The refreshing drink that’s fun to say and having a vogue moment.

Some fads rise and fall faster than you can say Ice Bucket Challenge, but seltzer is no one hit wonder. At the start of 2020 “hard seltzers” started seeping into the popular culture vernacular but then the year got turned upside down and life as we knew it changed, but the seltzer stayed. Gentle, fruity and fizzy, in a time when people are finding their own drink identity (and not just ordering Aperol Spritz because everyone else is), the seltzer fills a gap. And fills it well.

What is it?

A recap for anyone who hasn’t seltzer-ed yet – hard seltzer is simply sparkling water with a hint of natural flavour and a subtle alcohol kick. Most are about as alcoholic as a standard beer, but with significantly fewer calories and a much lighter taste. Imagine an alcopop… now forget it again. This is the alcopop’s much suaver, cooler, and more mature sibling – all grown up and with way less sugar (if any). To get poetic about it, imagine summer in a can. That’s seltzer. And while you don’t have to reserve them for just summer (you don’t only drink red wine in winter, right?), but they are kind of made for it. Delicate bubbles with just the right amount of fruity flavour served icy cold on a stinking hot January afternoon in Australia? Perfection.

Who’s making them?

Seltzers are big in the US. Like, out-sold-Buweiser-big. There, they are mainly made with vodka, but Australian producers are shaking things up. Some are experimenting with fermentation and others simply adding spirits to sparkling water and flavouring. Because it is so simple, there are a lot of flavours to try. Citrus, raspberry, watermelon, it’s like a Starburst packet out here on the seltzer shelves. Taste the rainbow. One thing the local brands are leading in is natural flavourings, and making the drinks as “clean” as possible. Most are gluten-free and vegan. Like Hint Seltzers from New Zealand, their mix is all natural and sugar-free. Liberty Coast Seltzers are also naturally flavoured and hit just 63 calories per can.

Why will you love them?

Served over ice, with a slice of lime (preferably with a view), there’s no more thirst-quenching drink. Even straight from the can (that you’ve just pulled from the Esky), a seltzer is uniquely placed somewhere between soda water and cocktail. Within that spectrum, there’s a seltzer for you. Good Tides, from the fine folk who make Asahi, is really light on flavour, so perfect for a more refined palate. Their raspberry flavour is nothing (like, nothing) like the syrupy sweetness of the premixed drinks of old. Whereas Rainbird’s passionfruit flavour is tart and supremely tropical. Their cans are also 6% ABV, and some 8% ABV, so if you prefer your hard seltzer harder, you have the option!

So next time you’re sent to pick-up the drinks. Pick up a mix of crowd-pleasing seltzers and see what’s your favourite.