15 Surfside Drink Flavors, Ranked

If you're looking for refreshing canned alcoholic beverages to sip on, then you might have considered Surfside. The brand offers lemonade, iced tea, and even lemonade iced tea vodka-based drinks. There are so many options with various flavors and combinations, so it's easy to find something that suits your taste buds. Surfside doesn't contain carbonation, so they feel a bit lighter and not as filling as other canned cocktails. Each one is 100 calories, contains 2 grams of sugar, and is gluten-free. They're made with artificial sweeteners and natural flavors, and use real tea and/or real juice.

However, you might wonder which one to stock up on or whether it might be better to pick up a variety pack — there are lemonade, green tea, iced tea, and half and half packs. I wanted to find my favorite of the bunch, so I sipped my way through 15 flavors to figure out how they fared. I'll share insights on the overall flavors, whether they work, and if I had any issues. These are judged on their flavor: how they taste and if I can taste all the profiles noted on the can. Let's find the best. Cheers!

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

First, we must start at the bottom of the Surfside pack. I'll preface by noting that most cans on this list say the drink contains natural flavors and an artificial sweetener right on the front of the can — and if not on the front, you can locate it somewhere in the packaging. The lingering aftertaste of the artificial sweetener is most evident in the lemonades, as they seem way too sweet. Perhaps it's the sweetener coupled with the tart notes of lemonade that makes it stand out. 

In this case, there's no other flavor notes to detract from that aftertaste, so the Lemonade + Vodka lands in last place. Is it unpleasant? Not exactly. I'd likely drink it if it were at a backyard barbecue, but I'd pick any of the rest of the flavors on the Surfside lineup before it. It's just more one-note in comparison with a more noticeable fake sweetener taste.

The Blueberry Lemonade + Vodka mainly tastes mostly like lemonade, with only a hint of blueberry. Although it doesn't mention it on the front of the can, this uses an artificial sweetener as well. The fruity notes don't come in too strongly, and I wanted to taste more of it. If it were stronger, this might have gone up a couple of spots. I mainly taste the fruit note at the end of the sip, but then it dissipates. You have to swirl it around in your mouth to get the most blueberry note. 

On one hand, I can appreciate the subtlety, but it didn't leave a lasting impression. It's still a little too light and not as flavorful as the next option. I like that touch of berry paired with the citrus, though, to help it rank above the regular lemonade and vodka can. 

The Raspberry Lemonade + Vodka tastes light and happy. It's the perfect sip for warmer days when you don't want a drink that bogs you down. The raspberry comes in a little stronger than the blueberry lemonade, giving it a lift in the ranking. I feel there's a better balance of the tart lemon and the fruity raspberry notes. It's sweet and tangy, but there's complexity from the raspberry — it comes in slightly floral and meshes well with the lemonade. 

As it is, the artificial sweetener lingers a bit with the lemonade, so it stays toward the bottom of the list in the 13th spot. On the plus side, you can't detect any vodka notes, and in a way, I think the sweetener helps distract your taste buds. Therefore, this seems more balanced than the previous two.

Iced tea and lemonade are such a familiar and fantastic combination. After taking a few sips, this reminds me of Twisted Tea Half & Half. I actually ranked the brand's classic tea and lemonade flavor the third-highest in my taste test. In the case of Surfside, however, I think the brand does a really good job of integrating other flavor profiles with its teas. So, the iced tea lemonade falls further on the list — but not because it's unpleasant. 

Here, we finally get introduced to tea, which brings an earthy, mildly bitter taste to the mix. It incorporates well with the tart citrus and sweetener to create a flavorful blend. Arnold Palmer cocktails are known to please a crowd, so this Surfside version is a straightforward flavor that could be great for entertaining. I vastly prefer the tea over the raspberry notes in the previous flavor.

Wait ... now we bounce back to raspberry! Well, this time, we have the most complexity out of everything so far to give it a leg up over the iced tea and lemonade flavor. There's the combination of complex, sweet raspberry, lemonade, and that earthy whiff of tea. This creates such a sippable flavor where you can taste a little bit of everything, and you don't notice the artificial sweetener as much. Every slurp gives you all three elements — but not equally. 

