I tried all the 1990s alcopops – the best is iconic lemon drink which is only £1.75
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.
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
THE Solero lolly– flavoured favourite with Nineties clubbers is back.
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 nostalgic way.
RATING: 4/5
Archers & Lemonade, 5.4% ABV
£1.80 (250ml) Sainsbury’s
IF any of these flavours can “definitely maybe” transport you straight back to 1992, it would be that 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 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
VK Orange & Passion Fruit, 4% ABV
£10 for 10 (275ml) Iceland
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-a-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
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 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
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 and label still look the same, although 30 years on the red label is now deemed to be “vintage” packaging (gulp!).
It’s still eminently drinkable with its cloudy lemonade with a spritz of lime flavour and 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
WHEN it comes to neon-orange Nineties mash-ups, this “iron brew” and WKD love child bottled bevvie 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
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
NINETIES alcopop club classic Bacardi Breezers are sadly no more, but if you’re after a nostalgic boozy hit that delivers a very similar, super-sweet raspberry vibe, or you want a cheaper version of Smirnoff’s Raspberry Crush, Aldi’s knock-off version covers both bases.
It is vodka-based and pretty in pale pink with a surprisingly concentrated and authentically aromatic raspberry nose.
And at 5% ABV, it was the strongest of all today’s hard pops that I tried in the test.