Trader Joe’s Organic Sparkling Apple Cider Vinegar Beverages

Trader Joe’s has released a trio of interesting new sparkling beverages that seemed very intriguing so I picked them up and gave them a taste.

You might be wondering to yourself what the hell is Trader Joe’s doing putting vinegar into my drinks? But hear me out, it isn’t nearly as bad as you think and actually putting vinegar into your drink is quite refreshing, let’s dive into this weird concoction and you might come to the same conclusion as me.

This summer Trader Joe’s has three apple cider vinegar drinks available. They are all $1.99 for a 12 oz can which is a little steep for a can of soda, but you’ll enjoy them quite a bit and they have a variety of uses other than sipping on a hot day, although that is their primary purpose.

There are three drinks:

Organic Sparkling Lemon + Strawberry Apple Cider Vinegar Beverage
Organic Sparkling Ginger + Lemon Apple Cider Vinegar Beverage
Organic Sparkling Elderberry + Pomegranate Apple Cider Vinegar Beverage

Each can contain 35 calories, which isn’t nothing but far less than a can of coca cola (150 calories for 12 oz). They don’t contain any added sugar, just fruit juice. In fact, each can list the amount of juice. The Lemon Strawberry one contains 38% juice. The Ginger Lemon contains 36% juice and the Elderberry Pomegranate has 29% juice.

Technically, these drinks should be called “shrubs” which is an old English word for a drink that incorporates some of that zingy vinegar.

From Wikipedia: “The word shrub can also refer to a cocktail or soft drink that was popular during America’s colonial era, made by mixing a vinegared syrup with spirits, water, or carbonated water. The term can also be applied to the base, a sweetened vinegar-based syrup from which the cocktail is made; that syrup is also known as drinking vinegar. Drinking vinegar is often infused with fruit juice, herbs, and spices, for use in mixed drinks.”

Trader Joe's Organic Sparkling Apple Cider Vinegar Beverages back — Trader Joe’s Organic Sparkling Apple Cider Vinegar Beverages back

This brings up a good use for these drinks. They would all make a great base for a mixed drink if you were trying to come up with a fun drink this summer. I don’t see any reason you couldn’t pour these over some ice and throw a shot of vodka in them.

Since we have three different drinks here, let’s break them down individually this is my own opinion and you’ll have to try them yourselves to make your own decisions. First, I enjoyed all of them quite a bit. They are refreshing and you only get a hint of the Apple Cider Vinegar but that is a good thing because without it I think all three of these would be quite sweet and the vinegar is a counterbalance to the fruit juice in all of them.

Trader Joe’s Organic Sparkling Elderberry and Pomegranate Review

This was the least favorite of the three of them. I still enjoyed it quite a bit. This one is obviously based on two purple fruits, Elderberry and Pomegranate. But on their own right are quite tart so I think that’s why you see some grape juice concentrate in the mix on the back. This one has deep, dark flavors almost red wine but with that effervescent spritz that comes from the sparkling apple cider vinegar. For me, this was just a little too heavy handed to be refreshing but could be a good base for a cocktail.

Trader Joe’s Organic Sparkling Ginger and Lemon Review

This was my second choice and this and the Lemon Strawberry are neck and neck but for this one I thought was more uplifting and refreshing that the Elderberry/Pomegranate one. All of these come off as medium dry with not a lot of sweetness and are very refreshing. The Ginger and Lemon are quite uplifting and dance on your palate. I am not a huge fan of ginger flavors but the lemon balances it out nicely. Quite enjoyable and will be buying more of this one.

Trader Joe’s Organic Sparkling Lemon and Strawberry Review

This was my favorite but it only is slightly better than the Ginger Lemon sparkling vinegar drink I think it’s because I really love Lemon and Strawberry flavors together. This comes off as slightly sweeter to my palate but that is probably just the Strawberry flavor presenting itself. Either way, this was very good, and will be buying several cans to have around

Final Thoughts

The only thing that I am disappointed in is the price of each can at $1.99 for 12 ounces of drink. There are some damn good drinks by Spindrift and other sparkling water companies that are at a much lower price point. Other than that, I think these are all very drinkable!