Fizzliss - Pineapple + Passionfruit + Vodka product reviews

I have a sweet tooth and love flavoured alcoholic drinks, whether they be RTD cans or fruity cider. Fizz Liss Pineapple and Passionfruit Vodka comes in a black can with colourful pineapple and passionfruit graphics. I thought it looked very stylish and easy to recognise. A sniff revealed a pineapply scent followed by a faint passionfruit flavour.

When I poured the drink out it didn't have many bubbles which didn't bother me as sometimes the fizzier drinks repeat on me. I suppose the name 'Fizz Liss' should have given me a clue! My hubby took a sip and exclaimed that he could taste the vodka. When I had a look, it's 6% alc/vol and each can is the equivalent of 1.6 standard drinks. Upon drinking, I could definitely taste the vodka but also the pineapple and passionfruit flavours. It wasn't too sweet, probably because it only has 0.8% sugar and 130 calories (bonus!) Whilst this wasn't as sweet as I usually prefer, I did enjoy the flavour and found that I didn't drink it as fast I as usually drink. It doesn't taste like 'lolly juice' but more like a drink that has been mixed by hand.

Would I drink this again? Yes, I would. Whilst I don't usually buy RTDs, I would probably pour these into a glass and add some lemonade to them to make them a little sweeter and a little bit less alcoholic (I'm getting old and can't handle too much alcohol in small doses!)

Straight up I do not drink. I have never had Vodka in my life and have absolutely no idea what it tastes like. The closest I have come to Vodka is watching tv and the (usually) Russian takes a drink. I guess I am not the ideal person for this review but, because of KR I reviewed Ciders and I absolutely adore the fruity flavours, so I was kind of hoping for the same result happening with this, and I do love passionfruit and pineapple.

I don't know why but because it said Fizz I expected a fizzy drink. I guess the 'Liss' should of given it away. My first taste was like a watered down version of a pineapple drink with a heaviness at the same time. I guess with the second taste I picked up some passionfruit very faintly in the background, but the pineapple to me really stood out.

I gave my husband some to try and he said the pineapple tasted very artificial and does not like the fake taste. He was impressed that you could taste the alcohol as with some RTD you can not taste them at all.
But in saying that he did not feel like it was the 6% they had stated. As I like virgin Pina Coladas he did comment that because of the very subtle passionfruit and with the pineapple dominating if I added it with coconut it could make a nice Pina Colada - although the jury is still out with that idea.

Like I said at the beginning - I am not the ideal market for this product and in all honesty I did not like it. It was not the vodka that was my issue but more of the water down pineapple taste, I would of preferred something with more of authentic taste like what I get in my cider drinks. Unfortunately I can not see myself having this ever again and neither will my husband.

I was not sure what to expect from this RTD: often mixed fruit flavoured drinks present one flavour as the dominant one. On this occasion I could taste both the passionfruit and the pineapple which was a pleasant combination. I would have preferred the flavours to be stronger, but they were certainly recognisable. Even a hint of the vodka came through to prove there was some alcohol present - often with RTDs you cannot isolate the "adult" content easily. I shared the can with a cousin who enjoys tropical fruit; as I had, he said the taste was ok but he too would have preferred the fruit tastes to be more prominent. He also was curious to know why the drink was not carbonated; he had expected lots of bubbles!

The drink was served in shot glasses rather than larger tumblers because he insisted that the flavours would come out more if it were served this way. He went into a long explanation about the characteristics of other containers like brandy glasses and silver goblets. I was not really interested in the science behind the shape of the glass; I just wanted to taste the drink! However, whether or not it affected our reactions, it certainly meant that we drank more slowly so that gave us a chance to properly evaluate the aftertaste. I realised that the vodka hit came through only after the initial fruit flavours, so maybe there was merit in his argument; it definitely stopped us from sculling the drink in one go.

We shared the drink as an aperitif before an evening meal at his house. The meal consisted of chickpeas with a home-made garlic and tomato sauce which is quite rich and heavy so it made sense to have the drink first and then have chilled water with the food. With a lighter meal I might serve it with the food rather than before. One of our favourite desserts is fruit kebabs, prepared with chunks of fresh pineapple and other seasonal island fruits and seared over a barbecue. I imagine this RTD would be a perfect accompaniment to this dish and may well try it next time we have the barbecue fired up. Instead of the shot glass, I would serve it in a tall glass with ice; it would be similar to the vodka and real fruit juice we enjoy during summer, but packaged rather more conveniently.

Although we did not chill the can, the contents were reasonably cool. In summer I would probably store the cans in the fridge. I love the can design, sophisticated and reminiscent of pop art. The stylised pineapple and passionfruit slices on the top band are recognisable as fruit; no false advertising here! In summary, both of us enjoyed the drink but would like just a little more flavour - especially for times when we might dilute it by adding ice.

