6 Nixie Sparkling Waters, Ranked

Ever heard of Nixie? Honestly, I hadn't until this piece came across my desk, though apparently the brand has been camouflaging itself on the shelves of my walkable grocery store for who knows how long. After trying all the flavors I could find (six out of 11 total), I felt a bit sad that I'd slept on this brand for so long. You know how it's been said that LaCroix's flavors are just whispers of whatever flavor the can is touting? Not so with Nixie — right out of the gate, I was pleasantly surprised at how punchy these cans were. 

Perhaps you already have a favored sparkling water, whether it be among Spindrift's lineup or the wealth of Trader Joe's sparkling waters. No matter what you're currently enjoying, I'd like to implore you to try some of Nixie's sparkling waters the next time you come across them. The following ranking is merely my own preference, which I occasionally have to do when I come across a line where I think all the flavors are objectively good. Which you like will just depend on your palate, but hopefully my descriptions can help you suss out which cans will be winners for you. Here's how they stacked up for me. 

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

I'll reiterate: Just because Nixie's Peach Black Tea is sitting at the bottom of my list, don't take that to mean it's bad. I'd have it again, but it wouldn't be my first choice of a flavor if I had a few presented to me. I should also say that I'm not the biggest black tea person in general — I don't mind it in something like a London fog (or a boozy London fog, for that matter), but straight black tea is never my, well, cup of tea. 

That said, I do adore anything peach-flavored, so I definitely appreciated the duality of this flavor combo. Peach sits exclusively at the front of the sip while black tea comes at the end, and the whole thing finishes pretty quickly. The black tea finish is a little like licorice, though. I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing, but it does give the drink a slight bitterness that I don't love. Still, I'd drink a whole can — the peach is bright enough to overshadow the mild bitter appeal. It only gets last place because of that bitter quality.

Maybe this is just me, but I've never really understood "black cherry" flavors. People say Trader Joe's black cherry sparkling water tastes like Dr. Pepper, and it may also be the best Rita's Italian Ice flavor, but I've never really gotten the hype behind it — aside from drinking the occasional black cherry White Claw in my early 20s, it's just not a profile that's ever endeared me. So I was quite surprised when this can helped me "get it." I'd say this is the first black cherry-flavored thing I've tried that I could identify as black cherry with my eyes closed, and I did enjoy it. 

One thing I didn't get here, though, was the lime, which is part of the reason I had to put this flavor in the second-to-last spot. Lime lifts the water a bit, but beyond that, it is unidentifiable. Fortunately, this refrains from being medicinal, a quality I don't often like in cherry-flavored things (though I suspect the whole "black cherry" appeal helps with that, too). This can has a longer finish than some of the others on this list, and it's fruity, but very darkly fruity — in other words, it stays out of "bright" territory. Again, I liked this one, and I'll finish the cans I have (and would pick this above the former flavor), but it just wasn't my favorite in the lineup, nor was it the most impressive. 

Ultimately, I was wholly torn on my feelings about Nixie's Watermelon Mint flavor, which plays into why it got a middling spot here. I definitely enjoyed it, but as far as whether it fulfilled its "watermelon mint" promise, I'm still undecided. Nevertheless, I'll definitely finish the case I bought — in fact, I might go grab one right now. 

The biggest thing I'll say about the watermelon mint flavor is that it didn't feel as cohesive as some of the others I tried. I noticed mint immediately, but I liked that it wasn't super strong; instead, it just brought a distinct fresh appeal to the can. Watermelon wasn't as identifiable, but I could distinguish a warm, fruity flavor in this water. All that said, I felt like the two flavor profiles were fighting against each other. I liked this, in spite of it being somewhat confusing to me. 

Considering my typical distaste for anything grapefruit-flavored, it should be particularly meaningful that I ranked this can in the top half of my list. First, it was full of flavor, which I wasn't expecting at all. Is it just me, or do grapefruit-flavored things tend to be particularly mild? That wasn't the case with this Nixie sparkling water. 

It probably helped that this can smelled really strongly of grapefruit, which I'm sure enhanced its taste, but it was still pretty flavorful, too. Moreover, I didn't find any of the bitterness here that I'm used to finding in grapefruit-flavored things, which really enhanced its appeal. The flavor doesn't stay long (I wish it did!), and I immediately want to use this as a cocktail mixer. On the whole, this is a great can, especially considering it has a flavor profile I don't usually enjoy. I just liked the following two more. 

I'll say this right off the bat: If you don't like ginger, you're not going to be a fan of this can. However, if you're like me and try to come up with ways to incorporate ginger into anything and everything, you'll certainly find a friend in Nixie's Lime Ginger flavor. The only reason it didn't top this list is that the following is one of my favorite flavor profiles of all time, and I'm not sure anything could surpass my adoration for that one. 

Nevertheless, I've reached for this lime ginger can more than once since initially trying it. (It at least gives the illusion of helping me get over the massive cold I'm currently battling.) It's very punchy — the ginger makes it feel like a health drink, while lime keeps it bright, fruity, and slightly acidic. Lime and ginger are a classic flavor combination that really shines in this sparkling water, and it makes this a particularly refreshing can. Fans of the flavor profile will like this, too. 

Now, onto the can that really couldn't be usurped, no matter what other flavors were in this lineup: Nixie's Strawberry Hibiscus sparkling water. Anything berry and hibiscus flavored will always be a winner with me, and such was the case with this can — I really can't get enough of it, and I'm a little embarrassed to say I'm almost through the stockpile I amassed during this tasting. 

It's bright, floral, fruity, and full of flavor. Moreover, it tastes like summer in a can, and can easily brighten up even the gloomiest days. Not only does hibiscus come through well, but it's also definitely strawberry-flavored. In other berry-flavored drinks, I occasionally can't distinguish which type of berry is in play, but it's obviously strawberry here. I loved how juicy and light this was, and it was a shoo-in for the top spot in this ranking. 

Nixie has a pretty expansive line of sparkling waters under its belt — the above six flavors were the only ones available at my local grocer. But, should I ever see any others, I'd be likely to snatch them up based on how much I generally enjoyed this lineup. Ranking the above was mostly based on personal preference. I could see each of these flavors being favored by different consumers, so your preference will just depend on what you tend to enjoy. I was pleased with the strength of each flavor, and I found that factor to set this brand apart from other sparkling waters I've tried before.