Swim Caffeinated Vodka Soda product reviews

I am not a big drinker so rtd's are appealing to me as I can buy a small quantity for a reasonable price and they are a good alcohol content for me usually being around the 5% mark. At $13.99 for a four pack these are a really good price slightly more expensive than mass produced vodka drinks like vodka cruisers but with a much more health conscious product inside the can.

I have personally made a conscious effort to cut as much sugar as possible from my diet and found a huge difference in my overall health so seeing products without sugar or artificial sweeteners is always a delight for me. I have tried drinks with the new stevia sugar and do not like the after taste it seems to have so would much rather have no sweeteners at all. In fact since cutting down on sugar I find sweetness in things that before I would not of and find it now hard to drink some of the sodas I once enjoyed.

I really enjoyed the light soda of this with a gentle fizz and a mild lemon lime flavour, it was very refreshing and was almost too easy to drink. I noticed it was caffeniated which is appealing to give you that bit of energy which I liked about these drinks. I have tried clean no sugar alcoholic beverages before and found I could taste the alcohol too strongly due to there not being too much other flavours but with this I couldn't taste the vodka coming through too strongly and did get the refreshment from the light citrus mixed with soda.

I would happily buy these again and think it is great that effort has been made to create a drink for people with low sugar needs, and as a bonus the recyclable packaging is a great idea.

This has been the summer of conscious drinking choices. Rather than just getting the usual bottle of wine for the bach and long summer days of laughing, visiting, bbqing, etc. with friends, it has been the summer of trying low sugar, low calorie drinks that are tasty and take away the guilt of high calorie consumption. I was excited to see SWIM caffeinated vodka soda to trial on KIWIreviews so gave it a try. Through the season there have been many tasting opportunities for products such as this one but none of the others stated "caffeinated" so I thought this may have the extra lift that a Red Bull may give to a cocktail.

To date, I have not come across SWIM drinks in the shops or bottle stores so it has not had the chance to jump into my trolley. The packaging is clear and simple to see, read and understand. When checking out the Nutritional Information it is easy to read that there are no sugars, no preservatives, caffeine, very low calories (115 Cal per serve) and not much else added except the triple distilled vodka and a hint of lemon and lime. It is a very simple product. At the price of $13.99 for a pack of 4 it is on par with other ready to drink cocktails that are available.

Taste test time...... with the girls, as we are the ones who prefer this sort of beverage and it let our investigation for the perfect summer, low calorie, tasty drink continue. Well, out of 4 of us, one loved it and the other 3 thought it was a little bland. It certainly had the scent of lemon when it was opened and fizzed as it was poured into glasses for us to enjoy. The light flavour was liked by the one who loves a soda water and lemon most days, but the rest of us were looking for a sharper taste or more to it than just lightly flavoured carbonated water.

The companies going into production of new products that are aimed at meeting the market in regards to low calories, low sugar are certainly trying new things. I commend them on new product lines and aiming at pleasing the market that is more health aware than previously. The only let down is that getting the punch of flavour into these products, without adding the calories or sugar, seems to be a challenge that has not yet been overcome.

Would I try SWIM Caffeinate Vodka Soda again, yes I would. I'd like to try other flavours to see if they make products that are more to my taste buds than this particular one. I am on board with what they are trying to achieve and believe they will get there.

Trying to make healthier choices in my life I was very interested to see what this product is like. Having no added sugar, no artificial sweeteners and no preservatives is great - it is all too easy to drink far too many calories through sweet drinks. I don't drink very often, but when I do I like to know what is out there so I can choose something I really like.

I think the can suits the product. It is a slim white can with the blue wave logo at the top. Very simple, very clean, much like the drink inside. The can is easy to open, which is great - there is nothing more annoying than when a can is hard to open, especially if my nails are getting long! As soon as the can was open I was hit with a very subtle citrus flavour. I quite like citrus so was pleased to smell it. I was looking forward to trying it. My first sip I really wasn't so sure! I handed the can to my partner and he was the same. The vodka is mixed with soda water, and to be honest, this is all I can taste. To me soda water has a gas type flavour (like if you were to bubble up the soda stream and drink the water without adding any flavour) and this is all I could taste. Upon the second sip I got a slight citrus flavour, but not a lot. My partner and I took another half an hour to finish off the can, and I left the other one in the fridge to try at a later date.

Tonight as I write this review I decided to give this drink another go, but this time with a bit of a twist. The main thing missing for me is that real hit of citrus flavour, so I decided to add some of my own lemon juice to it to give it a bit more of a kick. I often drink lemon water and hot lemon drinks so it is a flavour I enjoy. I poured the drink into a glass (and noticed just how clear the drink is) and added some lemon juice. I just did a few drops then tested it and continued to do this until I got to the right level of lemon juice. It was probably a good 15mls of lemon juice that I added to make it taste nice. The soda water flavour was still there, but it was a bit nicer and I was able to drink the full glass this time without too much effort.

