Meaning & use
hard seltzer
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable or uncountable
A ready-to-drink alcoholic beverage made with carbonated water, alcohol, and fruit flavoring.
Grammar: Can be countable when referring to a serving: 'She ordered a hard seltzer.' Uncountable when talking about the category: 'Hard seltzer is popular.'
Patterns
- a can of hard seltzer
- hard seltzer sales
- drink hard seltzer
At the party, they served hard seltzer instead of beer.
Hard seltzer has become a trendy drink among young adults.
I'll have a hard seltzer with lime, please.
Word forms
| plural | hard seltzers |
|---|
Common combinations
- hard seltzer brand
- She only buys one hard seltzer brand.
- hard seltzer flavor
- The hard seltzer flavor was mango.
- a case of hard seltzer
- He bought a case of hard seltzer for the weekend.
- hard seltzer market
- The hard seltzer market is growing fast.
Synonyms and how they differ
- spiked seltzer
- Informal synonym; 'spiked' emphasizes that alcohol has been added.
- alcoholic sparkling water
- More descriptive and formal; often used in Britain.
Word family
- seltzer noun
- Carbonated water, usually without alcohol.
Commonly confused: hard seltzer or seltzer?
hard seltzer vs seltzer
Plain seltzer is just fizzy water; hard seltzer contains alcohol.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'hard seltzer' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A bar serves alcoholic drinks, so 'hard seltzer' fits. Bakeries, gas stations, and libraries typically do not serve alcoholic beverages.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hard seltzer”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.