I'd say the tea comes through the strongest — I can taste the full-bodied sharpness in each sip. Because of that, I'd like to see a bit more raspberry to lighten the bitterness (that you get from both the tea and lemon). The fruit notes would help round it out a bit more.

The Blackberry Half & Half + Vodka has all the great tastes of the raspberry half and half, but I like the unique notes from the blackberry. It's interesting and a bit different for a lemonade and tea combo. It almost tastes like you mixed an herbal fruit tea with lemonade, which had me going back in for more sips. 

I feel like I see blueberry and raspberry pretty frequently in various types of drinks and cocktails, but blackberry seems a little more captivating. It's made with real tea and juice, which contribute to the successful flavorings. I'd feel inclined to pick it out from anything mentioned so far if it were in a party cooler with other canned cocktails. This could be a fun base for a blackberry sage vodka smash — just add a couple of fresh sage leaves, a fresh blackberry or two, and perhaps a splash of sparkling water for carbonation, and pour into your favorite glass.

Now I can introduce you to the new and last flavor base: green tea. As a reminder, we have seen lemonade, tea, and half and half. So, green tea brings something slightly different to the table. This still delivers on the half-tea, half-lemonade, but the green tea brings a dynamic, slightly earthy, and floral tea flavor to the lemonade. 

I find it offers the best balance of anything we've had so far. The tea is evident, the lemonade is clear, and it really hits both advertised flavor combinations, whereas some of the other fruity blends that ranked lower weren't as strong. Much like the blackberry, I enjoy the addition of green tea and feel like I haven't glimpsed it in as many products as other flavors. This is light and flavorful — like a sweet, lemon-infused green tea — making it an easy sipper.

Strawberry Lemonade + Vodka is officially the highest-ranking lemonade flavor. As you might have gathered, I wasn't the biggest fan of the lemonade base. It seemed a bit strong and overpowered nearly every flavor it combined with. It left a noticeable aftertaste no matter what else it was paired with. Even so, the strawberry lemonade is the best lemonade flavor by a long shot.

It hits the familiar notes of strawberry lemonade, but it's twisted into an adult version with vodka. I could see this being a go-to flavor during summer because the strawberry addition feels so summery and perfect for warmer weather. Most people are acquainted with lemonade and strawberry, so it doesn't feel like a reach to get a cocktail version of it. The strawberry makes a noticeable, pleasant partner to the lemonade in this Surfside drink. Add muddled strawberry and triple sec, and you have a version of a strawberry lemon drop cocktail.

Sometimes unsophistication works, and that's the case with the Surfside Iced Tea + Vodka. It still boasts artificial sweetener, but I find the robust, moderately bitter tea a good partner. The tea is strong, and it is not overwhelmed by the sweetener. But at the same time, it doesn't need added flavoring to make it good (such as tartness from lemonade). The straightforward notes make it more enjoyable, particularly if you don't want fruit flavors blended in. 

Alternatively, it's ideal to customize yourself — whether you want to add a lemon wedge or use it as the base of another tea-infused cocktail. The tea brings forth the most flavor, and I like the overall taste, delivery, and versatility more than anything so far. There are many spiked tea brands out there, and Surfside is a solid option to add to the list.

While the previous iced tea is perfectly tasty, I quite like the fruity lift of raspberry that this flavor offers. The Raspberry Tea + Vodka feels like you mixed an herbal and black tea together to create a flavorful combination. The tea adds a slight bitterness, so the sweet raspberry flavoring brings a fruity component that makes the combination more appealing.

And yet, it tastes pretty tea-forward when you sip it, which I can appreciate. The complex raspberry comes in as you swirl it on the tongue. I think one's affinity for tea or lemonade will ultimately make the biggest difference in which flavor combinations you might prefer; in my case, the tea options are certainly high on my list of Surfside flavors. The Raspberry Tea + Vodka was tasty, but didn't have the wow factor of the next option.

