The difference between hard seltzer, a spritz and alcoholic sparkling water

Seltzer is what Americans often call carbonated water and the term "hard" simply means alcoholic. A hard seltzer, therefore, is just fizzy water with alcohol. In contrast, you will have almost certainly heard of a "soft" drink - lightbulb moment - this is called as such because it does not contain any alcohol. This naming convention is used in the same way with other, similar products such as hard tea (you guessed it, alcoholic iced tea).

In the UK, where hard seltzers are still relatively new, some brands have opted to call it "alcoholic sparkling water", in order to resonate better with consumers, given it is more obvious what the product actually is. In the UK both "hard", for alcoholic, and "seltzer", for soda water, are not commonly used terms. There are some of the mind that this way might sound more premium but ultimately they are one and the same.

In the US, some hard seltzers are also referred to as “spiked” seltzers, meaning they're a seltzer water that's been spiked with alcohol, however, the word "spiked" carries negative connotations and is not used in this context in the UK.

Most hard seltzers are made by adding alcohol to water, however it is possible to make it by fermenting cane sugar in water to produce the alcohol.

Another variation of the same thing that is gaining traction of late is the spirit "spritz". While spritz is a "sparkling alcoholic drink" by definition, it is simply another form of hard seltzer (in that it is alcoholic carbonated water) that is piggy backing off the popularity of famous cocktail names like the Aperol and Huge spritz. These products tend to be named using the spirit included, such as a vodka spritz or a tequila spritz and in some cases are re-branded to spritz, were the term hard seltzer hasn't worked.