The 2 Best Fizzy Waters, According to Food Editors
From Topo Chico and La Croix to Polar Seltzer and San Pellegrino, which is the best fizzy water? Simply Recipes editors tried them all and picked our top two.
How are you surviving this sweltering summer? The sun is unbeatable, and the air pushes back when you try to move through it. I try not to leave my house, and when my mouth is so dry that I can strike a match on my tongue, I reach for an ice-cold fizzy beverage—nothing hits the spot like crisp sparkling water.
Until recently, I stocked my refrigerator with Trader Joe's sparkling water because it's cheap ($0.99 for a one-liter bottle) and easy to pick up since I'm already at the store several times a week. I hadn't thought of tasting other brands of fizzy water because they're basically the same—I'd drink anything you pour me. It turns out I was mistaken.
Simply Recipes editors huddled in a conference room to blindly taste 12 popular brands of fizzy water to find the best. And lately, I've been filling my fridge with one specific brand that has vibrant sparkly bubbles and clean, tasty flavor. If I'm going to drink this stuff by the boatload, it should be high-quality. I've become a fizzy water snob.
The 12 Fizzy Waters We Taste Tested
- Mineragua Sparkling Water
- Saratoga Sparkling Spring Water
- The Mountain Valley Sparkling Water
- S. Pellegrino Sparkling Mineral Water
- Perrier Carbonated Mineral Water
- Liquid Death Sparkling Water
- Polar Seltzer Water
- Schweppes Seltzer Water
- Topo Chico Mineral Water
- La Croix Sparkling Water
- Hal's New York Seltzer Water
- Bubly Sparkling Water
The Best Fizzy Water Overall: Topo Chico
If you're looking for sparkling water that contains an abundance of tiny bubbles and tastes neutral and clean—not boring, just no weird flavors—Topo Chico Mineral Water is the one for you. Our editors picked it as the best-tasting sparkling beverage with the strongest fizz.
General Manager Emma Christensen, our most noted sparkling water fan, loves Topo Chico for its small, tight bubbles that "are prickly, but in a good way" and nice, neutral flavor. She was able to pick out this brand blindly, which speaks to why Topo Chico has such a fervent following.
Associate Social Director Brooke Schuldt says Topo Chico "tastes like sparkling water served at a fancy restaurant." Smaller, tighter bubbles tend to mean more refined. Topo Chico sources mineral water from Cerro del Topo Chico in northern Mexico. Both the carbonation and minerals are naturally occurring, so the bubbles are more delicate.
Topo Chico has become my go-to fizzy water, and I buy it by the case at Costco. I live in Central Virginia, and a box of 18 bottles costs $21.69, about $1.20 per bottle. It's worth every penny.
The Best Fizzy Water for Fans of Big, Sharp Bubbles: Saratoga
Are you looking for energetic bubbles? Reach for Saratoga Sparkling Spring Water. The bubbles are big, sharp, and domineering. So much so that you can't really taste the water, which could be good or bad depending on your preference.
Senior Director Alison Mango says, "I want my water to hit me in the face with bubbles. I like an aggressive fizzy water." (Her eyes sparkled aggressively after trying Saratoga.)
Even the company advertises its sparkling water as having "uplifting bubbles" and recommends pairing it with "foods that have bold flavors and strong aromas." This bubbly water can handle it.
