Hard seltzer as a product rose from being practically unheard of 5 years ago to becoming a projected 2 billion dollar industry in the coming years. Just last year, interest in the low-calorie alcoholic beverage rose by over 200%. Because this industry has evolved so much and become so popular in such a short period of time, many aspects of hard seltzer products have shifted equally rapidly.

Everything from the recipe of the drink itself to the packaging system to the name itself has been in flux. Regarding the name, some competition has risen over what exactly to call alcoholic, flavored seltzer water with three primary contenders rising above the rest: hard, spiked, and boozy. To distinguish between these different names, let’s look back at the early days of hard seltzer.

Beginning of Hard Seltzer

Caroline Hill