The Best Lime Sparkling Water You Can Buy at the Store
When it comes to lime-flavored sparkling water, there are two camps: The first is for seltzers that taste of lime zest, the second is for seltzers that taste of lime juice. Too much time at either camp is a path toward failure. But the sparkling water that can somehow find a bridge that brings the two together in harmony? That's a winner.
In fact, it's the winner of our recent taste test, which brought together 17 varieties of lime sparkling water to find the best one for easy summer boozing and year-round guzzling.
Our favorite was Sprindrift—which is probably no surprise. But we picked a few other favorites since Spindrift is so very different from the rest of the roster. For our methodology and the full list of seltzers we tasted, scroll to the bottom of the page. First up, the rankings!
Our Favorite Lime Sparkling Water: Spindrift
If you know Spindrift, you know. If you don't, the gimmick is that it's the sparkling water with "real squeezed fruit." The real dose of lime juice here makes Spindrift's lime flavor unabashedly tart. Sipped next to the other contenders, there really was no comparing them. One thing we wanted more of from this sample: bubbles. (If we're mixing Spindrift lime into a cocktail, we'd add a splash of plain seltzer to make it truly sparkling.) That said, for sipping any and every time we need a thirst quenched, this lime seltzer is unstoppable.
BUY IT: Spindrift Lime Sparkling Water, $18 for 24 (12-ounce cans) on Amazon
The Best Classic Lime Seltzers
As I hinted to at the top, there were several seltzers that tasted too much of lime zest, giving them an "industrial-cleaner" vibe. But there were a few that struck a nice flavor balance between zest-y and juice-y. The top contenders in that market are Hal's New York, Poland Spring, and Polar. If you come to me for my personal rec, I'm Hal's all the way. Poland Spring landed slightly above it in the rankings because Associate Social Media Manager Andrew Spena liked its "herbal freshness." Polar was last of these top three classics for flavor, but it had the longest lasting bubbles, so if major sparkle is your primary concern, it's a solid option.
BUY IT: Hal's New York Lime Seltzer Water, $38 for 24 (20-ounce) bottles on Amazon
BUY IT: Polar 100% Natural Lime Seltzer, $25 for 12 (12-ounce) cans on Amazon
The Best Lime+ Seltzers
Several seltzer makers produce lime seltzers that sport secondary flavors. We gathered several of these to see if any could stand a chance against the full-force lime contenders. Several of them did: Our favorites from this round were Voss, which makes a lime-mint sparkling water that left our palates feeling positively breezy. Per Andrew, add a shot of gin and you've got your summer drink on lock. We also loved Schweppes Lemon-Lime which had sharp, long-lasting bubbles and clear, bright flavor.
BUY IT: Voss Artesian Lime-Mint Sparkling Water, $29 for 12 (12.7-ounce) glass bottles on Amazon
BUY IT: Schweppes Lemon-Lime Sparkling Seltzer Water, $6 for 12 (12-ounce) cans on Instacart
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What We Were Looking For
We were looking for the best seltzer...or sparkling water...easily purchased across the United States. (For the record, seltzer and sparkling water are the same thing.) So long as it was bubbly, lime-flavored, and unsweetened, it was in. The best seltzer had to be pleasant to drink on its own, but also ready to mix into cocktails or iced coffee or tea. Since many notable brands make lime seltzer with a supporting flavor, we decided to include these too—as long as lime was the primary player. These included waters with mint, cucumber, and lemon, as well as Key lime, which we found out is decidedly different from a more traditional lime flavor (and not, according to our team, in a good way).
How We Tested
Waters were tasted in two rounds: first the plain lime seltzers followed by the lime+, grouped by their supporting flavors. All seltzers were decanted into unmarked containers just before tasting and the test was conducted blind by a panel of Epi editors and staff.
To test bubble retention, I opened several of the top contenders and left them on my desk for half a day, sipping each at regular intervals, noting which ones had fallen flat and which were still giving off a hit of carbonation.
The Other Sparkling Waters We Tasted
In alphabetical order:
Grapefruit Sparkling Water
Originally Appeared on Epicurious
