SunnyD Is Entering Adulthood With A Vodka Seltzer

There are some foods and drinks from our childhood that disappeared long ago, existing only as memories and thus, seeming all the sweeter (we're looking at you, Fruitopia). Then, there are the items that stuck around through adulthood, but that we just lost interest in over the years. Think fruit snacks, chocolate chip granola bars, and those little cracker sticks that you dunk into a pool of violently orange cheese. Sure, they were yummy back when, but can they really stand up to an adult's palate? 

The same could be said of that reliable childhood favorite, SunnyD. The drink was a hot commodity around the middle school cafeteria tables, but somewhere along the way, we swapped SunnyD for actual orange juice and never looked back. But now and again, we'll suddenly get a yearning for that sweet and tangy citrus punch. SunnyD seems to know it still has the over-21-crowd longing for a taste of the past, as the brand just announced a new drink that combines its nostalgic citrus flavor with the ability to imbibe as an adult.

SunnyD's newly announced Vodka Seltzer will be available at Walmart, Total Wine, and other retailers beginning on March 11. Skeptics might be wondering, "why not just mix SunnyD, seltzer, and vodka together on my own?" But the formulation is actually different than the traditional drink from your childhood. Unlike the original, the hard SunnyD contains no sugar, the tangy original flavor SunnyD has 12 grams of added sugar. Instead, SunnyD Vodka Seltzer is sweetened with stevia. Each can contains 95 calories and has a 4.5% alcohol content.

Hard seltzer took off like a rocket in 2020, so it's a good time for SunnyD to enter the hard seltzer market, even though growth is projected to slow in the next few years (via The Spirits Business). And hopefully, those who currently drink spiked seltzer don't lose interest. In a recent Mashed survey, people revealed how they really feel about hard seltzer, and of the more than 40,000 people we interviewed, 75% said that they didn't like it. But maybe combining a familiar brand like SunnyD with hard seltzer could change some minds, and win over customers looking for a nostalgic nip.