As a fruity drink addict, I am always looking for something new to enjoy that fizzes but won’t add to my daily calorie intake—much. I like things that taste sweet or fruity, and especially drinks that fizz—but caffeine isn’t a requirement. I don’t like a lot of artificial sweeteners, though I’ll try just about anything once.
I picked up two packs of RW Knudson drinks while grocery shopping the other night because they were on sale. And they were fizzy. Both are spritzer drinks; one is Red Raspberry while the other—my favorite—is Jamaican Lemonade. Both are absolutely delicious, fruity and bubbly just like I like them, though they seem to run on the small side as far as canned drinks go at 10.5 ounces per can. They are slightly less caloric than soda—110 to 120 calories per can—but if they matched soda per ounce they would probably be even closer.
That said, they have to be a little more healthy, right? After all, they are both made with over 60% juice and contain natural flavors. They do contain sparkling water as well, which makes them so fizzy. The story on the cans says that the company started the drink in 1985 as an alternative to soda, replacing high fructose corn syrup and refined sugar with natural juices and sparkling water. It’s a good idea, and to me, it tastes much better than soda. I would drink carbonated lemonade every day if I could.
That said, I do have a soda making machine a friend gave us a while back that we don’t use much. Now I’m wondering if we should look into getting the CO2 refilled so we can make some fizzy lemonade regularly. If it saves money—and may even make less caloric versions, depending on the recipe I use—it may just be worth it.
On the other hand, I think I have my new choice drink for family picnics this summer. It’s just in time, too, since our neighborhood Sonic, where my best friend and I always get our fizzy fruity drink fixes, just closed in order to free up room for some bank. We are not pleased. I would say that these cans of spritzer are cheaper than those drinks were, though, even during happy hour—though they don’t have the real lemons and cherries… I guess we’ll have to provide our own garnishes!