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Seltzer, Sparkling Water & Club Soda


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All,

I come to the forum of drinking experts to pose a question for which I don't have an answer. What distinguishes seltzer from club soda from sparkling water? Is it carbonation methods? Sodium content?

The only thing I know is that they are not necessarily substitutes for each other when making things like spritzers.

Thanks!

Nancy

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All,

I come to the forum of drinking experts to pose a question for which I don't have an answer. What distinguishes seltzer from club soda from sparkling water? Is it carbonation methods? Sodium content?

The only thing I know is that they are not necessarily substitutes for each other when making things like spritzers.

Thanks!

Nancy

I typed 'What is selzter water?' into Google and got this information.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbonated_water

http://www.epicurious.com/cooking/how_to/f...y/entry?id=4505

http://www.answers.com/topic/seltzer-water

And some info on club soda.

http://www.webtender.com/db/ingred/130

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What distinguishes seltzer from club soda from sparkling water?
Seltzer and club soda are the same thing (filtered water with CO2 added) except that club soda has minerals added to it. I drink a lot of mineral water and club soda, and as far as my tongue can tell, club soda and seltzer have bigger bubbles than sparkling mineral water like Pellegrino, Saratoga, etc.

My drink of the summer has been club soda with this fabulous Stirrings grapefruit margarita mixer/juice/stuff that I got from Whole Paycheck. YUM!

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I too am a fan of Gerolsteiner, but lately I've been buying the 365 Brand Italian Sparkling Mineral Water at Whole Food. It's a good deal, moneywise, at .99 per bottle and it comes in a convenient 6 pack. I drink a a couple of bottle of the stuff a day, so I try not wo go crazy and buy water at 3 bucks a pop, as even though I really like it, I still hate paying for water. I'm a tap water guy if I'm not drinking bubbles.

But, for my money, I would rather drink Swill. It's getting pretty hard to find these days. Those pesky environmentalists cleaned up the lake and ruined the source, I guess.

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Thank you MDT... last night I looked at the wiki entry you sited and it was not clear. I thought the experts on the DR.com website might be able to explain the difference better.
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The Looza fruit nectars are really good with sparkly water-- especially pear!
I like the black currant juice with sparkly water. CCC is right, the 365 brand stuff is pretty good, and very reasonably priced compared to Perrier or Pellegrino.

I never knew what the difference was between seltzer and club soda. Looks like the answer is "not much."

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I never knew what the difference was between seltzer and club soda. Looks like the answer is "not much."
I thought that soda water tended to have more sodium than seltzer, but that may also vary by brand.
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The whole club soda/seltzer issue is fraught with peril. It's a good idea to know your bubbly waters. I'm in the trade and I sell this stuff every day and it can still be difficult for me to explain it to people properly.

From what I understand, "club soda" has a certain degree of sodium in it, of one sort or another, which makes sense, since I believe the term "club soda" comes from the older term, "bicarbonate of soda" or as our grandparents probably referred to it, "sodium bicarb". Seltzer, I believe, does not contain any sodium, but I could be wrong about that.

One thing that seems to me is a relic of a bygone era is the seltzer bottle (anyone who's ever seen more than one Three Stooges film, or the Marx Brothers or any other film comedians of that era have seen the great comedic potential of the seltzer bottle) I know that they are still in use today, but much more limited, since the availability of bottled sparkling water is so widespread

As for bottled sparkling waters, that's an even bigger minefield. Some are naturally sparkling mineral waters, others are just still waters which have been impregnated with carbonated gas. Perrier, I've been told, actually has the natural carbonation removed and then reintroduced (!!).

I wish I had a vendor for Gerolsteiner. It's great water. I buy it for myself from time to time at Trader Joe's at Tysons. Last time I looked, it was $0.99 per 750ml by the case. I also wish that there was a legitimate supplier for Badoit water from France. It's the best sparkling mineral water I've ever had. My go-to bottled bubbly water is Highland Spring, from Scotland, or Saratoga, from New York.

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The World Market near me is currently featuring Gerolsteiner for $1.49 for 1 liter bottles. Really good stuff. Spent the better part of the afternoon sitting out back reading with a bottle of this and a bunch of lime wedges.

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At Manresa in July, I started off with a lavender soda from the Dry Soda Company. Dry but not actually bitter, floral without being strongly herbal, I found it to be absolutely delicious, as was the rhubarb version. Tight carbonation. Still a West Coast phenomenon (evidently also served at Gary Danko); some enterprising soul needs to start bringing this stuff here...or producing a knock-off.

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At Manresa in July, I started off with a lavender soda from the Dry Soda Company. Dry but not actually bitter, floral without being strongly herbal, I found it to be absolutely delicious, as was the rhubarb version. Tight carbonation. Still a West Coast phenomenon (evidently also served at Gary Danko); some enterprising soul needs to start bringing this stuff here...or producing a knock-off.

the real question is,,, what is the difference between, tonic water, club soda, spring water and mineral water.. hint none of them are the same in any way :angry:

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