Mango Half & Half + Vodka is the last of the lemonade-blended flavors, and therefore, it's the best Surfside has to offer in that area. Mango makes its first appearance, and it pairs well with the tea and lemonade base. The three flavors work in harmony to create a drink that delivers on all fronts. I can taste the lemonade first, followed equally by the tropical touch of mango and mildly bitter tea. 

I think this is a successful combination that could be enjoyable all year-round. Unlike flavors like strawberry that seem so summer-forward, mango has longevity through the year — likely because different varieties grow at different times of the year. While this was quite a refreshing flavor, the tea gives it a more open-ended taste that you can drink whenever. It makes it high on my list, and I'd be happy to sip it again. This might be a good adult-ified pick if you like Starbucks' discontinued mango black tea.

Surfside's green tea offerings are like a breath of fresh air, and I love the simplicity of the regular schmegular Green Tea + Vodka. It's wonderfully light and fragrant as it is. It doesn't need flavors to be good. It comes in as my fourth pick, acting as the lead over other teas, lemonades, and half and half blends because it truly hits on what it says it's going to.

It tastes like a green tea cocktail — something I haven't had the pleasure of drinking very often. It's sweet, with a floral yet grassy green tea note, and again, the vodka flavor is faint if there's any hint of it at all. That's why this makes such a good libation. The green tea does the heavy lifting for those who want something a little different than other boozy tea cocktails — without adding more flavors.

Mango and green tea make a fantastic combination, and they work in cocktail form. I love the dynamic here. It tastes wonderfully rich and complex without seeming overwhelming on the taste buds. The mango and green tea both have a somewhat floral note and fragrant whiff to make them memorable and enticing to drink. It's still light enough that it doesn't bog you down. It'd be easy to drink a couple of these, whereas flavors toward the end of the list may seem more like a chore to finish.

Best of all, you can taste both of the titular flavors equally. The tea comes through, but the mango doesn't let itself get overshadowed. I'm a big fan of this flavor combination and prefer it over the regular green tea flavor. It seems familiar, likely because of the mango green teas I've consumed in the past. So if you like those flavors, this is sure to win your heart. This flavor exceeded my expectations.

At long last, I'm pleased to introduce you to the peach tea flavor. I so badly wanted to like the Twisted Tea iteration of that flavor combination, but it was not nearly as successful as Surfside's. This is my second-place pick for good reason.

The peach is even more enjoyable than the mango. The lively peach works well with the tea to balance out the somewhat cloying taste of the artificial sweetener. At the same time, I can understand its use, so there isn't as much actual sugar content in the drink — it would not have only 2 grams of sugar if there was real sugar in the mix. The tea brings forth a touch of bitterness that brings it back down, so it doesn't taste overtly floral. If you don't like peach, though, then consider the Mango Green Tea + Vodka as your top pick. But for peach-lovers, the next flavor is even better.

I love, love, love the Peach Green Tea + Vodka. I've definitely sipped my way through plenty of standard black peach tea offerings (alcoholic and non-alcoholic alike), but the green tea brings something new that I simply haven't had as much. It works extremely well, and I can taste the peach and the green tea equally. While the black tea with peach was more bitter, this green tea iteration has a lighter, slightly grassy note. 

You really don't notice the alcohol, and the artificial sweetener isn't as prominent as other flavors. The drink is complex without being difficult to drink. I think two flavor notes (ie, a flavor plus a tea) is the winner for Surfside; some of the others seemed like there was too much going on. Peach Green Tea + Vodka would be my top pick based on flavor, delivery, and balance of the flavors, and ultimately, how enjoyable it was to drink. I could easily finish one and crack open another — I'd do so happily.

To conduct my taste test, I split up my sipping over the course of a week, mainly to reduce waste. (I wasn't going to drink 15 cocktails in a day, and I didn't want to take a couple of sips and throw the rest down the drain.) I also split them with my husband so I could slowly work my way through about half a can of each flavor. This provided multiple sips so I could see how it develops on the tongue. 

As for the ranking itself, I based the order on the flavors. I was looking for the best, most balanced flavor. Higher-ranking drinks provided a fantastic taste, with the advertised ingredients clearly evident. Lower-ranking options weren't as successfully flavored — whether they were too concentrated or mild — and also didn't have as much balance of flavor.