Tested
TASTES WKD
I tried all the 1990s alcopops – the best is iconic lemon drink which is only £1.75
A classy citrusy alcopop is now classed as vintage
IF you went raving in the hedonistic Nineties then, along with glow sticks and fluffy bras, you probably swigged a bottle of Reef.
The fluorescent, fruity, orange alcopop is now back, with High Street chain B&M stocking cases of the night-out classic.
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But does the tipple – and other bottles of retro booze – still taste as good today?
Here, drinks expert Helena Nicklin gives her verdict.
Reef, 3.4% ABV
£8 for 10 (275ml) B&M stores
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THE Solero lolly– flavoured favourite with Nineties clubbers is back.
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But is this trip down memory lane as good as we remember?
Billed as an orange and passion fruit- flavoured drink with vodka, Reef was the alcopop that was flat, not fizzy and made with quite a lot of real fruit juice (around 20 per cent), which we might have thought healthy back in 1997.
It isn’t, but the balance of fruit with a 3.4% kick of alcohol offers a “bittersweet symphony” in the best nost- algic way.
RATING: 4/5
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Archers & Lemonade, 5.4% ABV
£1.80 (250ml) Sainsbury’s
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IF any of these flavours can “definitely maybe” transport you straight back to 1992, it would be the unmistakable aroma and taste of Archers and lemonade.
With its soft, fuzzy and familiar peach schnapps balanced by a twist of lemon, a glass of this over ice was part perfume, part tipple for many back in the day.
Now it’s conveniently delivered in a ready-mixed can, rather than a large bottle, so you can pour it into a grown-up glass to enjoy, rather than swigging it inelegantly at the bus stop.
RATING: 4/5
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VK Orange & Passion Fruit, 4% ABV
£10 for 10 (275ml) Iceland
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FOR a quid a bottle when bought in bulk, the price of these 4% vodka-based swigs is stupidly low.
Despite being about as budget-friendly as you can get, the orange and passion fruit VK bottle is actually a fairly decent Reef-like drink.
Containing three per cent fruit juice, sugar and sweetener, they are a vibrant, super-saccharine hit and you won’t want to drink more than two.
If you do, with 14g of caffeine in each, you might be up till dawn and ready for your post-big night cheesy chips.
RATING: 2/5
Hooch, 3.4% ABV
£1.75 (440ml) Sainsbury’s
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NINETIES purists may “look back in anger” at Hooch, the original sparkling alcopop, as today’s version comes in a can rather than the green bottle that midlifers will remember from when it launched.
Its tangy lemon flavour with five per cent juice from concentrate and 3.4% ABV is pretty authentic though – and the vodka hit feels more subtle and balanced than it used to.
One to revisit if you like holiday favourite Limoncello, but now want a drier fruity sip.
Sparked a lot of lovely memories.
RATING: 5/5
Smirnoff Ice, 4% ABV
£2.90 (70cl) Tesco
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AHH, Smirnoff Ice.
Not one for the “common people” back in the Nineties, this was the classy, citrusy alcopop of choice with its pure, not too sweet, ice-queen vibes.
The bottle still looks the same, although 30 years on the red label is now deemed to be “vintage” (gulp!).
It’s still eminently drinkable with its cloudy lemonade and a spritz of lime flavour, plus a hit of vodka.
Today’s bottle is a lot bigger than the ones lined up behind the club bar back in the day, though.
RATING: 4/5
WKD Iron Brew, 4% ABV
£3.50 (70cl) Morrisons
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WHEN it comes to neon-orange Nineties mash-ups, this “iron brew” and WKD love child bottled bevvy ticks all the boxes.
Sweeter than normal Irn Bru and with an instant jolt of caffeine that will keep you dancing till dawn, this saccharine sipper, which mixes barley and vodka, crosses the line between nostalgia and “not sensible”, especially for those of us who have hung up our raving shoes.
It’s also got a high price tag. I would give this 4% ABV alcopop a swerve.
RATING: 1/5
KWL Blue, 4% ABV
£2.99 (70cl) Aldi
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THIS bonkers, bright blue, blueberry (kind of) scented bevvy is so wrong it goes full circle and becomes right.
The bitter 4% ABV kick in Aldi’s own alcopop bottle balances the sweetness of the pseudo but delicious fruit flavours – and it actually has a fabulously full body.
A one-glass wonder that’s sure to relight your fire, even if it is a little weaker all round than the blue WKD it’s heavily inspired by – though you’ll be grateful for that in the morning.
Good value too, at under £3 a bottle.
RATING: 3/5
Stefanoff Strawberry & Lime, 5% ABV
99p (250cl) Aldi
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A CLUB classic of a Nineties alcopop, Bacardi Breezers are sadly no more.
But if you’re after a nostalgic boozy hit that delivers a very similar, super-sweet vibe, then look no further than a can of Aldi’s Strawberry & Lime Cider Cocktail.
It is a sparkling drink mixed with both cider and vodka that delivers a surprisingly authentic, aromatic strawberry nose.
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It is refreshing, with a bit of zing thanks to the lime.
But at 5% ABV, it was one of the strongest of all the hard pops I tried in the test.
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