If You Drink Only One Hard Seltzer This Summer, Make It This One

If you find yourself by a beach,  pool, or lake (or even just your front porch), that's an experience only made better with an ice-cold beverage. It's hard seltzer season, people, and with so many brands on shelves now, it's probably not easy to know which ones are worth the money.

I've ranked more seltzers than I can count for Cheapism, so that makes me an expert, right? Right. Here's the best hard seltzer you can get your hands on this summer, plus all the best flavors from the other brands.

Every sip of a Spindrift Spiked makes me wonder if I'd ever go back to beer. This is delightfully tart, like a San Pellegrino Limonata, and it barely tastes like alcohol. Light, crushable, and refreshing, I can see myself spending a Sunday afternoon porchin' it with a case of Lemon Spindrift Spiked. Good thing it's only 4%.

We've got ourselves a masterclass in subtlety. The one common thread between every single gross hard seltzer flavor I've ever had is that they are just too much. We don't need pomegranate-lime flavors and we don't need mango-watermelon-margarita flavors. Citrus Punch is crisp and delicate. Grab one and just watch how fast you find your can empty.

On any given day in Lockdown 2020, my body probably contained at least 50% melon basil seltzer. I've been hot on this flavor for years. Melon Basil Wild Basin (is that an intentional tongue-twister?) hits nothing beautiful notes for me, and is both cantaloupe and basil-forward, truly earning its name. 

Melon is a polarizing fruit, but I like ‘em all. Even honeydew.

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This is a paloma, basically, and I take no issues with that. This is about as easy to drink as any hard seltzer I’ve ever tasted, and by easy to drink, I mean that I finished an entire can in an embarrassingly short amount of time. Pace yourself, if you can.

If High Noon ever drops a mezcal-based seltzer, I’m praying they’ll keep the grapefruit flavors flowing.

Bud Light seltzer flavors have come and gone in the four years it's been available, but black cherry has stood the test of time. Not too sweet and full of vivacious, refreshing energy, it's not far off from a Dr. Brown's black cherry soda. This flavor is still around for a reason. This flavor is sold in it's own 12-pack for a reason, too.

Related: Ranch Water Seltzer Wars: Dos Equis vs Karbach Brewing vs Lone River

I can't tell you what this tastes like for the life of me, which is odd because it's my favorite one. The truth is, alcohol itself might be the central flavor, but not in a bad way. It's honestly more like tequila on the rocks, with the tiniest splash of citrus. No other flavors are necessary, as far as I’m concerned.

Despite a seventh place slot, you have to put some honor on White Claw's name. It's been almost a decade since White Claw helped kick hard seltzer into mainstream popularity, and it remains an always-solid choice. I've got nothing but respect for you, White Claw.

Related: Here's How Kirkland Hard Seltzer Stacks Up Against White Claw

Does it taste like a blackberry? No, I don't think so. But that's where my issues end, because this is clean and bright, and whatever fruit this tastes like only enhances the entire experience.

Corona's hard seltzer showing is a lot more impressive than I would have given them credit for. The beer titan really knows how to measure itself when it comes to these hard seltzers, offering flavors that aren’t too over the top and are rarely too sweet. Raspberry is the best one; refreshing but not too powerful, and fruity but not too fake-tasting. Nailed it.

Truly's black cherry, while the best of the Truly lineup, is just fine. Both White Claw and Bud Light outdo Truly in this race, but it's still a measured, balanced drink. And after a few of them, are we even keeping track of what brand they are?

I'm not a fan of anything Vizzy has made. Black cherry lime is the most subdued flavor, but that's the only reason it gets the number one spot in the Vizzy line. Skip this brand.