The beverage world's fashionable sparkling water Perrier has just launched its new arm of flavoured carbonated drinks in Singapore! Maison Perrier marks a new chapter in Perrier's journey, said to inspire more creativity and offering more choices for the consumer.

Straight from Mathieu Marchal, Regional Manager APAC Region of Nestlé Waters, Maison Perrier is “more than just a beverage brand; it’s the House of Inspiring Possibilities," championing creativity in all forms and bringing a new level of pleasure and intensity to everyday moments.

Château de Vergèze. Source: Perrier

Maison Perrier beverages, and the Perrier brand, see their origin in the Vergèze region of France. The springs of Vergèze has been used by Romans as a spa; where legend has it that Hannibal rested his army and quenched their thirst with the springs' water that was naturally carbonated by volcanic activity.

Dr. Louis Perrier (left) and St John Harmsworth (right). Source: Perrier

During the 19th century, spa towns were becoming fashionable, and Vergèze was no exception. Bottles of sparkling mineral water were already making their way to Great Britain during this time period. But in 1898, a Dr. Louis Perrier bought the spring and started to bottle the carbonated sparkling water whilst operating a commercial spa.

Legend has it that the green pear shaped bottle for Perrier was fashioned after Indian clubs that St John Harmsworth used to exercise with.

In 1898, St John Harmsworth, the son of a newspaper magnate family, was learning French in Vergèze , when the spring was called Les Bouillens. A quick exchange between Dr Perrier led to St John Harmsworth purchasing the business, injecting much needed capital and renaming the brand Perrier.

Source: Perrier

It's here where Perrier really took off - being enjoyed across many of Britain's colonies. The Perrier brand was awarded the Royal Warrant, By Appointment to His Majesty the King, and earned the nickname "The Champagne Of Table Waters". 

It's really apt how this shophouse happened to look and match Maison Perrier's colour scheme...

We've been invited to Maison Perrier's launch right at Nook Nowhere, for a evening of exciting festivities, that featured live jazz music in both French and English tunes, delectable canapes (much applause to Chef Koh Han Jie and the team at Nook Nowhere!) and other activities.

Without further ado, lets get to the new Maison Perrier drinks!

Starting With The Maison Perrier Forever Range;

The Forever Range is 0-calorie sparkling beverage that is made with 99.8% carbonated water and flavoured with natural essences. There is a total of six flavours, that we taste tested:

Maison Perrier Forever Lime

The nose is rather delicate - you do get limes, but towards the oilier, heavier, denser and spicier limes: think key limes, kaffir limes. The fizziness isn't very intense either, giving a smooth, velvet mouthfeel.

Maison Perrier Forever Lemon

Perhaps the cleanest of them all - you get just the lightest spritz of lemon pulp into the sparkling water. You do get a big of that limonene at the finish, slightly spicy with citrus oils. Perhaps the best table sparkling water for a meal!

Maison Perrier Forever Grapefruit

Big, powerful grapefruit peels on the nose: perhaps the most aromatic! You get that fragrant, orange-like zest aromas on the nose, the flavours reminding me of blood orange, or grapefruit without the bitterness. I daresay, this would make great highballs or sonics, enough the stand up against spirits.

Maison Perrier Forever Strawberry

The strawberry is extremely subtle here - akin to infusing whole, uncut strawberries in soda water. I'll say the neutrality is very similar to the Forever Lemon, where it's just enough to give a pop of flavour.

Maison Perrier Forever Ginger Lime

Leaning more on a subtle side at first, but gives a light but refreshing, gingery burn on the palate! The lime is very barely perceptible, but gives enough of a lift to the freshly grated ginger flavour. Makes for a great palate cleanser!

Maison Perrier Forever Peach

Wow! Rich peach flavours and aromas here - very ripe aromas and flavours of peach fuzz, peach skin, and even the juiciness of the flesh is captured here. Definitely a strongly flavoured sparkling water, able to be used in Sonics and Highballs.

In intensity of flavours, the Maison Perrier Forever Lemon and Maison Perrier Forever Strawberry are the most subtle and nuanced, with the Maison Perrier Forever Ginger Lime and the Maison Perrier Forever Lime with a medium intensity that isn't too flavoured, followed by the Maison Perrier Forever Peach and Maison Perrier Forever Grapefruit having the strongest aroma and flavour. My personal favourite has to be the Forever Peach - for its intensely sweet yet gentle aromas!

