What Is Apple Cider Vinegar Soda? Your Guide to Sparkling ACV Drinks

October 15, 2026

By Bragg Staff

Reviewed By Emilio Villarreal, Director of Technical Services

Apple cider vinegar has been a pantry staple for generations, splashed into salad dressings and marinades or stirred into a glass of water. Lately, it's been showing up somewhere new: in a can, with bubbles.

Apple cider vinegar soda is a fresh take on a classic ingredient, and at Bragg®, it's a category we're excited to help define. Not every ACV soda is made the same way, and the differences start with the vinegar itself. Here's what apple cider vinegar soda is, how it's made, how it compares to other fizzy drinks, and what to look for when you pick one up.

What Is Apple Cider Vinegar Soda?

Apple cider vinegar soda is a sparkling beverage made by combining apple cider vinegar with carbonated water and flavorings, such as fruit juice, for a tart, fizzy drink with a bright, refreshing finish. The best ones start with naturally fermented apple cider vinegar and get their flavor and sweetness from real fruit juice. You'll also see it called ACV soda, sparkling apple cider vinegar, or apple cider vinegar sparkling water.

The flavor is tart and tangy up front, with fruit rounding out the finish. Think of it as the bright, zippy cousin of sparkling lemonade.

Good ACV Soda Starts With Naturally Fermented ACV

Good ACV soda starts with good apple cider vinegar, and good apple cider vinegar starts with apples. Naturally fermented ACV is produced by fermenting apples, and it's used around the world as a flavoring and preservative in foods. [1]

Fermentation happens in two stages. First, yeast turns the natural sugars in apple juice into alcohol. Then, acetic acid bacteria turn that alcohol into acetic acid, the compound behind vinegar's signature tang.

Not every vinegar on the shelf is made this way. FDA guidance defines cider vinegar as the product made by the alcoholic and subsequent acetous fermentation of the juice of apples, while distilled vinegar is made from dilute distilled alcohol. [2] When you're choosing an apple cider vinegar, or a drink made with one, look for words like "naturally fermented," "raw," "unfiltered," and "with the Mother" on the label.

Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar has been made this way since 1912: raw, unfiltered, and naturally fermented with the "Mother." It's the same Bragg ACV that goes into every can of Bragg Tropical Zing. You can dig into the full process in our guide, What Is Apple Cider Vinegar?

How to Make Apple Cider Vinegar Soda at Home

Making your own is refreshingly simple. Our Sparkling Grapefruit ACV Drink is a great starting point:

Fill a tall glass with ice.
Add 1 tablespoon of Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, 3 ounces of fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice, and the juice of half a lemon. Stir gently.
Top with 5 ounces of sparkling water.
Garnish with a grapefruit wedge and a mint leaf.

Once you've got the formula down, swap the grapefruit for another juice you love. Apple cider vinegar is naturally acidic, and FDA guidance notes that cider vinegar should contain at least 4 grams of acetic acid per 100 milliliters. [2] A little goes a long way, which is one reason we love it diluted in drinks and recipes rather than taken on its own. For more ideas, see How to Make Apple Cider Vinegar Taste Even Better.

Apple Cider Vinegar Soda vs. Other Fizzy Drinks

Sparkling ACV drinks share shelf space with many bubbly neighbors, and not every ACV soda is built the same. Here's how they compare:

Drink	What it's made from	Flavor profile	Worth checking on the label
Bragg Tropical Zing	Bragg organic apple cider vinegar, sparkling water, and real fruit juice. 0g added sugar, no stevia, no monk fruit	Tart, tangy, and fruity, with no lingering aftertaste	1 tbsp ACV per can, 0g added sugar, 40 calories
Other apple cider vinegar sodas	Apple cider vinegar, sparkling water, and flavorings. Sweeteners vary by brand and may include cane sugar, stevia, or monk fruit	Tangy; sweetness varies	ACV amount, sweetener type, added and total sugars
Apple cider vinegar	Fermented apples	Tart and tangy	"Naturally fermented," "raw," "unfiltered," "with the Mother." Best enjoyed diluted in drinks or recipes
Sparkling water or seltzer	Water and carbonation	Neutral or lightly flavored	Added sugars in flavored versions
Kombucha	Fermented tea	Tangy and lightly sweet	Added and total sugars
Traditional soda	Carbonated water, sweeteners, and flavorings	Sweet	Added sugars (a 12-ounce regular soda has more than 10 teaspoons, per the CDC) [3]

The biggest differences between ACV sodas come down to two things: how the ACV is made and how the drink is sweetened. Tropical Zing pairs one tablespoon of Bragg ACV with real fruit juice, so it drinks like a refreshment, not a pantry ingredient.

