Svedka's Flavored Vodka Waters Are Exactly What They Sound Like, For Better Or Worse

In case you missed it, ready-to-drink (or RTD) alcoholic beverages are all the rage nowadays — after all, why go to the trouble of shaking up your own cocktail when pop-top cans are readily available? If you've adopted this philosophy, welcome to the club. I'm excited to announce that yet another brand has joined the RTD lineup with its own take on the trend: Svedka's new Vodka Waters. 

Available in pineapple, lime, peach, and strawberry flavors, the cans ooze accessibility. Not only are they see-through (no surprises here!), but they also don't try to be anything outlandish, and I definitely appreciate the simplicity of Svedka's flavor choices. But with a plethora of other RTD options already carving enviable niches in the beverage market, can Svedka stand out among the competition? I sampled each of the cans to figure out whether they have any staying power in the RTD business. 

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

Fortunately, I'll be a good judge of character here — I've tried my fair share of RTD cocktails, ranging from Suncruiser's entire lineup to every pre-mixed cocktail from On The Rocks. I have higher standards for the category than I did a year or two ago. Now that they're becoming more prolific, each new release has to do a lot to reach an ever-higher bar. 

I set my expectations for Svedka's releases accordingly. Because they aren't really cocktails, I left a lot of leeway for them to be simpler than other RTD options on the market — as long as they did a good job of combining the purported flavor of each with Svedka's vodka, I'd be happy! I tried each of the cans straight from the fridge so they were nice and chilled, and because Portland is going through a heat wave (my house is currently sitting at 85 degrees Fahrenheit!), I also took into account how refreshing the drinks were.

I love anything peach-flavored, so I cracked open Svedka's Peach Vodka Water first. It definitely didn't disappoint! I got the peach flavor right away, and it was easy to get a sense of what the brand was going for with these items — light, refreshing vodka waters that are easy to drink and don't ask too much of the consumer. 

Svedka's vodka was also clearly apparent in the flavor of these drinks, because there wasn't anything to mitigate it aside from gentle peach flavors and spring water. I don't think that's a bad thing at all — on its own, the vodka is smooth and clean, so it doesn't need to be overshadowed by an abundance of peach. It was also effortlessly refreshing and crisp. On the whole, I really liked this can, and though I wouldn't say it "wowed" me, it would be easy to reach for when I need a cold pick-me-up and don't want to deal with decision fatigue. 

I was less endeared to Svedka's lime water, but we can call that personal preference — lime beverages aren't usually my favorite. I will say, the flavor of the lime came through in about equal proportion to the flavor of the vodka, and whether you appreciate that will depend on how much you like tasting vodka in general (and Svedka's in particular). 

I'll also give this can some brownie points for being just as refreshing as the previous one — possibly even more so, since it's citrus-flavored. My first impulse with this was to blend it up with ice for a frozen cocktail situation — an ultra-refreshing take on this can. Though I can see myself returning to it, I don't think it would be my first choice from Svedka's vodka water lineup, but I have a sneaking suspicion lime fans would differ. 

As with peach, I'm a huge fan of pineapple flavors. Yes, the fruit makes my mouth feel a bit fuzzy, but I could eat a whole pineapple in one sitting easily. I was understandably thrilled that Svedka included a pineapple flavor in its vodka water lineup, and for me, it would tie with peach for the first-place flavor here if I were doing a ranking.

The pineapple is as expected — bright and juicy, but also not overbearing. As with the previous waters, pineapple and vodka flavors sit in relatively equal balance to one another, and if you were to grab this can blind, it would be pretty easy to tell that it contains alcohol (and pineapple). Other pineapple fans definitely wouldn't be too disappointed with this flavor; it holds its own pretty well among the rest of the lineup.

Svedka's Strawberry Vodka Water was, unfortunately, my least favorite flavor in this series. I typically love anything strawberry-flavored — it's one of my favorite fruity flavors out there, but this variety underperformed, in my opinion. I didn't expect this to taste particularly strong, but I did expect it to taste like strawberries.

Alas, I just couldn't find the strawberries here. It tasted vaguely fruity, but if I were tasting it blind, I wouldn't have been able to identify strawberry as the primary flavor here. Given how apparent all the other flavors in the lineup were, that was a little surprising, but I still won't say the drink tasted bad — it just didn't live up to my expectations. The vodka was just as flavorful here, though, and it provided a decent foil to the vague fruitiness of the beverage.

While Svedka's Vodka Waters aren't the first cans I'd grab to stock my own fridge, I think they'd be a handy addition to summer barbecues for a few reasons. First, vodka is a pretty non-polarizing spirit, and the fact that you can taste it in these cans wouldn't make them unappealing to any of your guests.

Second, as I previously mentioned, the cans are very approachable. At least one flavor will appeal to everybody on your guest list, and it can save you the hassle of deciding whether to get a tropical variety pack of seltzers or a case of hard ciders — I don't think anyone would feel left out if they only had these to choose from. They succeed in being an alcoholic version of flavored water in that they're simple and easy to anticipate. I think that's a huge strength here. 

As of right now, it sounds like Svedka's vodka waters will be around for the long haul, which I love to see — it means you can try them at your leisure (though, again, I think they're ideal for barbecue season!). The drinks are available in 8-count variety packs as well as individual cans, and while we weren't given suggested retail prices, it looks like the variety packs are going for anywhere between $16.99 and $18.99 in my area.

Each vodka water has 90 calories, zero carbs, and zero grams of sugar. They sit at a 4.5% ABV, and all are uncarbonated. Each can, including those that make up the variety pack, is 12 ounces in volume.