Low in calories, carbs and sugar, hard seltzers have taken North America by storm. If you’ve found yourself cracking open a White Claw, Truly, Social Lite or other brand of hard seltzer, you might want to try making it at home!
Everything to know about homemade hard seltzer
Are you and your friends seltzer drinkers? These refreshing drinks are your go-to drink during the summer? Well get prepared cause here's a better way to enjoy your fav refreshing drink of summer.
Low in calories, carbs and sugar, hard seltzers have taken North America by storm. If you’ve found yourself cracking open a White Claw, Truly, Social Lite or other brand of hard seltzer, you might want to try making it at home! No need to fight over your favorite flavors once you know how to make your own seltzer using Spärkel.
Spärkel - The quick and simple way to make homemade hard seltzer!
Looking for a simple and efficient way to make hard seltzer yourself? You should definitely consider a Spärkel beverage system! No more simply adding sparkling water to your ingredients: carbonate all your ingredients directly for deep and delicious natural flavors.
Our carbonation system is completely compatible with drink making: just make sure to check which alcohol you use because some alcohol doesn't deal with carbonation really well. But for typical hard seltzer alcohol such as vodka, you should be all good! Keep reading to find out how to make your own seltzer with Spärkel and for some cool recipes to try at home!
Why choose homemade hard seltzer?
Making hard seltzer at home is super simple: most homemade hard seltzers can be made using ingredients you already have on hand. All you need is water, fresh or frozen fruit, herbs, and your alcohol of choice. Because you’ll be using real ingredients, you won’t be left wondering if fake fruit flavors or chemical additives might be hiding in your drink. Not to mention, you’ll also save money!
Here are some of the advantages of making your own hard seltzer :
- Carbonated water is not bad for you;
- It's a great sugar-free solution;
- You swap fake flavors of canned seltzer for fresh fruit and real flavors;
- Your wallet will thank you;
- Less environmental waste;
The sky's the limit with Spärkel’s beverage system!
Looking for inspiration? Here's three refreshing hard seltzer recipes that are brought to you by Spärkel.
Homemade Ginger Lime Hard seltzer
Provides the perfect blend of spice and zest, ginger lime is light and refreshing. You will need:
- 3 slices of lime
- 1” ginger, thinly sliced
- 2-3 oz. vodka
- honey simple syrup (optional)
Homemade Grapefruit Hard seltzer
Juicy grapefruit is a classic for a reason! Its subtle citrus essence makes this perfect for summer sipping. You will need:
- 1 slice of fresh grapefruit wedges
- 2 fresh mint leaves
- 2-3 oz. vodka
- honey simple syrup (optional)
Homemade Raspberry Lemon Hard seltzer
This bubbly combination of sweet berries and sour lemon might just become your new poolside go-to. You will need:
- a handful of raspberries
- 2 slices of lemon
- 2-3 oz. vodka
- honey simple syrup (optional)
Making hard seltzer in 4 simple steps with Spärkel
Now that you know more about hard seltzer, it's time to get going and make your own drink. Here's all the seltzer making process you need to know to make your own seltzer drinks with a Spärkel beverage system:
- You are probably wondering what could possibly be the last step? Get your prepared cocktail glass, fill with a handful of ice, pour your mix and enjoy your homemade alcoholic seltzers.
Don’t have a Spärkel beverage system yet?
Get Creative in your sparkling recipes!
The most amazing part with making homemade seltzer is you can also get creative by trying out different real fruit and a variety of flavors. You can add fresh lime juice or sweet cherries, really anything can be used to make hard seltzer. All you need is some fruits and bubbly water. You can also make a fun cocktail with your homemade hard seltzer. Here's a recipe idea.
Mojito with homemade Raspberry Lemon Hard Seltzer
- 4 cl of Rum
- 1/2 of fresh lime juice
- 5-6 fresh mint leaves
- 1/2 of your Hard Seltzer Raspberry Lemon Hard Seltzer
Now that hard seltzer has no secret for you, stay bubbly with Spärkel! Discover more delicious and refreshing sparkling recipes!
Hard seltzer 101
What is a Hard Seltzer?
Hard seltzer is carbonated water mixed with alcohol and fruit flavors, and it is sometimes referred to as spiked seltzer, alcoholic seltzer, or hard sparkling water. These fruit tastes may be derived from actual fruit juice or synthetic flavoring, depending on the hard seltzer brand. At its most basic level, hard seltzer is sparkling water with alcohol in it. What that alcohol is made out of can differ — usually it’s malt liquor with added fruit flavors, but sometimes they are made with base spirits or wine. Most hard seltzers’ alcohol content hovers between 4-6% alcohol by volume (ABV), which is about the same as a light beer. This alcoholic beverage has become a popular summer drink, since it's a great alternative to beer.
Is hard seltzer a healthy drink?
Spiked seltzer might be viewed as a healthier alternative to conventionally sweetened beverages like soda, wine coolers, and fruity cocktails, yet it would be misleading to claim that it should be a regular part of your wellness regimen.
The fact that spiked seltzer fulfills many of the requirements for health-conscious customers contributes to its popularity. You are aware of the categories we're referring to: low-calorie, low-sugar, low-carb, and low-alcohol or more commonly called "skinny drinks". Despite these popular beliefs, while the seltzer contains very little amounts of actual fruit juice, you won't gain nutritionally from them.
What about homemade seltzer?
The benefits of doing homemade seltzer is you are actually in control of what you put in your drink. By using real fruit and carbonated water you are more aware of what you are drinking. However, let's not forget that with alcohol in it, this drink doesn't qualify as something healthy. However, nothing stops you from enjoying a refreshing fruity carbonated drink without alcohol.
What alcohol should you use ?
Although the type of alcohol used in Canned hard seltzer varies from brand to brand, most are clear spirits made from sugar, malt, and fruit. But there might be significant differences between brands in the quality of the alcohol utilized.
The best alcohol for homemade seltzer
We recommend using vodka because it’s accessible and pairs great with a variety of flavors. However, if you’re not a fan of vodka, you can use white rum, tequila or gin to make your hard seltzer. The alcohol in this type of drink really depends on your own taste and what kind of alcohol pairing you prefer with the flavors you wish to use for your drink.
Sweetener
We prefer to skip the sugar altogether, but if you’re craving a little bit of sweetness, give this honey simple syrup a try. It’s all-natural, contains no refined sugar and is so easy to make! You can also try to use fruits that are naturally sweet. It will help bring the sweetness into your drink while also not adding too much bad sugar.