’s first tequila alternative with zero alcohol, made using blue weber agave. I have to say, this for me has be one of the most exciting discoveries of the year so far. I judge hundreds of tequilas each year and this really does attain the major components (minus the alcohol taste)  of a quality driven reposado tequila. There’s a sweet vanilla glaze from what would have been oak ageing, married together with the plush and juicy blue weber agave. A kick of habanero spice comes into play, all the while creating a succulent drink which leaves you wanting more. Completely unexpected (as I’m always so sceptical when it comes to no-alcohol adaptations of spirits) but thoroughly delighted. 

£23 from MockingbirdSpirit.com

Mother Root (480ml)

Ginger, honey and apple cider vinegar are 3 components that if we take on a daily basis can really boost our immunity and keep our gut in good stead. Mother Root has managed to combine all 3 ingredients into a non-alcoholic drink which can now be enjoyed as part of a routine versus a forced concoction each morning. Inspired by an age-old American recipe this infusion of pressed ginger juice, blossom honey and organic apple cider vinegar entice the tastebuds. Perfectly paired with a light tonic (to retain the flavours) and a big slice of orange or sprig of rosemary for something a little more savoury. Another evolution for the world of drink and health. 

£19 from MotherRoot.London

Caleño Light & Zesty (500ml)

Columbia is a country that I’ve long wanted to visit. Sadly, right now that’s not but possible – but what I can do is taste the equivalent in a glass with Caleño. Inspired by a variety of tropical, citrus and spice ingredients such as Inca berry, pineapple, papaya and coconut, to name just a few, Caleño gives us a burst of sunshine in a glass. Zesty, tropical, sweet and tangy all in one – there’s a surge of memorable flavours that leaves you wanting more. This non-alcoholic spirit is growing rapidly and with good reason. 

£18 from Amazon