Hi my name is Kelly and I am addicted to sparkling water. Flavored sparkling water, to be specific. Here in the UK it is called a variety of things, “flavored carbonated water”, “setlzer”, or “sparkling water” but after getting over the vocabulary hurdle I have found a number of tasty options here in England for carbonated, no calorie, fruity drinks .
But before we get there, yes, I am aware that there are worse things to be addicted to but it is a slightly expensive habit. Especially during quarantine I have turned to these cans to stop from snacking and it is working but I go through quite a few. I have tried a variety of brands and these are my current favorites:
S.Pellegrino Essenza – Imagine your traditional S.Pellegrino bubbles mixed with a a bit of fruit for some added flavor and you have these cans. I have tried all three flavours; San Pellegrino Essenza Dark Morello Cherry & Pomegranate, Tangerine & Wild Strawberr, and Lemon & Lemon Zest. While I like all three I would recommend people start with the Dark Morello Cherry & Pomegranate and their website goes all out with pairing notes, in case you are interested.
Dash Water – A British spring water that has differentiated their space in the market with their, “dash of wonky fruit”. All of their waters have three ingredients; spring water, wonky fruit, and bubbles. They come in a number of flavors including lemon, black currant, peach, raspberry, and cucumber. The Blackcurrant is my overall favourite but the cucumber is the most refreshing on a hot day and while you can buy it at both Holland & Barrett and on Amazon, I get mine at Costco.
Aqua Libra – Created more than 30 years ago by a British food brand and marketed as “Sparkling water infused with natural fruit flavours and a dash of lemon juice”. NOw they have three flavors, all without sugar or sweeteners and just a hint of bubbles’ Raspberry & Apple, Grapefruit and Pineapple, and Cucumber, Mint & Lime. While all three are tasty, the Grapefruit and Pineapple is my favourite!
La Croix – This American brand of carbonated water has 13 flavours in the Staes, much harder to find here – have only found a multiple pack of 24 cans that contained 12 Lime, 6 Lemon, and 6 Pamplemousse. And the lovely thing about this is Pamplemousse is my favourite (grapefruit in French) but it is extremely hard to find!
Ugly Water – I am not sure why this brand is called Ugly because I think it is delightful. It was founded by ex Vita Coco employees (where I worked in University) and has been in England since 2017 and the US since 2019. Sadly I have not tried all of the flavours because only the four packs of Triple Berry , Peach, and Tropical are available at Tesco but I am quite keen (so British) to try the lemon and lime as well as the seasonal flavours (I heard great things about the watermelon and the cherry).
And in case you think any of these are new, take a look at few of my UK sparkling water snaps from the last few months:
Now the big question is, since I am at home for the rest of the year, do I actually designate my flat as an “office” an sign up a for a corporate reoccurring delivery? …. It is tempting!
If you are also based here, what are you top suggestions for UK Sparkling Water?
A Wonderful Evening with Wine Enthusiast
Prosciutto and Melon Appetizer
Eating My Way Through Smorgasburg
My Top Three Eats in Copenhagen
Margo says
The Dark Morello Cherry & Pomegranate sounds really interesting.
Going to buy some today and I am always looking for new non calorie drinks to try. I wonder how it would be with a splash of vodka or gin? Have you ever tried that?
Laurie says
Most of these never are quite sweet enough for me and I have found that it I put in a drop or two of liquid monk fruit it seems to bring out the flavor more and just a bit more sweetness to help crave my sweet tooth cravings.
Need to try some of these so thanks for the suggestions!
Fran says
I really like LaCroix but sometimes wish they had a bit more flavor.
Will have to try some of the others so thanks for the suggestion.
Jamie says
I would sign up especially if you can save some money while not lugging a bunch of heavy stuff to your apartment all the time.