To be honest, this isn't a product I would buy again. I was able to make it enjoyable, but there are other drinks out there I prefer and on the odd occasion that I do drink I would prefer to enjoy something I really like.

I'm a big vodka lover and when I saw this new vodka SWIM to try I was keen as a bean to try it. It sounded so good on the label with a twist of lemon and lime and of course soda water which I have used in drinks before but never alcohol. The can is white and slim and very simple to go with it, small waves if thats what you call it on the top and the words SWIM down the bottom around the back all the information you need like the nutritional information, standard drinks being 1:3 and then the pictures telling you don't have while driving, pregnant or flying. Everything was spaced out well and not too cramped together which is always a good thing.

So upon opening up this can which I found pretty easy to do, I could smell lemon straight away so got excited for this drink as I love lemon and vodka. So I took my first sip and was thrown back a little bit it was not was I expected at all, so I tried again. Nope, not at all, I didn't get that lemon or lime twist I didn't taste vodka and I wasnt sure what was going on. So I took a bigger mouthful to find out what I was missing all I could taste was soda water, now thats a given since thats what is in it, BUT when it says its a vodka with a hint of lemon and lime I would still expect to taste the other ingredients.

After feeling a little down, I decided to try it with an orange juice and use SWIM as a mixer and again this was so wrong my orange juice turned gross and it was tipped out. Sadly this drink was not up to my standard of drinks and I felt it had no flavour at all, sadly I didn't even finish half a can. As for the price its good for a 4 pack but I will def not be buying this one as it didn't give me peace, love and happiness (like the can says). Just because I don't like it doesn't mean someone else will share my opinion on that, those that like a soda water and no flavor might enjoy this but def not for myself and partner.

When I read about this drink as a new RTD, I was excited. One of the things that puts me off the RTD's is the amount of sugar, so having recently switched to gin and soda, I saw this as a sign to try the same with vodka! Not only that, but being able to support a New Zealand made product is an added bonus.

Opening my review box I noted I was lucky enough to receive two cans of Swim, so I promptly popped them into the fridge to cool, ready to enjoy in the evening. I also knew that I would offer some to my hubby and if he liked it, there would be a second one ready for him! I definitely noticed the can - it is very simple and subtle with the blue and white and sparks an interest in what this drink actually is. The can itself is 250ml, so a good sized drink. Reading the back and seeing it had added caffeine in it, I wondered if it would have the same taste as Red Bull.

Pouring it out into the glass was easy pull tab tab that works without a large amount of force - yay for all of us with long nails!! Pouring it out it is a lovely clear colour (or no colour?!) with a slightly bubbly finish. There is no smell to it, and that is also reflected in the taste - that it is very very subtle. I personally do not mind that, but hubby had the response of "it doesn't taste like anything". We proceeded to finish that first can, and open the second, to which we added more lemon juice - and in my opinion, it was much better! It really was a nice combo - and a really nice light and refreshing drink, and at around the $14 mark, makes it the same price as a soft drink, but much cleaner and less "bad" fr you.

I would love to actually see more flavour in this drink - the combo is great - but more intensity please! Other flavours could be a hit too - berry, lime, or citrus maybe?

When I look at the packaging, there is nothing immediately exciting about the product. With an almost completely white can, a purposefully minimalist design, and much more focus on the name of the brand than the product name, to be honest it doesn't seem to have been the best design choice. Perhaps that is just the white and baby blue colours and slim style can that strike me as not overly masculine and therefore something I wouldn't be interested in, but to know what the product was, I would have to pick up the can to read it, thanks to the size and font choice.

I do actually really like the minimal look; it's clean. But when it comes to catching my eye in the supermarket or liquor store, this product would likely get overlooked unless you were already aware of the product, and specifically looking for it.

As for the liquid inside it, the website (and product description above) specify that the vodka has been distilled five times for extra smoothness. The multiple distillation processes remove the "heads" and "tails" of the distillate leaving a cleaner and purer product with each distillation process completed. Most vodka's are distilled three times, with some being distilled five or more. The product description for this product specifically says five times, and yet the can itself says "inside this can you'll find vodka that's been distilled not once, not twice, but three times". So I'm not too sure whether I was given an older batch to review, whether it is simply using up old packaging, or something else entirely.

Either way, I was still impressed with the product. I wasn't sure what to expect of a Caffeinated Vodka Soda. I normally am not a huge fan of the flavour of Vodka, so I'll usually have it with plenty of mixers; predominantly with Red Bull, or in a Long Island Ice Tea. A common drink is a Screwdriver which consists of just Vodka and Orange Juice, but even with that I often find the flavour of the spirit usually cuts through the juice.

