What Flavor Is Smirnoff Ice Original Anyway?

Summer and the heat are best met with a tasty, cold beverage, and Smirnoff Ice offers many options of malt drinks to satisfy that craving (alongside Mike's Hard Lemonade and Twisted Tea, both of which also use malt base). Each is labeled, as one would expect, by its flavoring. For example, Smirnoff Screwdriver is tangy and orange-forward, while Smirnoff Ice Pink resembles a snappy lemonade, among a slew of other popular varieties. Ironically, though, there's one that isn't so clear: Smirnoff Ice Original. While one might think it's flavorless, like the spirit Smirnoff has built the majority of its business on, the flavor profile of Smirnoff Ice Original has a hint of lemon-lime. To help convey this, the company has updated the label to feature lemons and limes, even adding the "Crisp Citrus" descriptor under the "Original" in its name.

Smirnoff Ice's Original flavor profile can be best related to a lightly carbonated version of your favorite lemon-lime soda. Once the top is popped off, the mouthfeel is a bit transformative and velvety when sipped directly after opening due the effervescence. As the bubbles subside, it becomes pleasantly creamy with a hint of zing. It may depend on one's personal tastebuds, but the general flavor notes are more lime-forward with a lemony finish rather than the more common vice versa. Whatever notes land on the palate first, Smirnoff Ice Original's malt base provides an easy and refreshing drink that earned it early notoriety since its debut in 1999.

Until 2023, Smirnoff never made it clear on the label what its Original flavor tasted like. The decision was made to include flavor indicators, and Smirnoff redesigned the labels to be more explicit about the drink's ingredients. Especially when it came to Ice Original, Smirnoff saw a jump in how it appealed to consumers when surveyed. The label redesign, including words and images of the flavors, led to a 3.5% increase to Smirnoff Ice sales. More specifically, this was shown in the combination of Ice Original's revamped label to be more forthright with its "Crisp Citrus" taste. Today, Ice Original's label now includes "Crisp Citrus" as part of its name with "natural lemon lime flavors" as a further descriptor. There are also slices of lemon and limes as part of the label's border.

Admittedly, Smirnoff Ice's light carbonation can also be why some may not like it. Some consumers, and even science, argue that the fizz is why carbonated drinks taste great. Here, adding a splash or two of lemon-lime soda can boost the fruity flavor and fizzy bubbles. Alternatively, triple sec and peach schnapps can also amplify Ice Original's citrus notes. When enjoying it, drinking straight from the bottle may be the best way, but the tall, slim design of a highball glass also caters perfectly to carbonated drinks. With less surface area than its counterparts, highball glasses prevent the carbonation from airing out or becoming flat.