Spindrift is famous for making sparkling water that contains actual fruit. It’s a good strategy! Spindrift flavors tend to taste super authentic because, well, they are. That said, authenticity isn’t necessarily what people are looking for when they grab a can of soda. So, can new Spindrift Soda compete for market share in a world of Baja Blasts and Purple Thunders?
To be honest, I wasn’t totally sure what to expect from Spindrift Soda. Like the brand’s sparkling water, the five flavors in the lineup—Ginger Ale, Shirley Temple, Orange Cream Float, Strawberry Shortcake, and Concord Grape—are all sweetened with actual fruit juice. While Spindrift sparkling water has around 2g of sugar per can, the sodas have between 4g and 8g of sugar per can. For reference, a can of Orange Fanta has 43g of sugar. And no, Spindrift Soda doesn’t contain natural sweeteners like monkfruit or stevia, nor does it contain artificial sweeteners like aspartame. So what is Spindrift Soda, really? It’s Spindrift with a little more juice; if you’re expecting sugary-sweet soda, it’s not really soda. But hey, if that’s okay with you, read on for our full Spindrift soda review.
- Spindrift Ginger Ale
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Pros: Spindrift Ginger Ale is made with lime, lemon, ginger, and apple juices (and sparkling water, of course). It would be a really nice mixer with some whiskey—or in lieu of sugar-loaded ginger ale when you have a stomach ache.
Cons: This just doesn’t taste enough like ginger ale. And even though there’s ginger juice in the mix, there’s no tingle. Like I said, great mixer, but this won’t quench your thirst for a can of ginger ale.
- Spindrift Shirley Temple
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Pros: This Spindrift soda tastes like tart cherry juice mixed with lime juice. It actually does contain pomegranate juice, but it doesn’t have that syrupy grenadine sweetness or punch.
Cons: Shirley Temples are made with lemon lime soda and grenadine, so naturally they’re pretty sweet; it’s kind of the main thing about them. This soda is tart and tangy rather than sweet—it just can’t really taste like Sprite and grenadine without some sweetener.
- Spindrift Orange Cream Float
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Pros: This is really tasty. It’s reminiscent of Orangina without the pithiness. It tastes like orange juice up front and it settles into a nice, strong vanilla creaminess as you sip. They really nailed the simple flavors of a creamsicle.
Cons: Again, not soda. Just know what you’re getting into!
- Spindrift Strawberry Shortcake
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Pros: Strawberry was one of my favorite Spindrift flavors, but I’m pretty sure it was discontinued (the Strawberry Lemonade just isn’t the same). This is a good replacement, but there’s more to it than just strawberry. In addition to fruit juices, there’s vanilla extract in the mix, so it tastes like strawberry shortcake with whipped cream, not just strawberry.
Cons: Just a little more sugar would have taken more of the edge off of the tartness of the strawberry. But if you’re looking for a low sugar fruit soda, this is pretty nice.
- Spindrift Concord Grape
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Pros: This was our favorite of the new Spindrift Sodas. It has that good, rich, juicy concord grape flavor. Is it a bit like a less sweet Welch’s sparkling grape juice? Sure. But it’s refreshing and I bet it would taste really good with vodka.
Cons: If you want that bold, medicinal grape soda flavor, you’ll have to look elsewhere. Try Fanta.
Gwynedd Stuart
Ariana Losch
Justine Sterling
Griffin Parker
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!