While some people prefer to drink their hard liquor straight or to drink alcoholic beverages, such as wine or beer, others prefer to drink cocktails, which combine hard liquor with other ingredients. Smirnoff Ice is a combination of Smirnoff products combined with other ingredients to create a sweetened alcoholic drink.
Vodka
The main ingredient in Smirnoff Ice is Smirnoff's vodka. This vodka contains 69 calories and 11.3 grams of alcohol per 1 oz serving. Smirnoff vodka is created with the use of grains and is put through the a triple distillation process. In addition to being the main ingredient for the Ice drinks, Smirnoff vodka can be drunk alone, with fruit juice or in a number of different cocktail variations.
Sugar
While the amount of sugar you drink in a Smirnoff Ice drink is fairly small, it goes a long way toward sweetening up the drink. The Ice drinks are meant to be a hard version of the wine cooler and to appeal to a younger crowd, as well as to women who do not want the severe alcohol taste of hard liquor.
Lemon-Lime Soda
Soda is commonly combined with different hard liquors to create different cocktail mixes. Smirnoff Ice combines its famous vodka with lemon-lime soda. The lemon-lime soda gives a slightly sour taste to the concoction, contrasting with the sweetness of the sugar. The soda also lends the drink its carbonation, which creates a different feel than drinking hard liquor on its own.
Fruit Juice
Smirnoff Ice makes good use of fruit juice to create its various different flavors. The fruit juice is what gives each drink its distinct taste and works to hide the taste of the hard liquor. While you can still taste the liquor, it is the fruit juice that is the most overpowering. This makes Smirnoff Ice a good option for those who do not like the taste of alcohol. Some of the Smirnoff Ice flavors offered include mango, passion fruit, raspberry, green apple, grape and strawberry.
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Writer Bio
Kimberly Turtenwald began writing professionally in 2000. She has written content for various websites, including Lights 2 You, Online Consultation, Corpus Personal Injury and more. Turtenwald studied editing and publishing at Wisconsin Lutheran College.