Soda Water Made Simple
Soda water, or carbonated water, is also referred to as sparkling water, and is plain water to which carbon dioxide gas has been added. It is the predominant ingredient of most “soft drinks.”. The carbonation process forms carbonic acid, which is soda pop.
If one takes a seltzer bottle filled with water and then “charges” it with carbon dioxide, the result is club soda — or, soda water. Club soda is often the same as plain carbonated water; sometimes, however, there may possibly be a small amount of table salts and/or sodium trace minerals. Such additives could possibly make the taste of home made soda water a bit salty. Carbonated mineral water often results from the process, which occurs naturally in many areas.
A little dental decay may sometimes be caused by sparkling mineral water. Sparkling water’s potential affects on dental problems are somewhat greater than with normal water, but not dramatically so. Tooth decay occurs at a much higher rate for users of regular soft drinks versus users of sparkling water. The rate is so low that carbonated drinks may be a much smaller factor in dental decay than commonly believed.
Water coming from the ground – usually from artesian wells – can be filtered among layers of minerals containing some form of carbonates and absorb the carbon dioxide gas released by the carbonates. What’s it called? Natural sparkling water. When the water also picks up enough different minerals to add a flavor to the water it becomes sparkling mineral water.
There’s no mystery about soda water — it’s just water and carbon dioxide. You are probably familiar with sparkling mineral water — a naturally-occuring result of carbonation. In 1794, a device to produce an artificial carbonated mineral water was made by a jeweler.
Several carbonated drinks were subjected to a taste test, and it was found that Perrier, a sparkling natural mineral water, kept its fizz the longest.
For consumers who believe seltzer to be a bit harsh, club soda has a gentle fizz. During the taste test, club soda seemed to be milder, as well as a little sweeter, than standard carbonated water.
Because club soda, sparkling mineral water, seltzer, and carbonated water do not have any calories, this makes them a dieter’s choice over soda pop and tonic water.
Tonic water is a type of carbonate drink; it contains water, sugar, carbon dioxide and quinine. Originally, to help cure or prevent malaria, quinine was used as an additive to tonic water. Today it is often mixed with gin and lemon or lime to create an alcoholic drink.
These are but a few of the interesting facts about soda water.