Best Club Soda for Cocktails and Drinking Solo

Before we talk about the best club soda, let’s answer an important question: What is club soda? It’s carbonated water with added minerals, which give it an ever so slightly salty flavor. Seltzer? No minerals. Club soda? Minerals. Mineral water? Also minerals but those are naturally in the mix. Club soda is essentially artificial mineral water. 

So, now that’s out of the way, let’s talk about what we’re looking for in the best club soda. Unlike seltzer, club soda should have real flavor. There should be some salinity and minerality—because that’s the point of club soda. It should be pretty dang bubbly but not so bubbly that you can’t take a sip without sneezing. And it should be good for cocktails. Because that’s one of the main reasons to keep club soda around—to mix with booze and into drinks like Mojitos and Aperol Spritzes. 

Sadly, there just aren’t a ton of club sodas on the market anymore. I guess seltzer water and actual mineral water took over. But I gathered together all the club soda brands I could find and compared them side by side and ranked them. Here they are, from fine and fizzy to excellently effervescent.

Best Seltzer Alternative

If you are wary of too many bubbles, this is the best club soda for you. The bubbles are very, very tiny and they are much gentler than the bubbles in most of the other club soda brands on this list. It’s light on the flavor but extremely refreshing. It’s the closest club soda to a standard seltzer—good for drinking on its own but not quite bubbly enough to be an effective mixer.

Credit: Merc / Safewy

Rating:

7/10

Sporks

Best Cocktail Replacement

Though it is another gently bubbly club soda, Canada Dry is much more flavorful than Signature Select. There’s a touch of minerality and some savoriness to the water. It’s another good club soda to drink on its own—particularly with a wedge of lime. I’d say it’s the best club soda to sip on instead of a cocktail if you’re skipping the Spritz but still want something bubbly and grown-up during aperitivo hour. 

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Best for Aperol Spritzes

Fever-Tree’s soda-like bubbles and slightly acidic flavor makes it the best club soda for Aperol Spritz lovers. The bubbles will mimic and complement the bubbles from the Prosecco, and the bright but not overpowering acidity will brighten the zesty, bittersweet Aperol even more.

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Best for Vodka Sodas

There are so many bubbles in Schweppes club soda and they just don’t quit. In fact, you don’t taste this club soda so much as you feel it. And it feels good. This is the best club soda for a neutral cocktail like a Vodka Soda—a cocktail that’s more about texture and refreshment than flavor.

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Best of the Best

Q’s tiny, prickly bubbles leave your tongue tingling. It has a really nice subtle flavor that’s rounded rather than acidic. It’s easy to gulp down and won’t leave you burping all night long. For me, this is the best club soda for cocktails of all sorts, including the best club soda for Mojito making. But it’s also great for sipping solo, perhaps with a grapefruit garnish.

Credit: Merc / Amazon

Rating:

9.5/10

Sporks

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