I tried Schweppes' new bright purple Tropical Soda & found its appearance misleading

Earlier this month, it was announced that Emily in Paris star Lucien Laviscount was the new ambassador for the iconic British drinks brand Schweppes.

The announcement was coupled with the release of a TV advert of Burnley born Lucien enjoying sips of a very purple drink at a summer garden party.

This purple drink was Schweppes’ latest product - Tropical Soda - and its brilliant colour (plus the suave description by Lucien) made me keen to try it.

The team at Shweppes were kind enough to send me some bottles so see what I made of it below…

First impressions

In person the colour is very impressive- pure purple in a way you never see.

It was however translucent which abated my initial fears that the taste would be artificial.

Before tasting the product, I of course did the sniff test and it definitely passed!

The drink had a fruity and floral fragrance but it wasn’t too strong so I couldn’t tell what fruit it was.

It also meant it wasn’t overwhelmingly sweet and instead I was expecting a nice refreshing flavour.

Thoughts on the taste

I was not misled by the Tropical Soda’s fragrance, it was just as refreshing to try as I had hoped.

The taste was really unique, it was flory and fruity but not like other products of its ilk I had already tried.

Looking at it’s ingredients, I saw the soda was made using hibiscus and guava, which were flavours I had never had in a drink before and I thought they certainly worked well together.

On it’s own, the soda was lovely and sweet but there was a sharpness to it too so it wasn’t sickly.

When I mixed it with a single measure of gin, the same flavours were detected but it did not overpower the gin flavour either, it simply complemented it and made the drink more interesting.

Would I recommend you try it?

Yes, do not be put off by the bright purple colour - the drink does not taste at all artificial and more importantly, it did not stain my teeth!

Overall the favour was delicious: fruity and floral but with a slight sourness which made it more refreshing and palatable for people of all tastes.

Would I buy it in future?

Definitely!

I love trying different flavoured mixers with my gins and this fits the bill - it offers an interesting new flavour profile whilst keeping the gin tasting crisp and refreshing.

As the drink was also delicious enough on it’s own, I can be sure to stock up without feeling too much guilt as I know it will be just as nice as an alternative to alcohol as well as a mixer.

It also tasted more premium that it’s retail price of £1.75 for a litre bottle so I would call it a bit of a steal too!