Red fizzy beverageIf you drink soft drinks and read THE NIBBLE, you may be ready for a change. Sparkling juices are not only divine beverages, but great recipe ingredients. Photo by Ersa Su.
MENU

   

Soft Drinks

Category Main Page
Articles & Reviews

   

Beverages

Category Main Page
Articles & Reviews

 

Main Nibbles

Articles & Reviews Of Foods
From A To Z

 

Product Reviews

Main Page

Food, Beverages, Books,
News & More

 

 

 

   

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
KAREN HOCHMAN is Editorial Director of THE NIBBLE.

 

February 2006
Updated October 2006

Product Reviews / Main Nibbles / Beverages

Who’s Who in Sparkling Juices

Drink Your Fruit: It’s Good For You

 

The fastest-growing category in specialty foods is beverages, where the creativity and fresh flavors are bursting forth. One segment of the category is sparkling juices, often categorized along with “adult sodas” like GuS and Steaz, which create all-natural, elegant versions of classic soft drinks like ginger ale.

Both groups are a godsend to palates tired of the artificial flavors of mass-marketed supermarket sodas—and the high levels of carbonation required to cover up the artificial tastes. Grown-ups who left the world of carbonated beverages behind long ago have returned for the refreshing, natural tastes of these sparkling juices, and they approve of the no-preservative, lower-sugar fizzy stuff for their children as well. For those who prefer the sweet fruitiness of sparkling juices to the spicier profiles of colas, root beers and ginger ales, there’s a lot from which to choose.

Glittering in Glass

Speaking of children, some observers have noted that the sparkling juices come in glass bottles, not plastic (Knudsen’s is in a can). While more elegant, this limits the portability a bit; you probably wouldn’t toss a bottle into Junior’s lunch box. But the glass is a necessity: the beverages have no preservatives and thus are pasteurized to destroy natural bacteria that can become harmful. Otherwise, the juices would have to be refrigerated. The introduction of carbonation plus pasteurization requires that only a glass bottle or a can be used. As the technology evolves, this may change.

All Natural, But Not All “Passionfruit”

While these specialty sparklers are 100% natural, they aren’t necessarily 100% made from the juice promoted on the front label. Most producers use a base of grape- or apple-juice concentrate, which is more affordable than using pure passionfruit, raspberry, strawberry, or tangerine juice, e.g. However, the “name” fruit on the label is in the mix, in the form of fruit puree and/or concentrate, and possibly added natural fruit flavoring. The end result delivers the essential flavor you expect from the beverage.

You can expect these beverages to be made with:

  • All-natural flavors
  • No artificial colors
  • No added sugars—sweetened only by the fruit juices (Wild Fruitz adds cane sugar)
  • No preservatives, additives or artificial components.

And the end result is delicious—and versatile! Most companies have recipes on their websites showing how to use the products in everything from salad dressings and marinades to glazes and desserts, plus as a base for more elaborate beverages like smoothies and shakes. So don’t look at sparkling juices just as liquid refreshments: they’re multi-taskers!

Brand % Juice First 2 Ingredients/
Flavors
Calories/
16 ounces
Product

Fizzy Lizzy

 

 70
  • Water
  • Grapefruit Juice

Flavors:
Apple, Cranberry, Grape, Grapefruit, Orange, Passionfruit, Pineapple, Raspberry Lemon

Learn more at
FizzyLizzy.com

110


Fizzy Lizzy
Izze
100
  • Water
  • White Grape
    Juice

Flavors:
Apple, Blackberry, Blueberry, Clementine, Grapefruit, Lemon, Pear, Pomegranate

Learn more at
Izze.com

150
Izze Clementine
Juice Squeeze
70
  • Water
  • White Grape or
    Apple Juice

Flavors:
Blackberry Pomegranate, Cranberry Black Cherry, Key Lime, Mountain Raspberry, Passion Fruit & Mango, Pomegranate Lemonade, Ruby Grapefruit, Wild Berry

Learn more at
CrystalGeyserWater.com

150
Juice Squeeze
Knudsen’s
Spritzers

70-
80

 

  • Water
  • Apple Juice

Flavors:
Black Cherry, Boysenberry, Cranberry, Grape, Mango Fandango, Orange Passionfruit, Peach, Red Raspberry, Tangerine, and others

Learn more at
KnudsenJuices.com

160-
190
(12 ounces)
Knudsen's Spritzers
The Switch
100
  • Water
  • White Grape
    Juice

Flavors:
Apricot Peach, Black Cherry, Fruit Berry, Grape, Lemonade, Orange Tangerine, Tropical Punch, Watermelon Strawberry

Learn more at
GetOffTheHype.com

225-
260
The Switch
Wild Fruitz
25-35
  • Water
  • Fruit Juice

Flavors:
Apricot/Peach, Cranberry,
Huckleberry/Blueberry, Lemonade, Orange/Mango,
Pomegranate/Blackcurrant, Raspberry, Watermelon

Learn more at
WildFruitz.com

85-105

Wild Fruitz

         

 



© Copyright 2005-2024 Lifestyle Direct, Inc. All rights reserved. All images are copyrighted to their respective owners.