Ariana Losch
One huge benefit of living in Southern California: There’s a Mexican grocery store in almost every neighborhood. And one huge benefit of these grocery stores: They always carry the best Mexican sodas in the most tantalizing glass bottles that literally glisten like colorful gems in the beverage aisle. Rounding them up and taking them all home to try was a fantasy come true.
How we sourced the sodas for this taste test
In a very fun field trip, the Sporked team visited Vallarta Supermarket, a Mexican grocery store chain with locations across Southern California. Our managing editor Gwynedd Stuart called it “the best grocery store I’ve ever been to,” and you should trust her—she’s been to a lot of grocery stores, y’all. In addition to the bonkers soda selection, they have a grab-and-go tamale station, a stacked panaderia, a juice bar serving wellness shots and aguas frescas, a tortilleria, and so, so many freshly made ceviche cups. So many. She grabbed every single bottle of soda she saw in the cooler by the deli, which included a mix of Mexican soda brands, soda brands from other Central and South American countries, and even American sodas made in Mexico and exported to the U.S. (Yes, they do taste different—and yes, some of them made this ranking!)
What we looked for in the best Mexican sodas
For the most part, Latin American soda brands use real cane sugar as opposed to high fructose corn syrup. You might think that means these taste sweeter than most sodas—and while that’s true, the sweetness doesn’t hit in the way you would expect. It’s more like a natural fruit sweetness that enhances the other flavors in the mix, adding depth where corn syrup might otherwise pack more of a cloying, lingering punch. Which is ultimately what we’re looking for in the best Mexican soda. Let’s get into it.
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- Barrilitos Apple
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Barrilitos, a soft drink company founded in Monterrey, Mexico in the 1930s, comes up a few times on this list. Personally, I think it’s because they nail the sweetness—it’s rarely overpowering. This one does lean a little more sweet than the other, but to me personally, it’s fairly light overall, almost like a seltzer. It’s cozy and crisp without tasting too tart.
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- Kola Soda Colombiana
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Not to throw out the word “cozy” again, but Soda Colombiana’s Kola flavor tastes like a very light cream soda, which I find very cozy! My colleague Jordan Myrick compared it to Ironbeer, a cult favorite Cuban soda sold in Florida (and maybe elsewhere, but that’s where we’ve spotted it). This one uses high fructose corn syrup instead of cane sugar, and I might be biased, but I think that dulls the flavor just a bit compared to other bevvies here. Still, it’s easily the best cola-inspired Latin American soda from our taste test.
Credit: Merc / Food Bazaar Supermarket
- Mexican Squirt, 7UP, and Fanta
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At Vallarta, we also picked up bottles of Squirt, 7UP, and Fanta that are made in Mexico, since their ingredients vary slightly from the U.S. versions. The big difference is that they use cane sugar instead of corn syrup. We didn’t do a side-by-side comparison, but y’all, I swear these are so good. Maybe it’s the glass bottle, which spares you the faint taste of can or plastic. But honestly, I think this is the taste test that showed me just how superior sugar is to high fructose corn syrup (although, my colleague Jordan Myrick disagrees and is a firm corn syrup supremacist—to each their own!). It makes the other flavors brighter. Also, there’s something about a glass bottle shaped like a ridged dildo being called “Squirt” is poetic.
Credit: Merc / Walmart / Instacart
- Sangria Señorial
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If you don’t drink alcohol, first off: Go to a Latin American grocery store, because they have really great options for non-alcoholic ciders and such (usually served in a neat glass bottles, too). Secondly: Try this Sangria Señorial, especially if you like sangria. The grape juice has a deep wine richness, and there’s a touch of vinegar on the finish that some may not love, but I think makes it more interesting. I love that this is carbonated, too. (Can we make more carbonated sangria? Pretty please?) Add some fresh apple and orange slices, and you’re in business.
Credit: Merc / Sangria Señorial
- Jarritos Tamarind
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Fun fact: Jarritos is the #1 best-selling Mexican soda here in the states. We’ve got a whole ranking of Jarritos flavors, and Taramind already sits nice and pretty in our top spot. If you’ve never had tamarind, it’s a tree fruit that, to me, kinda tastes like sweet apple or pear with a bitter finish. In a soda flavor, it’s incredibly layered and unique—definitely not for everyone, though I still think everyone should at least try it for the experience.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Barrilitos Pineapple
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Why is this better than any other pineapple beverage I’ve ever had? Someone explain it to me, please? Wait, that’s my job? Damn it. A running theme with Barrilitos, one of the best Mexican soda brands from our taste test, is that they pare back the sweetness and super bold flavors in a way that makes the whole soda better and brighter. For example, this pina has such a fresh pineapple flavor, I feel like I’m eating it off the rind. I marveled at this for so long, I’m surprised it’s coming in third and not first!
Credit: Merc / HEB
- Barrilitos Ponche de Frutas
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As someone who actively avoids fruit punch in every beverage and candy flavor, the fact that I find this downright scrum-diddly-delicious is a feat. When Gwynedd and Jordan taste-tested it and loved it, I thought I would definitely disagree. Nope. It’s less of a fruit “punch” and more of a gentle fruit caress. It’s not too tart, and it’s not too sweet. (I mean, it’s still a sugar bomb, like most of these sodas, but you really can’t tell.) We better update our fruit punch ranking, pronto, because this beauty deserves a seat.
Credit: Merc / Brookshires
- Besitos Lime con Chile
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Now that I’ve tried Besitos Lime con Chile, I know what the beverage aisle is missing: spicy soda!!! Give us WAY more spicy soda! (Not you, Flamin’ Hot Mountain Dew. Stay away.) This is so zesty and rindy, with orange bits in the bottle (kinda like the lime version of Orangina). The yuzu juice makes it even more vibrant—and a little floral, but in a good way, I promise! This is the perfect tequila and mezcal mixer, guys. Do I wish it was a little more spicy? Yes, but my critiques don’t even matter, because it’s still the best Mexican soda we’ve tried to date. (Granted, Besitos is HQ’d here in SoCal, but the inspo is clear!)
Credit: Merc / World Market
Best Apple
Best Cola
Best American Sodas from Mexico
Best Alcohol Dupe
Best Unique Flavor
Best Pineapple
Runner Up
Best of the Best
Other Mexican & South American sodas we tried:
Goya Loose Malta, Barrilitos Mandarin, Cuzcatlan Cola Champagne, Jarritos Strawberry, Jarritos Pineapple, Jarritos Mandarin, Sidral Mundet, Tepachito Pineapple Cider, Jarritos Lime, Jarritos Grapefruit, Goya Cola Champagne
Vinz Karl
Justine Sterling
Danny Palumbo
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!