It’s still water

There’s a new category of spiked beverage that’s trending for its novelty, portability and getting you drunk in a ‘healthy’ way

Hailing from a profession that requires you to attend shindigs, one has to often sip and schmooze to survive the night. In such scenarios, the “I’ll-stick-to-one-drink” flex rarely works, eventually culminating in nasty hangovers the next morning. And so,  we’ve come to realise that the only way to tide over this problem is to drink occasionally, and limit ourselves to liquor that goes down easy.

Enter hard seltzer. The craze around this spiked beverage has become the latest trend among millennial drinkers across the globe. Last year, actor Priyanka Chopra teamed up with the US-based spiked seltzer brand BON V!V to help create a new flavour, Raspberry Dragonfruit. Roped in as a creative advisor, the actor said the beverage was a new discovery for her and there’s been no turning back since. The meteoric rise of this, frizzy beverage has been attributed to its low-calorie and low-carb count.

So, what is a hard seltzer? Put simply, it’s an alcoholic carbonated water-based drink. According to experts, since seltzers are made with sparkling water, the calorie-count is significantly lower, with one pint of seltzer carrying roughly 80 to 100 calories.  Wild Drum, an Indian brand based out of Goa, has launched hard-seltzers, a clear carbonated beverage infused with natural fruit flavourings.  The startup claims that the drinks contain 99 calories per serving, making it ideal for guilt-free drinking. It’s available in four flavours: peach, pure, mango, and lemon-mint. While the hard seltzer (Rs 200) has eight per cent alcohol and is available in peach and pure flavours, the other variant contains 4.75 per cent alcohol. The flavours include pure, mango and lemon mint (Rs 175). We started with a can of hard seltzer (pure) and it was potent just like the name implies. The peach flavour had a distinct tartness. Both flavours give you the kick and by the time you’re done, you’re ready to fly. The good part is, unlike most pints of beer, it doesn’t leave you bloated. We wouldn’t call it a day drink unless you’re in Goa. Glug these on a night when you want to let your hair down.

The 330 ml cans that have 4.75 per cent alcohol are engineered for easy drinking. It’s one of those drinks that go down real smooth, and then suddenly you’re drunk. While the peach and lemon-mint are more drinkable, we didn’t find the mango instantly likeable. But it has the potential to grow on you. All in all, we’re stoked to announce that the four cans of seltzers did not knock us out. And our inclusion in the Sober Suzie club can wait another day.

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