I had two cans, so I drank the first one straight out of the can, as is, and was pleasantly surprised by the smoothness of the product. With the light bubbles from the soda water and the tinge of lemon and lime, it was a very enjoyable beverage. There was no significant harshness to the vodka, and I could easily enjoy it straight. It tastes light, clean, and smooth, and you feel like you are making a healthier choice by picking this over a dark spirit RTD.

Looking at the numbers, it isn't really that low carb though. It certainly feels much healthier, but 330ml of beer will usually be 120 calories on average, whereas this product is still 115 calories. I like that it has no sugars, artificial sweeteners, or preservatives, but I don't buy into the company's websites claims of "extremely low carb"

The second can I mixed with some freshly squeezed orange juice, and surprisingly I could taste the vodka more in this case. As such, I didn't enjoy it quite as much. I was hoping for a very smooth fruity alcoholic drink, but the vodka flavour did cut through, which seemed a stark contrast to what you would expect, having the product straight. I wish I didn't throw out one of the cans in the recycling after I emptied it, because I can't help but wonder whether one can had been distilled five times and the other only three. I could account for why the diluted and mixed drink tasted so much stronger.

But on its own, I really enjoyed the drink. It was refreshing, and tasty considering the very subtle lemon and lime flavour. I think I would have to try it again with a batch from the chops, just to be sure which experience I would expect in the future from the product, but if it is anything like the firs can, I'll have no qualms in recommending it.

I enjoy a good RTD (ready to drink) can or bottle, so asking for this was a no-brainer, plus the fact that I am trying to limit my calorie intake and the bulk of alcoholic drinks are so damn hard to point! But Swim is one of those very, very, VERY few drinks where the nutritional information is easy to find, and in this case it was right there on the can. I decided I would drink these cold, not my usual method but the days were hot and so something nice and cold was much needed. The can itself is nice and attractive, it would stand out on the shelf and the general information was good and didn't feel too crushed together on the can.

Opening it up I could detect a very mild hint of lemon, my kids wanted to sniff it and all agreed that they could also smell the lemon, just a little. Giving it my first sip, I was initially put off and didn't like the taste much, to me it tasted like soda water with a squeeze of lemon thrown in as an afterthought. I drank half the can before I decided that was enough and to try it out as a mixer. My go to for a mixer is coke, and though this made me think of water I held out hope and was disappointed, so would never do that again. Having a full can left, I decided to mix it with some juice that we had, I mixed half with a tropical juice and half with a kiwi melon juice. I both cases it became a decent enough drink and was completed.

At the end of the day, I wouldn't buy this, if I'm going to spend that much on a vodka RTD I want some flavour to it.

I was impressed by the presentation of this drink, slim cans, with simple artwork on the front. It was easy to find that this was low calorie (115 per can) and made in New Zealand, which it states on the can, but is also evident in the kiwi humour on the packaging. "We hope you find peace, love and happiness". The can states that it contains, carbonated water, distilled vodka and lemon and lime.

After waiting for my drink to chill, I had my first sip, and I was a little underwhelmed, the lemon and lime was a little to subtle and to me it seemed more like carbonated water. I split half with my husband in a glass and he gulped it down not realising it was a RTD. I decided to add half a glass of lemonade to mine and I enjoyed the drink immensely. If I had fresh lemons in the house, I would have added a twist of lemon to it too and I think it would have been perfection.

For my second drink I mixed swim with tropical juice, and again really enjoyed the combination of flavours, it was refreshing with an adult tone to it. I made one for my friend and we sipped in peace enjoying our drinks, guilt free with the low calories. I would purchase these again, but not as a drink on its own, for me I found it was a great base but I needed to add to it, to get the flavours I enjoyed. The flip side of this is that neither my husband or I are big drinkers and often when we feel like a drink we have to open a mixer for one drink, and its rather wasteful, with these we have the perfect base for a quiet drink.


Price wise they seem on par with the other premix drinks on the market. For those that enjoy them as they are they are a convenient size, and for others like me they will make a great base in a long tall glass with a few additional flavours.

A drink that tastes good and is low in calories, it seems far too good to be true doesn't it? Well, let me tell you a bit about Swim Vodka Soda.

I was lucky enough to receive 2 cans of this vodka soda to trial and I'm so happy I did as I found a refreshing summer drink which didn't make me feel guilty at all about drinking both, on my own, in one sitting. OK, I lie, my husband had 2 sips but that was all I'd allow him and just so I could get his opinion on it too.

Now, down to the taste, I found the vodka soda very smooth to drink and it had a very subtle hint of lemon and lime to give it a bit of flavour but there was no overpowering, "damn this is strong" type of flavour. I think that's what I liked about this drink the most, it almost tasted like you were just drinking soda water with a drop of lemon and lime and a bit of vodka (which really doesn't have any flavour on it's own anyway). There is no sugar, no artificial sweeteners and no preservatives which just adds to the positive opinions about this drink.

