If You’ve Never Added Cream to Your Flavored Sparkling Water…

Thank me later.

I challenge you to find a tastier beverage for less than 50 cents.

Our household enjoys a substantial consumption of flavored sparkling water. I don’t drink alcohol, and Beth is the lightest of lightweights, therefore cans of sugar-free flavored bubble water is our go-to carbonated beverage. You’ll find LaCroix (the hipster’s favorite), Waterloo, or whatever is tasty and on sale at the time well-stocked in our home.

Our favorite of all the dozens of sparkling waters we’ve tried is Waterloo Black Cherry. So when we saw Strawberry for the first time last week, and it was on special, we took the bait. Taking my first sip, I instantly thought, “this is perfect flavor strawberry for strawberries and cream!” I was incredibly surprised with myself that I’d never thought to do this since making the rounds working at coffeeshops 12+ years ago, mixing up Italian sodas for non-coffee drinkers.

I added a couple tablespoons of excellent heavy cream to my can, and now it’s my new favorite thing. The flavor and added mouthfeel is absolutely delightful. I challenge you to find a tastier beverage for less than 50 cents. This first try was exactly the strawberries and cream I was going for, and overall turned out better than I expected. Experimenting will ensue — what brands and flavors mix up the best, how far can I push the proportion of cream…

Heads up: there is some fizzing when you first pour in the cream, so be ready to catch that delicious foam.