What to Look for in a Sparkling Apple Cider Vinegar Drink

The label is your best friend. Here's what to check:

How the ACV is made. Look for naturally fermented apple cider vinegar from a brand that tells you how it's made.
The ACV amount. Some drinks list exactly how much apple cider vinegar is inside. Knowing the amount helps you compare options.
Added sugars and total sugars. The FDA explains that total sugars include sugars naturally present in foods like fruit, while added sugars include sugars from syrups and honey, and from concentrated fruit or vegetable juices in excess of what would be expected from the same volume of 100% juice. [4] [5] A drink made with real fruit juice can list 0g added sugars and still show some total sugars.
Where the flavor and sweetness come from. Look for real fruit juice in the ingredient list and a juice percentage on the package.
Percent Daily Value. According to the FDA, a food with 5% or less Daily Value is a low source of added sugars. [4]

A Closer Look at Sweeteners

Many better-for-you sodas are sweetened with stevia or monk fruit. Both start as plants, but what goes into the can is a concentrated extract. The FDA notes that the high-purity steviol glycosides it has evaluated are at least 95% pure and reported to be 200 to 400 times sweeter than table sugar, and that monk fruit extract is reported to be 100 to 250 times sweeter than sugar. [6]

Taste is part of the story, too. In one consumer sensory study, rebaudioside A, a common stevia sweetener, was rated noticeably bitter, with bitterness that persisted after tasting, while other steviol glycosides left a lingering sweetness. [7]

Tropical Zing takes a different approach. It's sweetened only by real fruit juice, with 0g added sugar, no stevia, and no monk fruit. You get bright fruit flavor and a clean finish, with nothing lingering after the last sip.

Meet Bragg Tropical Zing

Bragg Tropical Zing is our sparkling apple cider vinegar beverage, and it's the ACV soda you've been dreaming about. Every can is made with real fruit juice and one tablespoon of Bragg organic apple cider vinegar. 0g added sugar. No stevia. No monk fruit. Nothing artificial. Just 40 calories.

Tropical Zing comes in four flavors:

Strawberry Watermelon: Juicy, sweet-tart, and made for sunny afternoons.
Citrus Ginger: Bright citrus with a gentle ginger warmth.
Dragon Fruit Berry: Berry-forward with a vibrant tropical twist.
Mango Pineapple: A sunny, tropical pairing with a tangy finish.

Every flavor is vegan, gluten-free, Kosher, and Non-GMO Project Verified, from Bragg, a certified B Corp. Drink it straight out of a cold can, pour one over ice with a squeeze of lime, or use it as the base for an easy mocktail. Shop all four flavors here.

Frequently Asked Questions About Apple Cider Vinegar Soda

What is apple cider vinegar soda?

Apple cider vinegar soda is a sparkling beverage that combines apple cider vinegar with carbonated water and flavorings like fruit juice. It's also called ACV soda or sparkling apple cider vinegar. The best ones start with naturally fermented ACV. Bragg Tropical Zing pairs one tablespoon of Bragg organic ACV with real fruit juice, with 0g added sugar and no stevia or monk fruit.

Does apple cider vinegar soda taste like vinegar?

It's tart and tangy, made with fruit juice and bubbles that soften that pucker. Many sparkling ACV drinks taste more like a zippy fruit spritzer than a spoonful of vinegar. Sweeteners make a difference too: Tropical Zing skips stevia and monk fruit, so there's no lingering aftertaste.

Is all apple cider vinegar the same?

No. Cider vinegar is made by fermenting apple juice, first into alcohol and then into acetic acid, while distilled vinegar is made from dilute distilled alcohol. Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar is raw, unfiltered, and naturally fermented with the "Mother."

Are ACV sodas sweetened with stevia or monk fruit?

Some are. Sweeteners vary by brand, so check the ingredient list. Bragg Tropical Zing contains no stevia and no monk fruit. Its sweetness comes only from real fruit juice, with 0g added sugar.

How is apple cider vinegar soda different from kombucha?

ACV soda starts with apple cider vinegar mixed with sparkling water and flavorings. Kombucha is made from fermented tea. Both have a tangy edge, but they're built from different starting ingredients. Learn more in Apple Cider Vinegar vs. Kombucha.

How much apple cider vinegar is in ACV soda?

It varies by drink, so check the label. Bragg Tropical Zing contains one tablespoon of Bragg organic apple cider vinegar per can.

How do you make apple cider vinegar soda at home?

Mix 1 tablespoon of Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar with fruit juice, then top with sparkling water over ice. Our Sparkling Grapefruit ACV Drink recipe walks you through it step by step.