As someone who enjoys an RTD often enough, often paired with watching In The Night Gallery, Taskmaster or whatever else my mum and I happen to be watching, I'm always keen to try something new so that we don't get stuck in the rut of drinking the same old thing every time. When I saw this range, I was curious as to if I would find it to deliver an enjoyable drink and so put my hand up to review it. I like the simplicity of the can design, plain black and silver with just a hint of colour at the top. The very first thing I noticed when I opened this, was, of course, the lack of sound when I opened it and it was quite odd opening up a can without an audible fizz.

Drinking this was very odd, my brain goes can = bubbles and of course, there are no bubbles to be had here. The first couple of mouthfuls I found to be unpleasant, to me it gave a strong aftertaste that I get from eating or drinking things using fake sugar, so it was a bit of a push to keep drinking, but I figured I could at least handle half the can. Both the passionfruit and pineapple flavours weren't quite strong enough for me, I'd get a hit of flavour after I had swallowed, but I would have preferred a stronger flavour right from the start. My initial taste for this was like I was drinking vodka-flavoured water and I'm left with an odd sensation on my tongue that I can't quite place.

Unfortunately, this drink has been a miss for me, while I like the idea and can see it would have its place for some people, it just didn't have a strong enough flavour and an aftertaste/sensation that I can't quite place, I won't be drinking this one again, though it hasn't put me off trying others in the product line.

Before I get into talking about the product, I feel I have to put some context here. Simply put, I am not the target market for these drinks, just a curious once-in-a-blue-moon drinker of RTDs of any sort, let alone Vodka-based ones. My go-to spirit for drinking neat or with a mixer is Bourbon, so this was a step right outside my comfort zone. In the end, I am glad I tried them - they impressed me more than I thought they would.

So, with that in mind... the drink. The one thing you can't help but notice is the lack of fizz. But then, with a name like "Fizzliss" you had to expect something of the sort, really. Having this drink non-carbonated has a double-whammy effect - firstly, the lack of CO2 being used helps to reduce the cost of production as well as the engineering required, and secondly, it provides you with a drink that isn't going to stash large amounts of pressurised gas in your gut, leading to feelings of bloating and possibly nausea, plus unexpected burping and likely farting, in a social space. For me, that right there is the biggest appeal.

What it also does is totally change the way the flavour molecules in the drink get unpacked in your mouth. In carbonated drinks, the 'fizz burst' as the warmth of your tongue and mouth cause the gas molecules to explode free from the liquid also carries with it many lighter volatile molecules that will get carried up the back of your throat to impact the sensory cells in your nose, which contributes a significant part of the 'taste' sense. Ever do that onion vs potato vs apple experiment in college science class? Or notice that your coffee tastes flatter when you have a blocked nose?

Because of that change in chemical release order and timing, the first couple of sips of this beverage may be a bit odd, but by the time you have passed the halfway mark of the first can, your brain will have figured out how to decode the new signal patterns, and you'll know if this is 'your drink' or not. For me, this flavour was the nicest of the three, mainly because the lemon was quite tart, and cranberry isn't a flavour I am a huge fan of at the best of times.

I found the pineapple flavour was really mild for me, and the passionfruit was subtle but still slightly more dominant. To be blunt, I would have liked a great flavour boost, because all I really ended up tasting was "slightly fruity vodka" - which is something I got used to drinking in my Uni years (when what I drank was based more on price than preference.) It was handled very well, and the result is quite "sessionable" as the saying goes. Basically, you can drink more without the gassy side-effects slowing you down.

Normally, I would have an issue with that point - it makes excess drinking all too easy, when the negative side-effects that naturally slow you down are absent - but this is hardly the first non-carbonated alcoholic mix on the market. It would be silly to raise the alarm bells after the fire has been burning this long. Still, "Drink Responsibly" is all the more vital to keep in mind with easy-drinking drinks.

Would I sit down and drink a couple of these with mates? I would be open to buying them for guests, and maybe I would indulge in a can or two myself over the course of an evening in company, but it wouldn't be my first choice. But only because if I was in the position to be buying the bevvies for a party, I would be sure to include my own preferred tipple, of course. If I was attending an event and these were the only option available, I would have no hesitation. While not 'my drink' it is one I would drink, and would enjoy it. As someone who doesn't drink vodka, it's a big surprise to me to be saying that.

Overall, an interesting new drink to explore, and the company's backstory is both eye-rollingly real and inspirational - even though they don't use CO2, 10% of their profits go towards efforts to reduce the CO2 in our atmosphere. If you are a vodka drinker, and want something new to try, this is your wake-up call - here you go!