Hard seltzer
Hard seltzer, spiked seltzer or hard sparkling water is a type of highball drink containing carbonated water, alcohol, and often fruit flavoring. In the US the alcohol is usually made by fermenting cane sugar; sometimes malted barley is used. Hard seltzer products outside of the US have been found to use either neutral spirit, or fermentation of fruit. The alcohol by volume is around 5% and the calorie-content is relatively low.
5th generation brewer Nick Shields invented the beverage style with Spiked Seltzer, in Westport, Connecticut, and brewed the first commercial batches in November, 2013. The category saw a spike in popularity around 2018–2019 in the U.S. As of 2019, in the U.S. the most popular brand is White Claw. Hard seltzer is expected to generate $2.5 billion in sales in the US by 2021. On the back of this popularity, hard seltzer brands have launched in numerous countries outside of the U.S., including in Canada, Australia and the UK. In February 2020, White Claw launched in Canada and has a registered trademark in the UK.
