Happy 4th of July everyone! Today looks like it is going to be a soggy and steamy day in Columbus (grumble grumble). Hopefully, the weather forecast is wrong and by the time I get home from the studio, we will have a beautiful evening to set up the inflatable backyard pool! If you can believe it, we were too tired to set up the pool last weekend because we spent most days staining our outdoor benches, table and flower boxes. Now that the flower boxes are ready, I am so excited to finally plant some climbing flowers so that by next year, our pergola is covered in wisteria and trumpet vines!

The 4th of July is a great time to spend with friends and family at backyard BBQ’s and firework displays. It is also a time when you might feel tempted to overindulging on mayonnaise-based salads, calorie laden alcoholic drinks and desserts. I thought this week would be an excellent time to see what hard seltzers are all about! Most hard seltzers are about 100 calories per 12 oz can and are typically about 4 WW points. A 12 oz can of lager will set you back 153 calories and 5 WW points and a 5 oz glass of wine is 123 calories and 4 WW points. All in all they are a bit healthier so lets see what my trusted group of taste testers thought about the hard seltzers on offer at my local watering hole, Savor Pint.

*One quick note, I know that there are other more popular hard seltzers to review. However, I thought it was important to stick to the seltzers that are available at the store I am most likely to frequent. If you live in Columbus, Savor Pint is an amazing bar and carryout with friendly and knowledgeable staff. I went in yesterday morning to buy the hard seltzers as a pick your own six pack, and the owner personally helped me find everything I needed to create my top 5.

What are your favorite Hard Seltzers? What are you doing to stay on track this holiday weekend?

#5 Dixon’s Gin Fusion, 16 oz, 157 Calories, 7 WW PTS, $2.49

I will admit that this beverage shouldn’t really be included. It is not exactly a hard seltzer. In truth, every time I try to compare (apples to apples) an item for my blog I run into the same problem. I can never find 5 of the exact same flavors to compare (So frustrating)! Anywho, I included this beverage for a few reason; it is similar in alcohol content, flavor and the bottle is green! As I have mentioned in other top 5 reviews, this is a blog not a science journal!

Dixon’s Gin Fusion has so much promise. The flavor we sampled has ginger, cucumber, mint and lime (all things I like). Unfortunately, this drink almost made me gag. Some comments included “ewwww,” "smells like a hippie store,” “aggressively distasteful,” and “medicinal pine and a hint of Listerine.” Dixon’s describes the beverage as “the perfect ready-to-drink cocktail.” Ummm….no. Also comes in Lemon flavor.

#4 Wild Basin Classic Lime, 12 oz, 100 Calories, 3 WW PTS, $1.99

Wild Basin Classic Lime has my favorite of all the packaging in the test group, so I had high hopes. The first thing that hits you when you go to drink it is the smell. Our test group commented that it “smells like Fruit Loops,” “smells like Alka-Seltzer", “smells like lime flavored cereal.” After giggling about the smell we finally took a drink. The flavor is a bit malty and not so much of lime. Actually, we all found it hard to pin down exactly how to describe the flavor? I think that this was because we should have been tasting lime but clearly were not? Overall we give this seltzer a “meh.” Comes in Classic Lime, Cucumber Peach, Black Raspberry, Melon Basil and Lemon Agave Hibiscus.

#3 Vive Lime, 12 oz, 100 Calories, 3 WW PTS, $1.99

Vive Lime also has a funny smell and is flatter then we expected a seltzer to be. It did smell more like Lime than Wild Basin, but there was still something a bit off about it. The flavor was quite mild and we all agreed that it should have tasted a bit more of lime. I think that if you had some limes laying around and added them, it would be a better experience. Comments included; “strange aftertaste,” “Has a watered-down white wine taste,” “Underwhelming,” “tastes flat.” Vive Spiked Sparkling Water comes in Mango, Grapefruit, Lime and Dragonfruit.

#2 Bon & Viv Pear Elderflower, 12 oz, 90 Calories, 3 WW PTS, $1.99

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I really thought when I bought this it was Lime. I was looking for hard seltzers with green labels because they were all lime. I was tricked (and apparently can’t read). However, I am glad I bought Bon & Viv Pear Elderflower because I really liked the flavor! Also it has ten fewer calories than the rest of the hard seltzers. It reminded me of the true flavor from a fresh pear picked in the fall. There was plenty of fizz and it had an ok aftertaste. Not everyone in the group liked the flavor of pear but over all we liked this drink. I have to ask, “what does elderflower taste like?” Bon & Viv come in Black Cherry Rosemary, Grapefruit, Pear Elderflower, Cranberry (which taste just like a Jolly Rancher), Clementine Hibiscus, Lemon Lime, and Prickly Pear.

#1 Truly Lime, 12 oz, 100 Calories, 3 WW PTS, $1.99

And the winner is Truly Lime! We all agreed that this tastes just like sparkling water with fresh lime squeezed in. Be careful with this one, you may forget there is alcohol in it! There was just the right amount of bubble, flavor and crispness. There isn’t much to say because it was everything that we wanted and expected to experience. Truly comes in two flavor mix packs; Berry and Citrus. The Berry Mix contains; Black Cherry, Wild Berry, Blueberry Acai and Raspberry Lime. The Citrus Mix Contains; Orange, Lime, Grapefruit and Lemon.