I Tried Popsicle’s New HARD Drinks, Just in Time for Summer

Remember when boozy popsicles were trending? (When I googled “boozy popsicles,” this article from 2021 came up and that timing seems about right.) Well, Popsicle looked at the concept with fresh eyes and just recently came out with booze that tastes like popsicles instead of popsicles that taste like booze. The new Popsicle Hard variety pack comes with Hard Grape, Hard Cherry, and Hard Orange—and I tasted all three. Here’s whether you need to stock up for summer.

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Popsicle Hard Variety Pack

Popsicle Hard

Pros: If you’re into non-carbonated alcoholic bevs like I am, good news: These new Popsicle drinks aren’t hard seltzers. There’s no fizz! That makes them very drinkable—no burps, no full feeling from the carbonation. But woof—they sure contain a lot of sugar. A single cherry Popsicle brand popsicle has 21g sugar. That’s a lot, but still not as much sugar as you’ll find in one of these 12oz cans, which have 25g sugar each. But hey, we’re talking pros here—and the pro is that these don’t taste like artificial sweeteners and don’t have the icky, lingering aftertaste you get from aspartame or stevia. The Cherry and Orange drinks are decent if you want something really sweet, but Grape was my favorite by far. SunnyD recently released a “Purple Stuff”-inspired hard seltzer and, honestly, this is what that should have been like. It has that purple Kool-Aid thing going on.    

Cons: A lot of the ready-to-drink canned booze we’ve consumed lately is made with real vodka. And that’s a good thing. Vodka gives RTD drinks a crispness and subtle bitterness that makes them taste more like actual cocktails—it’s a major upgrade. Unfortunately, these Popsicle drinks have a pretty strong malt liquor flavor and if you’ve been drinking things like Sun Cruiser and Surfside, you’re sure to notice the discrepancy.

Credit: Liv Averett / Popsicle Hard

Rating:

6/10

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