A soft drink is a beverage, often carbonated, that does not contain alcohol. (Carbonated soft drinks are more commonly known as pop, tonic, soda, or soda pop in parts of the United States and Canada, or fizzy drinks in the U.K.; sometimes called minerals in Ireland) The name "soft drink" specifies a lack of alcohol by way of contrast to the term "hard drink". The term "drink", while nominally neutral, often carries connotations of alcoholic content. Beverages like colas, sparkling water, iced tea, lemonade, squash, and fruit punch are among the most common types of soft drinks, while hot chocolate, hot tea, coffee, milk, tap water, alcohol, and milkshakes do not fall into this classification. Many carbonated soft drinks are optionally available in versions sweetened with sugars or with non-caloric sweeteners.
