When carbon dioxide gas has been added to water, it is said to be carbonated; soda water is carbonated water, and sometimes referred to as sparkling water. It is the predominant ingredient of most “soft drinks.”. Carbonic acid results from the process of carbonation, and is better known to us as soda pop.
Soda water, also known as club soda, used to be produced in the home by using a seltzer bottle filled with water and then “charged” with carbon dioxide. Club soda may be the same as plain carbonate water but it can have a small amount of table salts, and sodium trace minerals. These additives may make the taste of home made slightly salty. In some areas the process occurs very naturally and issues in carbonated mineral water.
Sparkling mineral water sometimes causes a little dental decay. The potential problem with sparkling water is greater than “still” water, but the problem is minor. Drinking regular soft drinks can cause a much higher rate of tooth decay than drinking sparkling water. The rate is so low it suggests that carbonation of drinks may, in fact, not be a factor in causing dental decay.
Water coming from the ground – usually from artesian wells – can be filtered among layers of minerals containing forms of carbonates and absorb the carbon dioxide gas released by those carbonates. This water is known as natural sparkling water. Sparkling mineral water results in cases where the filtered water picks up enough different minerals to add a flavor.
Fundamentally, soda water is just water and carbon dioxide. Sparkling mineral water is a carbonation which is naturally-occurring. In the year 1794, a jeweler invented a different kind of device — one to produce artificial carbonated mineral water.
In a taste test of several carbonated drinks, it was determined that Perrier, a sparkling natural mineral water, kept its fizz the longest.
Consumers who believe seltzer to be a bit harsh may find club soda to have a more gentle fizz. Club soda seemed to be milder and a little sweeter, during the taste test, than the standard carbonated water.
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. Not even if flavored at home with flavor for carbonated water.
Tonic water is a type of carbonated drink that contains water, sugar, carbon dioxide and quinine. Quinine’s first use in tonic water was medicinal — as an additive to help cure or prevent malaria. Today it is frequently mixed with gin and lemon or lime to produce an alcoholic drink.
These facts and names are just a few of the ways we refer to soda water.
