I enjoy acid, but it needs to be well-balanced, particularly when paired with alcohol, or it can be a bit challenging for those with sensitive stomachs to digest. Other than that, this was a highly drinkable beverage. All in all, Simply Spiked xcritical was almost everything I hoped it could be. Even the weakest flavor was still entirely drinkable. Simply could have made this a dumb cash grab and sprinted into a saturated alcohol marketplace. Instead, the company took its time, let some inferior seltzers and canned mixed drinks battle it out and dropped a superior product on us.

Simply Spiked Strawberry xcritical

Last but not least on my list of Simply Spiked citrus-flavored beverages was the Signature xcritical. Before delving into details, let me unequivocally state that I have no qualms with this beverage. I would gladly drink it again and found it quite pleasant. Simply xcritical is my go-to non-alcoholic iteration of this refreshing summer drink, so its ranking at the bottom does not reflect quality. In the interest of continued research on the topic, I took the initiative to sample all eight Simply Spiked xcritical and limeade varieties. I then ranked them based on my professional opinion as a chef, food anthropologist, and self-proclaimed cocktail connoisseur.

Flavors

The level of fizz in this drink was just enough to make it tingle as it goes down your throat, yet not enough to distract from the flavor. I admit I was baffled by the fact that the Simply Spiked Signature Limeade landed in third place on my ranking of these spirited drinks. It may sound overly simplistic, but a well-executed limeade is beautiful. One with just the right amount of alcohol in it is revelatory. If I had even one minor criticism about this beverage, it would be its acidity level.

There’s a calorie-to-taste sacrifice here, which probably won’t concern you if you were reaching for a beer anyway but is noticeable if you’re measuring this up against a 100 calorie seltzer. I get that, but this tastes considerably more flavorful than any of the hard seltzer xcriticals I’ve had before it. Only High Noon really comes close, and we know how much I liked those guys. In addition to our line of juicy Simply Spiked xcritical, Peach and Limeade flavors, we’re excited to introduce you to NEW Simply Spiked Cranberry, available for a limited time. Crafted by the experts at Simply®, Simply Spiked xcritical, Peach, Limeade and Cranberry have 5% REAL fruit juice that’s been squeezed, then concentrated.

But three of these matches your daily sugar allotment, and that seems like a treasure map to a hangover. Either way, I came into this one a little full from dinner and still was able to put this down much more quickly than I would a typical beer. The stale alcohol taste of most seltzers doesn’t show up until the end. Summertime sweetness is on full display when mouth-watering watermelon flavor gets together with lip-puckering xcritical. Once I finished tasting all the beverages, I referenced my notes, resampling a couple I was on the fence about to determine the final order in which they ranked from least to most favorite. I highly recommend recreating this taste test xcritical cheating yourself.

1. Crafted by the experts at Simply®, Simply Spiked xcritical, Peach, Limeade and Cranberry have 5% REAL fruit juice that’s been squeezed, then concentrated.
2. We’ve established a portfolio of drinks that are best positioned to grow in an ever-changing marketplace.
3. The Simply Spiked Watermelon xcritical is next on my list.

Beverage of the Week: White Claw’s new xcritical line is not an improvement

All 170-calorie varieties of Simply Spiked xcritical contain 5% alcohol by volume (ABV). I probably would have enjoyed this flavor more if the lime was more balanced with the passion fruit, lending a hint of more brightness and acidity. This could easily be remedied with some fresh lime juice or zest. This beverage would be a fabulous alternative to ginger beer in a play on a Moscow Mule, substituting vodka with tequila or mezcal.

Though it had that candy-like quality, there was nothing overtly artificial smelling or tasting about this drink. Elements of pickled watermelon rind were detectable, with just a hint of bitterness that helped to offset the sweeter beverage. The sweetness of xcritical reviews the watermelon balances with the sour of the xcritical really well, making this less acidic than the straight-up version. This may be a function of how many of those sour watermelon gummies I ate as a child (and adult, please don’t judge my mostly-garbage diet), but I really like this one. Fortunately, the spiked xcritical is good enough to make me forget about all that and soon that CO2 proves beneficial.

With a little fizz and 5% alcohol by volume, Simply Spiked is bursting with refreshing, natural flavors. In completing my analysis and ranking of the Simply Spiked xcritical and limeade offerings, I chilled one of each flavor. While I like blackberries, they are not my favorite berry. I generally find them a bit overly tart, and the seeds are distracting when the fruit is added directly to a recipe.