The Best Hard Seltzers, According to Our Taste Test

In the past decade, an entirely new category of canned beverages has taken the U.S. by storm. Hard seltzer — a combination of sparkling water, alcohol, and a typically fruity flavoring — has become a refreshing, gluten-free, and often lower calorie alternative to beer and wine, making it a favorite at dive bars, house parties, and backyard barbecues. 

But now, with hundreds of hard seltzer brands on the market, each with their own distinct flavors, it’s difficult to know which are worth buying. So, we tasted 11 of the most popular hard seltzers, sight unseen, to determine which are actually worth the time. 

Spoiler alert: Opinions were divided, and strong.

What’s the difference between hard seltzer and canned cocktails?

The line between hard seltzers and canned cocktails can be blurry. Hard seltzers need to have a carbonated water base, and their alcohol generally comes from fermented cane sugar or malted barley. Canned cocktails, on the other hand, tend to include distilled spirits like vodka, tequila, or rum. At 4–6% ABV, hard seltzers are also usually lower in alcohol than canned cocktails, which typically run 5–12% ABV or more. 

Things get a bit tricky in the case of brands like High Noon, which is made with real vodka and fruit juice but positions itself as a hard seltzer. But High Noon’s low ABV (4.5%) and lack of sugar syrup allows the brand to lean slightly more in the direction of hard seltzer than canned cocktails, leading us to include it in this taste test. 

How we determined the contenders

To decide which hard seltzers to include in this taste test, we researched the 15 most popular brands in the country. We started by sourcing as many of those brands as possible. If we were unable to find them locally, we took it as an indicator that they would not be easily accessible to a nationwide audience. We filled the gaps by including several up-and-coming brands, like Spindrift Spiked Sparkling Water, Lunar Hard Seltzer, and Lone River Ranch Water — labels that are available around the country and still have a large market presence.

Rather than tasting the full flavor lineup of every brand, we opted to try a single popular flagship offering from each. While the flavors varied between citrusy, berry-forward, and in one instance, spicy, we felt that this method gave us the best sampling of what American hard seltzer fans are drinking. 

How we tasted

As with all our tests, our editors tasted the contenders side by side and with no knowledge of what products were in front of them. The chilled hard seltzers were poured into clear, plastic cups, which were given to tasters in a random order. 

We evaluated the hard seltzers on mouthfeel and flavor. For mouthfeel, we were looking for a strong carbonation — tight bubbles that tingled on your tongue, but not so aggressively as to dominate. For flavor, we wanted natural-tasting fruit notes that either complemented or masked the alcohol. The editors also gave each product an “overall” rating which reflected their personal preferences — how much they enjoyed drinking the seltzer and how likely they’d be to buy it again. 

For every category, the editors gave a score between one and five, and the scores were averaged to determine the top-ranked hard seltzers. These were the three that stood out.

Best overall: Spindrift Spiked Sparkling Water Real Squeezed Lemon

Spindrift, the sparkling water brand best known for including real fruit juice in its cans, launched their “Spiked” line in 2021. While it hasn’t yet reached the same level of popularity as some other brands on this list, we found it to be the best hard seltzer on the market. The Real Squeezed Lemon flavor is made with — you guessed it — real squeezed lemon, offering a seltzer that is bright, fresh-tasting, and pleasantly tart. “It tastes like real citrus,” said special projects editor Lucy Simon. “Tart and floral and a touch of bitter.” A few editors found it may be a touch too sour for some drinkers, though. 

At 4% ABV, Spindrift Spiked is lower in alcohol than many other hard seltzers, so the fermented cane sugar-based alcohol was nearly undetectable. We’d easily enjoy this refreshing can at the beach, a park day, or even at home. If you’re looking for a bit more kick, it could also make an excellent base for a simple spritz with red Italian bitter liqueur or brightened with syrup for an easy cocktail. 

Most fruit-forward: High Noon Grapefruit Vodka Seltzer

High Noon’s grapefruit flavor tasted and smelled almost exactly like sour grapefruit gummies — and that’s not a bad thing. Compared to the other hard seltzers we tasted, this one put fruit front and center. It’s fun, nostalgic, and has real grapefruit juice to boot. Some of our editors even found it complex, on par with a canned cocktail. “It’s trying to be something stronger, more distinct, and more ‘elevated,’ than a regular hard seltzer, and it actually tastes good,” said editorial director Dylan Garret. “It’s got the standard fruit and citrus notes, but it’s also got a little body and character without becoming too fancy to be refreshing.”

While the stated ingredients don’t note artificial grapefruit, it does have vague “natural flavors” which many of our editors detected — and found off-putting. “The fake fruit lingers on your tongue,” said news and trending editor Merlyn Miller. “It’s like off-brand candy,” added Simon. Still, if you’re a lover of fruit-forward beverages, this hard seltzer is bound to get the job done.

Most reliable: White Claw Hard Seltzer Black Cherry

White Claw’s Black Cherry hard seltzer is the most popular flavor of the most popular hard seltzer brand, and it’s easy to understand why. Although the black cherry tastes mostly artificial — like a black cherry-flavored lollipop — White Claw’s formula does include both “natural flavors” and real black cherry juice. Plus, the fruit flavor isn’t overwhelming, masking the low-quality fermented cane sugar-based alcohol without making it taste like juice. 

“[This one is light on the palate, perfumed but not perfumy, and it’s got some floral aromas but doesn’t hit over the head,” said Garret. “It’s the ‘Provence rosé’ of hard seltzer.” 

Generally, our editors found it perfectly acceptable, or as senior editor Audrey Morgan put it, “drinkable and unoffensive.” Which, frankly, is what most people are looking for when reaching for a hard seltzer, anyway. 

The full list of contenders, from highest to lowest ranked

1. Spindrift Spiked Sparkling Water Real Squeezed Lemon
2. High Noon Grapefruit Vodka Seltzer
3. White Claw Hard Seltzer Black Cherry
4. Lunar Lychee Hard Seltzer Lychee
5. Kirkland Signature Hard Seltzer Raspberry
6. Lone River Ranch Water Spicy
7. Happy Dad Hard Seltzer Lemon Lime
8. Topo Chico Hard Seltzer Strawberry Guava
9. Bud Light Seltzer Flavor Burst Black Cherry
10. Truly Pineapple Hard Seltzer
11. Bud Light Platinum Hard Seltzer Citrus