‘I ditched Dr Pepper and Sprite for a tasty alternative to booze at parties’

I’ve been on a mission to find the best low-calorie fizzy drink alternatives to Sprite, Fanta and Dr Pepper and I’ve finally found a brand that ticks all the boxes

Having decided to cut back on sugary canned drinks like Fanta, Sprite and Dr Pepper, I’ve become quite the connoisseur of fizzy drink alternatives. Earlier this year, I even acquired a Kardashian-style second-hand drinks fridge to keep my beverages chilled and on display for guests.

One beverage brand that’s caught my attention is Hip Pop – offering naturally refreshing and gut-friendly substitutes to artificial, sugar-heavy fizz. Co-founder Emma initially developed the kombucha to aid her partner and co-founder, Kenny, with his IBS issues, and the brand has since expanded to include low-calorie sodas that ‘taste as good as it makes you feel’.

Crafted from real fruit, devoid of sweeteners and brimming with gut-friendly live cultures, I managed to sample the entire range. With eight flavours to savour, I put them to the test during social events, meal times, and as a revitalising boost during the 3pm lull.

New customers can snag 12 cans of Hip Pop for £12 in the brand’s winter promotion. This half-price deal brings the cost of each can down to just £1 – a fantastic chance to sample all the flavours.

The offer is limited to one 12-can deal per customer and starts at a 24-can subscription for £22.50 per month, which can be cancelled at any time, reports the Daily Record. The array of flavours Hip Pop provides is truly remarkable, far from the usual suspects you’d find on supermarket shelves.

Customers can select from soda blends including tropical peach, pink grapefruit, berries and cherries, and ginger and turmeric. For kombucha enthusiasts, there’s strawberry and pineapple, ginger and yuzu, blueberry and ginger, and apple and elderflower.

I was smitten with every single flavour Hip Pop has to offer, but if pressed to pick a favourite, the blueberry and ginger kombucha and the berries and cherries soda would take the top spots. It was immediately apparent that these beverages are crafted from real fruit, and I was pleasantly surprised by how accurately the taste matched the description.

I brought an assortment of cans to a party with mates, noting they make a fantastic alcohol-free option for festive gatherings. The ginger kombucha wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but the other flavours were a hit.

Kombucha is a naturally fermented tea that offers a fizzy, tangy, slightly sweet, and somewhat sour experience, so it might not be everyone’s first choice. For those trying it for the first time, I’d suggest opting for a soda as the Hip Pop sodas are made with the same live cultures as the kombucha but offer a lighter, more familiar flavour.

Other low-calorie fizzy drink alternatives include DASH sparkling water, available in flavours such as lime, orange, cherry and peach. Shoppers can grab a 12-can pack for £15.99. Twinings also offers sparkling tea, with a 12-can variety pack priced at £17.

Now, let’s talk about the packaging – a crucial aspect in my view as I enjoy displaying beverages. Hip Pop cans boast vibrant colours that enticed me to pop open the can immediately. Customers can instantly identify which flavour they’re grabbing, thanks to a playful and fruity illustration.

In my experience, low-calorie fizzy drink substitutes can sometimes taste rather watery and lack flavour, but I didn’t find this with any of the Hip Pop drinks. Ultimately, I found the Hip Pop drinks taste delightful, ensuring I wasn’t missing out on a sugar-filled fizz.

Combine this with the fact they are beneficial for my gut, add more fibre into my diet and are low in calories, and they’ve certainly passed the test to be stocked in my drinks fridge. Shoppers can stock up on Hip Pop via the brand’s website, or find them at Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, M&S, Morrisons and Ocado.