Top 5 Flavors of Sparkling Ice™

Plain water is fine. Good, even. But if I’m going to drink a sparkling water that introduces itself with a fruit flavor, I want that fruit flavor to punch me in the mouth—not just remind me of a whisper of a memory of a fruit that once existed in the same town as the water long ago. You know what I’m talking about.

That’s why Sparkling Ice™ has been my go-to brand for sparkling fruit-flavored water ever since those tall skinny bottles full of color started popping up in stores and gas stations. You can go in blindly, like I did, or you can be informed. Here are the top 5 flavors of Sparkling Ice.

5. Black Cherry – I don’t recommend trying to Google “black cherry real fruit” because you’re going to learn way more about trees than you expected. Yes, it’s a real fruit grown in America, but apparently it doesn’t taste all that good on its own, and the tree is mostly used for lumber. Grocery store black cherries are secretly a darker variety of either sweet cherries or sour cherries. That said, I like a little mystery in my drink, and of the three dark red flavors of Sparkling Ice, this one tastes the most genuine.

4. Lemon Lime – I typically like the color of my water to match the flavor (don’t worry: Sparkling Ice uses natural fruit and vegetables for color), so I was initially put off by this clear bottle. Upon tasting, however, I discovered this is a solid alternative to a regular lemon lime soda, and an alternate zero calorie mixer for your simple vodka cocktails.

3. Fruit Punch – The latest edition to the classic flavor offerings you can get pretty much anywhere, I’m happy to report the Sparkling Ice Fruit Punch is just as good as Hawaiian Punch. It’s also less sugary and, as a result, less syrup-y. Not bad with vodka.

2. Lemonade – I once drank a warm, powdery lemonade drink at a youth group lock-in because no one told the building manager to keep the heat on overnight and we were freezing. This tastes nothing like that. It tastes like springtime and picnics and drinks that do not require the effort of squeezing and measuring and stirring and THANK YOU, lemonade, for being easy and accessible. (Also great with vodka, btw.)

1. Cherry Limeade – I have distinct memories of real soda fountain cherry limeades from my childhood and they’re amazing. But I always finished them way too quickly and immediately asked for another one and then my stomach would hurt for the next two hours. I do not want that as an adult whose stomach already kind of hurts all the time. I could 1000% drink three of Sparkling Ice bottles in an afternoon. Want to elevate your game? Squeeze half a lime, throw the juice and the lime half in the bottom of your cup, add pellet ice and fill it up with this cherry limeade. Add vodka to taste.