Review: SunnyD Vodka Seltzer Purple Stretches the Joke Product Trend to its Limit

What does Purple taste like? Such is the driving question behind SunnyD Vodka Seltzer’s latest product launch, intended as a nod to the brand’s Purple Stuff ad campaign aired between episodes of “Star Trek: The New Generation” and “Jerry Springer” in the 1990s.

If this is your first time encountering SunnyD and vodka in the same sentence, allow us a quick introduction. In 2023, the childhood-favorite drink brand cashed in on the canned cocktail craze with the launch of its first booze product, a zero-sugar, 4.5%-ABV seltzer that immediately landed on just about every liquor store shelf in the country. It was bright. It was sessionable. And, perhaps most importantly, it contained all the makings of a TikTok-era viral hit (nostalgic brand + alcohol + product description silly enough to inspire a week’s worth of memes).

Reviews were mixed, as was the reception from certain parent groups concerned about the risk of interest to underage consumers. But none of that has discouraged the fine folks over at Harvest Hill Beverage Company from expanding the franchise.

On April 2, the brand unveiled SunnyD Vodka Seltzer Purple, a limited-edition release that is pointedly not flavored like grape, but like the color. The team has fully embraced the schtick, launching a hashtag through which social media users are encouraged to guess at the contents of the drink. If you’re thinking about cheating the game by looking at the ingredients list, think again: The can only makes mention of “fruit and vegetable juice,” “sparkling water” and the always mysterious “natural flavors.”

It’s an interesting conundrum because SunnyD Vodka Seltzer — of which you’d logically imagine there is only one flavor — has debuted nearly a dozen products since its launch, including both an Orange Plum and an Orange Blackberry variety. Drinkers have already tasted the sweet joy of SunnyD mixed with something purple and vaguely fruity, so this month’s release is presumably… something else?

Only one way to find out!

Our samples of SunnyD’s latest arrived inside a mini cardboard refrigerator, complete with a printed mock-magnet shaped like a can with a question mark inside. 10/10 for originality, though we were mildly disappointed to find the freezer on top empty.

Mystery dissipates as soon as you open the can. My nose was at least a foot away from the can when I smelled Grape Jolly Ranchers — and little else — emanating like some sort of candy perfume. It was at this point that I realized SunnyD Purple was probably going to have a lot more in common with Barney the Dinosaur than Beetlejuice.

The seltzer delivers on that promise. Artificial grape is the name of the game, tinged with that slightly metallic, mouthcoating Stevia sweetness often found in zero-sugar products. There’s a hint of vodka flavor swirling around in there as well, but it’s mostly covered up by the all-consuming purpleness of the drink.

Consider that a negative review for a product that 100% review-proof.

Even if the flavor of SunnyD Purple actually mattered, it would pale in comparison to the clicks, views and viral reactions that a drink like this inevitably generates. We had similar thoughts a few months back when we reviewed Absolut Tabasco — a meme bottle if there ever was one, and a similarly gag-worthy concept as recent launches like Hot Ones X New Amsterdam Vodka, KFC 11 Herbed and Spiced Rum and Don Julio’s limited-edition Popeye’s Meal.

Social media has ushered in a new kind of alcoholic beverage, one that we’d classify as “look but don’t sip.”

Find Our Full Review of SunnyD Vodka Seltzer Purple Here