With my second can I decided to see how it would taste with some added flavour so I added some blackcurrant syrup to the glass with the vodka soda. Damn, I thought it was good on it's own but adding a little sweetness made it so much better for me - I have quite a sweet tooth so this isn't really that surprising to people that know me. My husband wasn't as much of a fan of the drink on it's own as I was but he did like it mixed with the blackcurrant syrup and he was trying to steal mine whenever he thought I wasn't looking.

I love how it comes in a 4 pack, this makes it easy to share and enhance or drink as is so everyone can enjoy it their own way. Price wise it's about right for an RTD, $13.99 for a 4 pack is pretty standard and for someone wanting a low cal ready made drink this Swim Vodka Soda pack is definitely worth it.

It has been years since I have a Ready to Drink so this was a great time to give it a go. I know that technically pure vodka is tasteless but the promised hint of lemon and lime made me think it could be a good drink to relax to over a weekend or holiday.

I knew I had to drink one can myself and I thought to get a second opinion I would give the other to my dad, he struggled to open the tab (due to age more than anything else) and once open he drank it like it was water, he couldn't taste anything (I hadn't mentioned it was supposed to have a hint of lemon and lime) so his comments were that it is just like drinking bubbly water.

I had a look at the tin before opening, I think it is great the tin has pictures of what not to do when drinking the vodka (a car, a pregnant lady and a airplane all with lines through) and that the can is equal to 1.3 standard drinks. I wouldn't put the best before date on the base of the can as most people don't think to look there for that information and when I did have a look to see if it was actually on the bottom of the can, I found that it was incredibly hard to read but it is there.

I was expecting to have a drink that would hardly have a taste but I found that when I did take a sip it tasted like tonic water and I hate tonic water but I was determined to finish the can so I could do a proper review. A few mouthfuls tasted quite nice but most the can was horrible. I waited to see if there would be an after taste but nothing until I got a mild case of the burps and found the after taste was not that pleasant. One good thing is that this drink helped me to sleep (I had a much better night sleep than I have in a few weeks).

I really will not be buying this from the shops as the taste was not what I was expecting and the taste that was there wasn't very pleasant.

Trying this drink was a first for me. I don't normally purchase RTDs, and because I am not used to large quantities of alcohol, I tend to go for quality in small doses. I checked the alcohol content and found it was quite reasonable - about the same as I would have in a glass of beer - so that was a tick in its favour. I took my two cans to the beach so I could share them with my cousins around the campfire.

When it came time to remove the cans from the fridge and pour them into glasses, we found we had an interesting choice. It was either a shot glass or an oversized beer glass. We went for the shot glasses - after all, they could always be refilled. It seemed a little OTT to use the huge glasses! I poured a glass each, noting that there was still plenty left in the first can, and we all tried it.

To be honest, we did not know what to expect. It seemed an odd combination to me, one that would either be highly successful or a resounding failure. I sipped mine, and was relieved to find that the soda was not too overwhelming. In fact, the effect was similar to that of a whisky and soda but a little less acidic. On checking the ingredients later, I found that, in addition to the vodka and caffeine, there were small amounts of citrus - which for me made the difference between a boring drink and a really pleasant taste sensation. It was a hot night (and the outside wood-fired oven did not help!) so the cold drink was doubly welcome.

Both my cousins agreed with me (for once!) They too liked the subtle lemon and lime aftertaste. Like me, they had not been able to work out exactly what made the drink taste special until I pointed them to the fine print on the label. We finished the first can and then made short work of the second, knowing that the alcohol content was not going to be strong enough to knock us off our deckchairs and the calorie count was low enough to be a non-issue. I liked the lack of sweetness and so did one of my cousins - he prefers a dry drink anyway. She said she would have liked a little more sweetness, so we suggested she add some lemonade next time and make a shandy type drink. But personally I think that would be sacrilege and so did he!

I like the marketing approach that the manufacturers have used. The cans are made of fully biodegradable materials and the information on the outside is clearly set out with everything the consumer might need to know including the calorie count, the equivalent standard drink figure (which informed us that the three of us had consumed just under three standard drinks altogether), and a couple of amusing comments which certainly caught my eye: "don't drink SWIM and swim"; "Outside this can you'll hopefully find peace, love and happiness"; and "This space intentionally left blank". I think I would buy it just for the can! Altogether it is aesthetically pleasing with a cute "water" logo, lots of white space (not just where it announces itself as blank), and a font which is easy to read even when it is tiny.

Next time I go to the beach for a visit I will make sure I have a four-pack with me. One each, and one left for another day (yeah right!) Seriously, it was the perfect pre-dinner drink with a few nibbles, and a great way to unwind after some serious tramping in the Wentworth Valley. A four-pack costs roughly the same as a bottle of wine, goes further, and is a great way to relax on a summer day.