Moving on to the Maison Perrier Magnetic Juice;

The flavoured sparkling waters here are made with the intention of marrying complimentary fruits together. The sparkling beverages here are made with roughly 80% carbonated spring water, fruit juice from concentrate, sugar and natural flavouring.

Maison Perrier Magnetic Juice Lemon & Guava

The Maison Perrier Magnetic Juice Lemon & Guava is made with 83.1% carbonated water, 15% fruit juices from concentrate 15% (apple 6%, lemon 5%, guava 4%), sugar, natural flavour and carrot concentrate.

The nose reads a lot like sliced white and pink guava, the flavours reading like lemonade spiked with guava pulp. It's bright, zesty, and refreshing - I reckon perfect for a hot day!

Maison Perrier Magnetic Juice Pineapple & Mango

The Maison Perrier Magnetic Juice Pineapple & Mango is made with 81.5% carbonated water, 17.2% fruit juices from concentrate (pineapple 5.1%, mango 5%, apple 4.9%, lemon 2.2%), sugar, natural flavour, concentrates (carrot, pumpkin) and natural flavours.

Thick and rich in the mango puree flavours- at first sip, you get just ripened, juiced Alphonse mangos, nothing to strong or aromatically sweet. Then, the pineapple comes through, giving an accent and backbone of tart flavours. This one's a bit thicker and more cordial like, perhaps as a great alternative to sparkling juice.

Maison Perrier Magnetic Juice Cherry & Peach

The Maison Perrier Magnetic Juice Cherry & Peach is made with 82.2% carbonated water 82.2%, 16% fruit juices from concentrate (peach 6.7%, lemon 4.3%, apple 4%, cherry 1%), sugar, carrot juice concentrate and natural flavour.

On the nose, sweet, tangy cherry skins at first, sometimes even reading like maraschino cherry. The flavours read tart red cherries, peach fuzz, and a little bit almond-like. Truly quite complex and a bit sweeter and fruitier than the rest. Perhaps the fanciest fruit juice I've had so far! Out of the entire range, the Magnetic Juice Cherry & Peach is my favourite of the trio.

Ending with The Maison Perrier Chic Range;

The Maison Perrier Chic range is intended to be mocktails that provide the same non-alcholic cocktail experience.The sparking water percentage is roughly 91%.

Maison Perrier Rosélinni

The Maison Perrier Rosélinni is made with 91.3% carbonated water, 5.5% peach juice from concentrate, sugar syrup, citric acid, caramel syrup, concentrates (purple carrot, blackcurrant) and natural flavour.

Aromas of pink grapefruit, guava and red tart cherries on the nose - followed up with a bouquet of red fruits: blood orange, raspberries and pineapple. Honestly, if we're going dry, this is a really tasty, refreshing sparkling rosé-esque substitute that would be perfect in a large gathering.

Maison Perrier Lemonjito

The Maison Perrier Lemonjito is made with 92.2% carbonated water, 5% lemon juice from concentrate, sugar syrup, salt, and natural flavour.

Lots of spearmint and peppermint on the nose, accented by a mild hint of bruised basil. Flavours are towards the refreshing, thirst quenching side, with a bright lemon-lime soda feel. It's drier and not as sweet, perhaps better as an aperitivo or an opener to a meal.

Between the two, I prefer the Rosélinni for its stronger, robust flavour.

Conclusion

It is certainly a novel direction that Perrier is taking with the carbonated water category. With a growing no-lo movement sweeping the globe, Maison Perrier's drinks does offer a convenient, chic and crowd-pleasing alternative to a glass of wine or cocktail, whilst feeling fancy all the same!

Personally, the introduction of these flavoured carbonated waters has really opened my eye to the possibility of good, lightly flavoured 0% bubblies as compared to the status quo of overbearing sodas or sugary beverages. If I had to pick out a favourite, I really am enamoured by the Magnetic Juice Cherry & Peach, with the Rosélinni coming in second. If there's a range I have to recommend, it'll definitely be the Magnetic Juice drinks, however; all of the other sparkling waters have their place in a party, meal or otherwise.

From now till the end of October, Maison Perrier will also be hosting a two-week pop-up at VivoCity Fairprice Xtra. The Grocer Bar at Fairprice Finest Clarke Quay will also be curating a cocktail menu using Maison Perrier products, available from 1st to 31 December 2024.

@vernoncelli