It's the latest, most coveted drink at bars and it's called "spiked" soda or "hard" soft drinks. Beverage companies are reinventing plain old soft drinks by adding alcohol. The result? A hip and trendy selection of flavorful adult refreshments with more to be released on the market soon, according to News 4 Jax.
"I like it because it's delicious, like, it is drinking an awesome childhood drink, but in an adult way," said Sarah Sigro.
Small Town Brewery's Not Your Father's Root Beer was one of the first to come up with the concept back in the summer and it has gotten some adults hooked. Sales of this root beer "beer" have been flying off the shelves, prompting other manufacturers to follow in the trend. "We cannot keep up with the demand across the country and consumers are ranging from 21 years old all the way to 80 years old," said Small Town Brewery's Aaron Sosnoski.
It's not hard to understand why spiked sodas are appealing to adults as "they're easy drinking, require zero preparation, and come in a range of flavors that'll appeal to even the pickiest drinkers," according to Delish. The news outlet also lists Coney Island Brewing Co. Hard Root Beer, Wild Ginger Alcoholic Ginger Beer and Spiked Seltzer as some of what's currently popular.
But as some brewers are becoming more inventive with their spiked soda offerings, Mothers Against Drunk Driving member Natasha Thomas calls on parents to be aware these alcoholic beverages exist. "Talk and engage with teens that these drinks are alcohol regardless of what content they come in and how they're packaged, but it's alcohol and we want them to make the right choices by not consuming it if they are under the age of 21," said Thomas, according to ABC 2 News.
These beverages contain four to six percent alcohol content, but taste close to their "virgin" versions, as per Delish.
