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8 fizzy drinks — with or without alcohol — to lift your spirits

May 14, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. EDT
Blickey Cocktail. (Scott Suchman for The Washington Post/food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post)

The 1971 film “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” was one of my favorite movies as a kid. It still is, and even watching it now, I’m filled with a sense of wonder and what-ifs. A chocolate river! Wallpaper you can lick! But how can you possibly get any more fanciful than the fizzy lifting drink? That scene always made me happy, and a little envious, at least before Charlie and his grandfather come close to getting sucked into the fan at the top of the room.

Alas, fizzy lifting drinks haven’t come to fruition, but I’ll take the next best thing: A bubbly beverage that lifts my spirits, if nothing else. Fizz in your drink, with or without alcohol, is festive and fun — especially for spring and summer outdoors. Here are a few options from our archives to consider.

Blickey Cocktail, above. Sparkling mineral water brings the effervescence to this refreshing mix of rye whiskey, grapefruit and lime juices and raspberry syrup. It’s similar to the rickey, a signature drink of the nation’s capital.

Minty Lemon Soda. The basis of this drink is a syrup concentrate made with honey and lemon juice and zest, in which you steep fresh mint. You’ll get 2 cups of syrup, and since each serving uses 1 tablespoon per cup of water, there will be enough to last you through the week or to serve a crowd.


White Sangria With Peaches and Raspberries. Be ready to put this pretty-in-pink sangria on repeat once the summer fruit starts rolling in. White wine and brandy are the foundation for the drink, and you add a splash of sparkling water to each glass for serving.


Summer Fruit Punch (Kompot). Here’s a smart and zero-proof way to use up random bits of summer fruit. Adding vanilla ice cream and club soda turns it into our kind of float, but it would be good with just the bubbles, too.

Garden Pimm’s Cup. Says our Spirits writer, M. Carrie Allan, of the classic English summer cocktail, “Everyone makes a Pimm’s cup a little differently; this variation pulls in the flavor of strawberries and cucumber.” Cucumber soda, lemon soda or ginger ale can all be used for the fizz.

Katz’s Egg Cream. Louis Auster is credited with inventing the beloved New York beverage made with chocolate syrup, milk and seltzer, though this particular recipe comes from the famed Katz’s Delicatessen. It calls for Fox’s U-bet chocolate syrup, which imitators took to using after Auster refused to patent or sell his formula, but you can also try a from-scratch version with my Dark Chocolate Syrup. For another fizzy chocolate option, check out Cold-Brewed Chocolate Floats.


Ramos Gin Fizz. This New Orleans drink might remind you of an egg cream, but in this case it includes heavy cream and an egg white, along with the seltzer or club soda, which all contribute to a dramatic pillowy head. The drink also features gin, lemon and lime juices and orange flower water.


St-Germain Cocktail. I’m a huge fan of St-Germain elderflower liqueur (I used it in my Royal Wedding Cake!), and it goes very well here with a double dose of bubbles in the form of sparkling wine and club soda or seltzer.