SUPER SELTZERS

A fresh round of better-for-you hard seltzers feature real fruit, electrolytes, and even live probiotics.

IT’S GETTING TOUGH to tell hard seltzers apart. Store shelves are teeming with carbonated carbon copies, the flavors and calorie counts awfully alike. Want this black cherry hard seltzer or that one? Not that it matters much. Most are just fermented sugar and lab-designed “natural” flavoring, branding being the main differentiator. To separate themselves from the 100-calorie herd, some brands are using real fruit juice, organic sugar, probiotics, and electrolytes to wrap happy hour in a healthful veneer. “People want to consume better these days,” says Brian Miesieski, CMO of Sweetwater Brewing. The best wellness-focused hard seltzers deliver more than marketing angles. Sip these among friends—and toast to your health.