Price: $1/ L
Best consumed: With any gin that you enjoy with tonic.
Sweetener: High Fructose Corn Syrup
Availability: Amazon.com
Rating: 3/5
Polar is a brand widely available in New England and the Northeastern United States that has a widely devoted following, in particular for their seltzers. Polar has been making seltzer since 1882. Like many soda brands, they also have a line of club sodas and tonic waters.
Their Tonic is widely available in markets where the Polar Brand is available. It’s priced comparatively low, often some place between Schweppes and Supermarket Brands. So at 99 cents a bottle, Polar Tonic is expected to be a value brand for when quantity is the goal.
Tasting Notes
The nose has a classic lime seltzer note to it. Pleasantly lime with a tart citric acid tang, no sweetness detectable. Subtle tonic water nose, but not much character overall.
The water has a low to moderate bubble density, with a small-to-medium size. The mouth-feel has a pleasant burst to it, but it’s noticeably less fizzy than some other brands. The flavor is crisp and clean with a well balanced lime and then clean quinine bitterness. It fades quickly and concisely, leaving only a faint bitter aftertaste.
Mixed with gin, Polar Tonic Water with Lime adds a pleasant lime note to the finish. The lime note reminds me of the lime you get from Rose’s Lime Juice, more so than that of fresh lime. Which I think is why it actually seems to work here. It adds a pleasant citric bite with none of the additional cloying sweetness that Rose’s Lime Juice Has.
Overall
Polar Tonic Water With Lime isn’t going to be served in any expensive cocktail bars anytime soon; however, for a supermarket brand that has lime natural flavor added, it works well with most gins. It allows your gin to be the star and adds just a hint of something extra.
It’s best with stark classic juniper forward gins; however, I’m surprised that I find myself drinking this and saying, “not only is this not bad, it’s pretty refreshing.”
Recommended in its category.
tried it, liked it, can’t find it in the stores any more, WHY
First time I’ve used (or seen it) I am very satisfied with it and will continue to buy it, as long as it is available. I live in Florida and had never seen this brand before.