Best Soda if You Don’t Like Sweet Stuff

A sweet treat at the end of the day is a sacred experience for me, so don’t think I’m turning my back on sweets. I’m just accepting the fact that we’re not always in a sweet mood and that’s okay. Maybe you’re looking for a good mixer before you go out and you don’t want to overload on sugar to avoid a hangover. Maybe you’re looking for a soda to wash down something sweet, so you need a nice balance to your experience. Maybe you don’t like sweets at all (couldn’t be me, but I won’t yuck your yum!). Whatever your reason for wanting a soda that won’t slaughter your tongue with sweetness every time you take a sip, we’ve got a selection for you!

Dr. Brown’s Extra Dry Ginger Ale

An extra dry ginger ale is just what the doctor (who also doesn’t like sweet stuff) ordered. Hey, speaking of doctors, Dr. Brown’s crafted this refreshing drink to be much less sweet than other ginger ales (hence, “dry” like wine), so it really does feel like it was created with those who don’t like sweet stuff in mind. Because it isn’t super sweet, Dr. Brown’s Extra Dry Ginger Ale is very light and refreshing. It’s the perfect less-sweet soda for washing down a fatty sandwich at a deli. The doctor said so.

Read the full ranking of the best ginger ale

Q Club Soda

Contrary to what I thought before joining the Sporked team, you are legally allowed to drink club soda on its own—who knew! Q Club Soda makes the solo sipping experience fun, and it’s deliciously sugar free. In her taste test of the best club soda, editor-in-chief Justine Sterling found Q’s round, subtle flavor and tiny, prickly bubbles that leave your tongue tingling to be an excellently effervescent experience. If straight minerals aren’t your bag, follow Justine’s guidance and throw this into a glass with a grapefruit garnish and you’ll be living in sweet-free paradise!

Read the full ranking of the best club soda

Sanzo Calamansi

Although it’s technically soda water, this is essentially the Erewhon-ed version of 7UP or Sprite. It still hits a lot of the marks you’re looking for when you want to reach for a lemon lime soda, minus the assault of sweetness that the originals deliver. Sanzo Calamansi is super tart while tasting like the rind of fresh citrus. It’s refreshing and citrusy, and since it’s sugar free you don’t have to worry about the sugar crash later (no bad-tasting artificial sweeteners either). Because this is a soda water, it’s a great way to make hydrating actually fun!

Read the full ranking of the best soda waters

Spindrift Half Tea & Lemon

Okay, yes 50% of this list is soda water. You caught me. Turn me into the soda police. I don’t care! I still call it pop, so they have no control over me and can kick rocks for all I care. Anyway, this soda water is so good I wouldn’t care if they locked me up, as long as they were giving me Spindrift Half Team & Lemon two times a day with breakfast and lunch (because it has a little caffeine in it and I’m still afraid of caffeine). If you’re worried about any stray sugar making its way into this drink, you can rest easy because its ingredients are literally just carbonated water, lemon juice, and brewed black tea!

Read the full ranking of the best Spindrift flavors


About the Author

Vinz Karl

Vinz Karl is a freelance contributor to Sporked and self-proclaimed Guy Fieri superfan. He believes in breakfast supremacy and is on a never-ending mission to try every flavor of Oreo out there. Originally from the Midwest, Vinz now resides in Los Angeles, where you can find him going on hikes, checking out new restaurants, and preparing for his eventual casting on CBS's Survivor.

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