Do hard seltzers make sense?
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
Of all the trends in the drinks world, the rise of the hard seltzer is the one I find most perplexing. How on earth did such an insipid, utterly joyless beverage become a $9bn phenomenon? Hard seltzers, if you are fortunate enough not to have had one, are canned drinks made from sparkling water, flavourings and neutral grain alcohol. Low-cal, low-sugar or sugar-free, vegan and around five per cent abv, they’re the health-conscious millennial’s answer to the alco-pop. Flavours are childish and fruity – black cherry, watermelon, lime – and horribly synthetic. They’re thin on the palate, yet still give you a hangover just like any other booze.
The brand that kick-started the trend was White Claw. Launched in 2016 to appeal to spirit-and-mixer drinkers, the spritzer crowd and beer fans, it accounts for around half the US market, estimated to be worth $4.7bn, and has inspired countless imitators. I may find the hard seltzer’s success inexplicable. But I’m keen to see where it goes next. Because there is only one way for the category to head: and that, my dear readers, is up.
One brand that might point the way is Fefe (five per cent, €27 for 12), a new hard seltzer from Paris. Created by the team behind Le Syndicat and La Commune – two of the city’s coolest bars – with help from perfumier Jean Niel, the recipes read more like cocktails than alco-pops: Cucumber & Eucalyptus; Tonic, Juniper & Grapefruit; Strawberry & Sandalwood. Like all hard seltzers, they are on the lean side, but the flavours are nuanced and natural-tasting. Having launched successfully in France, Fefe will make its international debut this year.
Wild Spring (five per cent, £15 for six) is also raising the bar. Created by Fran and Charlotte Cutler – veterans of London’s fashion PR – it’s made with natural extracts, no sweeteners and has less than 100 calories a can. The sherbetty Raspberry is half-drinkable in a bath-bomb way – but it’s the packaging that really appeals. “In the fashion world it’s all about the calories, so hard seltzers make a lot of sense,” says Fran, “but a lot of the branding in this sector is really corporate. We thought there was a gap in the market for a brand that was fun, sexy and cool.”
Easily the best-tasting hard seltzer I’ve tried is Good One – a “craft hard soda” brand from east London. Made with real fruit, distillates created in-house, and no added sweeteners, these sodas (£33 for 12) are as virtuous as many of their competitors on the sugar front, but have a flavour and mouthfeel a hundred times better. The core range is Raspberry, Basil & Lime, Lime & Cucumber and Grapefruit & Thyme (my favourite) but they also do seasonal, limited editions. With options like this around, I might become a convert, yet.
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