What Is the Best Hard Seltzer in Terms of Alcohol Content and Health?

Hard seltzer has become increasingly popular, and more and more brands are appearing on shelves. Many people choose it because it’s lower in calories and sugar compared to other alcoholic drinks. Hard seltzer is often advertised as the “healthier” choice, but is this true? Is hard seltzer good for you? 

In order to answer this question, it’s good to know exactly what’s in hard seltzer and how it compares to other alcoholic drinks. Read on to learn what you need to know about hard seltzer and what it means for your health. 

What kind of alcohol is in hard seltzer?

At the most basic level, hard seltzer is flavored carbonated water mixed with alcohol. The type of alcohol varies depending on the brand. Some popular alcoholic bases include:

• Fermented cane sugar, which ferments sugar to form alcohol

• Malted barley, which ferments cereal grains to form alcohol

By using these types of alcohol, hard seltzers can be lower in calories and alcohol compared to other popular drinks. 

Hard seltzer alcohol content

The alcohol content in most hard seltzers is between 4% and 6% ABV, but it can go up to 12% depending on the brand. (ABV means “alcohol by volume,” and it measures how much alcohol is in a drink).

For comparison, here is the general alcohol content in other popular drinks: 

• 12 oz of beer, 5% ABV

• 5 oz of wine, 12% ABV

• 1.5 oz of hard liquor (one shot), at 40% ABV

Other ingredients in hard seltzer

Depending on the brand, the ingredients in hard seltzer can vary. Some common ingredients other than alcohol you may see include:

• Purified carbonated water or sparkling water

• Natural flavors

• Cane sugar or agave syrup

• Citric acid or sodium citrate (common preservative additives in drinks)

• Natural juice concentrate (juice type can vary, like raspberry, lemon, or others)

Is hard seltzer healthy?

Many hard seltzers claim to be healthier than other alcoholic drinks. Some have even advertised the health benefits of antioxidants and vitamin C in their drinks. And for sober curious people, their lower alcohol content can be a benefit.

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But is hard seltzer actually healthy for you?

The short answer is no. Hard seltzer, like other alcohol, is not a good source of nutrients and has empty calories. Alcohol — even in small amounts — can increase your risk of certain cancers and other health problems.

But if you’re looking for a low-calorie and low-sugar alcoholic drink, hard seltzer may be a better choice. Compared to many other alcoholic drinks, it is:

• Lower calorie (on average about 100 kcal per drink)

• Lower in sugar (on average about 2 g carbohydrates per drink, and even less sugar)

• Gluten-free (for people avoiding gluten)

If you do drink hard seltzer, it’s important to drink in moderation. Some people may consider hard seltzer to be “healthier,” which could make it easier to over-drink (or binge drink). But remember, drinking less alcohol is better for your health, and this goes for hard seltzer too. 

Here, we’ll review how hard seltzer compares to other alcoholic drinks from a basic nutrition perspective. 

Hard seltzer vs. beer

Beer is a type of fermented drink made from grains, like wheat or barley. In addition to alcohol, it has other ingredients, like trace minerals and polyphenols.

Beer has about the same amount of alcohol as hard seltzer, but from a calorie and sugar perspective, it can vary quite a bit.

A 12 oz can of light beer may have about 100 calories, which is similar to hard seltzer. But higher-alcohol beer and some craft beers can have over 300 calories per serving. Depending on the type of beer, the carbohydrates can also range from about 5 g to more than 20 g in each serving, and beer usually doesn’t have any sugar in it.

Most beer also contains gluten, which people with celiac disease or sensitivity may want to avoid (although gluten-free beer is available).

Hard seltzer vs. wine

Wine is a fermented drink made from different types of grapes. The number of calories and amount of sugar in wine also varies depending on the type.

In general, a typical serving of wine (about 5 oz) ranges in calories from about 100 to 150. Sweet wines — like dessert wines and port — can have even more calories. Wine also has about 4 g of carbohydrates and 1 g of sugar, but these can vary depending on the type. 

Wine — especially red wine — contains polyphenols (like resveratrol) and most wine is naturally gluten-free. 

Hard seltzer vs. mixed drinks

Mixed drinks are usually made with different types of liquor (distilled alcohols like vodka, gin, and whiskey).

The serving size for liquor is usually 1 oz (a single shot), and the calorie count is between around 100 to 115 and no sugar. Pure distilled liquor is also gluten-free.

Mixed drinks combine liquor with different drinks (called mixers), like:

• Soda

• Tonic or seltzer water

• Juice or sugar water

• Cream

• Premade mixers

Depending on the type of mixed drink, the sugar and calorie content can be quite high (over 500 calories for some cream-based drinks), so it’s important to know exactly what’s in your drink.

Are there healthy alcoholic drinks?

​​You may have heard that certain types of alcohol (like red wine) can have positive health benefits. But it turns out that newer research shows that this may not be true.

Even though alcohol like wine and beer can have some healthy ingredients (like polyphenols), they also contain ethanol, which is a toxin that can increase your risk of cancer and other health problems.

So in general, no amount of alcohol consumption will increase your health. If you are going to drink — whether it’s a hard seltzer or something else — it’s best to drink in moderation, which includes:

• One drink or less for women per day

• Two drinks or less for men per day

Hard seltzer brands: What’s the best one?

There are no studies comparing the health effects of different hard seltzers, and many of them have similar ingredients. In general, most of them have a low number of calories and sugar, which makes them appealing to many people.

From an overall health perspective, sticking to the brands that have the lowest amount of alcohol (like 4% or 5% ABV) is a good idea in order to limit the amount of alcohol you’re consuming.

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Written by:

Maria Robinson, MD, MBA

Maria Robinson, MD, MBA, is a board-certified dermatologist and dermatopathologist who has practiced dermatology and dermatopathology for over 10 years across private practice, academic, and telehealth settings. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology and the American Society of Dermatopathology.

Reviewed by:

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH, is a medical editor at GoodRx. She is a licensed, board-certified pediatrician with more than a decade of experience in academic medicine.

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