This Good Question comes in to us from Amber, just in time for the beginning of tall, cool drink season:
At the risk of sounding uneducated about bar staples, I'm posing my question to you Kitchn foodies. I'm wondering...What's the difference between tonic water, mineral water, seltzer, carbonated water, and club soda? They all seem like fizzy water alternatives, and they may be identical. But could I, say, make one of those exquisitely refreshing-looking gin and tonics with the mineral water that I keep stashed in the fridge?
Amber, all of these types of fizzy water are indeed quite similar. All of these types, that is, except tonic water. Although its name might lead you to think otherwise, tonic water doesn't taste very "watery" at all. Rather, it has a very strong and distinctively bitter flavor that you'll notice on the very first sip. This bitterness comes from a compound called quinine, which is added to the water base along with some sugar to make a carbonated beverage that happens to be a heavenly match for the juniper-y taste of gin (more on this here). So, to make a long story short, when mixing yourself a gin and tonic, nothing but tonic water will do.
As for the others waters you mentioned...
Soda water, seltzer, carbonated water, club soda, sparkling water, mineral water. Names for fizzy water do tend to get tossed around loosely, and almost interchangeably. But there are some important distinctions to keep in mind:
Carbonated Water
"Carbonated water" is a good umbrella term for all the fizzy waters you mentioned. Club soda, seltzer, and mineral water all get their effervescence from dissolved carbon dioxide.
Mineral Water
Mineral water is water containing dissolved, naturally-occurring minerals (and sometimes fizz-making carbon dioxide), that is drawn and bottled directly from an underground natural source. These dissolved minerals give the water a subtle flavor, and, some believe, impart important health benefits. There are hundreds of different regional waters available on the international market, each with its own distinct mineral profile. Some of the most famous are Perrier and San Pellegrino (which are both naturally carbonated), and Volvic (which is naturally flat). (Note: in order to be labeled "mineral water," as opposed to "spring water," the water must contain at least 250 parts per million (ppm) naturally occurring dissolved mineral solids.)
Uses: Because of its higher price and, well, mineral-y flavor, mineral water is not usually used to make mixed drinks. It is best enjoyed on its own or with a slice of lemon or lime.
Seltzer
Seltzer is plain, unflavored water that has been artificially carbonated. Named after the German town of Niederselters, which is known for its natural springs, seltzer was first marketed in the USA as an affordable domestic alternative to pricey imported mineral waters. Because of the explosive pressure created by the carbonation, seltzer was originally sold in thick glass bottles fitted with metal siphon tops. (If you've seen any old slapstick comedies, you've probably seen these iconic spray bottles in action!) Since then, siphon bottles have mostly gone by the wayside - although there does seem to be a bit of a recent revival. Modern-day "seltzer" is now commonly sold in ordinary plastic soda bottles.
Club Soda
Although it's used almost interchangeably with seltzer, club soda is a slightly different beast. While seltzer is plain carbonated water and nothing but, club soda usually has a few mineral-y ingredients mixed in for added flavor (see the "carbonated water, potassium bicarbonate, potassium sulfate" listed on the label directly above vs. the simple "carbonated water" pictured above that on the seltzer bottle). I tasted a sample of each side by side (both manufactured by the same company, Schweppes) and found that there was indeed a subtle difference. The (sodium-free) club soda I sampled had a very faint baking soda taste that gave it a little extra zip. I found it slightly more refreshing, but the difference was very, very small.
Uses: Both seltzer and club soda are suitable mixers for highball drinks.
Related: How to Make Soda Water at Home
(Images: Nora Maynard)
-Nora Maynard
I've always wondered what the difference is between them, thanks for the clarification!
view ladyofshalott's profile
Perfect post. Just the kind of "kitchen simple" info someone like me whose only cooking skills including opening and heating.
view hmr's profile
Great post. I am a fan of the carbonated water and will be getting my own seltzer maker in a few months. However, I would like to point out tonic water has more than "some sugar" in it. The taste is misleadingly bitter. Twelve ounces of it have 32.2 g of sugar. It has more sugar than some sodas. Don't drink it while thinking it's healthier than using soda as a mixer.
I think the seltzer machines and siphons are making a comeback because people are trying to get away from soda and it's greener. If you use them to make your own soda you have more control over the ingredients. Besides, who wants to haul around all those bottles anyway?
view bleu's profile
We have a carbonator and it has changed our life! It saves money and is environmentally friendly. It also makes us drink a ton more water, which I think has actually changed our health over the last year. We got ours from sodaclub.com, which I recommend strongly (we have the Soda Jet model).
Also, technically you can make tonic water out of soda water if you have one of these machines. We keep their tonic water mix in our fridge and we have an instant bar with soda water and tonic water when friends come over. They have a variety of add-in syrups, and you just mix in a bit once you carbonate a fresh batch of tap water. We don't drink soda, but I keep a few of the sampler packets of cola, sprite-esque mixes in case we have kids or guests at parties that want something other than water.
view lotusmoss's profile
A TASTY tip for fans of mineral water. Jarritos (the mexican soda) bottles it's own mineral water, Mineragua. Srsly, man, srsly, a cold bottle of Mineraqua and a healthy squeeze of lime is heaven. I wil squeeze two or three limes in a smaller glass and add to my water as needed.
Another question - why do all these liquids, with maybe the exception of Mineral water EXPLODE when opening them? If you don't take the friggen 5 minutes to slowly open the bottles, you'll lose half the water and all the carbonation. Is it because there's just less stuff in these liquids when compared to soda - which only overflows when shaken?
view chusmabilly's profile
lotusmoss, we have a seltzer maker too and there are few appliances that have made our lives so much better! My fiance has always had a serious seltzer addiction - he almost only drinks seltzer with lemon and lime and I've come to love it myself, but hauling up two liters of seltzer per day was costly and HEAVY, not to mention a pain to store. The seltzer maker (from Soda Club) has been perfect for us. Oooh, it's so good! And some of the flavor syrups are nice, although I've basically given up soda I love the plain seltzer so much.
view margrietta's profile
hmm, interesting
view Sian's profile
This is SO helpful. I was just wondering this very thing this weekend. I bought some mini-bottles of TJs sparkling water because I'm the only one at home who drinks it so the big bottles go flat before I'm through. But I felt very sheepish about being judged by the cashier for all the plastic.
I am very excited to get a carbonater this summer. I'm sure it's more environmental bottle-wise, but am curious to know whether it's actually frugal. Have to go see what those chargers cost.
view tasterspoon's profile
margrietta, couldn't agree more.
tasterspoon, it's definitely frugal. my carbonator with two CO2 cartridges (to make approx. 220 liters of seltzer) cost $130 (search for online coupons too for up to $30 off...). After that, you just buy the CO2 cartridges, but they last for a long time. As per the SodaClub website, here is the cost breakdown: "After your initial purchase of a home soda maker package, you'll enjoy seltzer and sparkling water in reusable 1-liter PET bottle for just $.20 per liter." Shipping costs add about 2 to 6 cents a liter and flavored syrups more than double the cost per liter (still worlds less expensive than bottled soda at the grocery). Hope that helps!
view lotusmoss's profile
I've never been satisfied with the level of carbonation most siphons put out. And I'm also suspicious of the "green" benefits. I would imagine that the process of extracting and forming the metal for the chargers is not light.
Bottled soda at my grocery is $0.60 per liter including deposit. The chargers I was able to find seemed to all be around $0.50 per charger, which isn't a compelling savings. Sodaclub seemed like more trouble than it was worth.
view Max's profile
It's still better to use a siphon than to throw out so many bottles (especially the plastic ones), IMHO. I'm dying to get one of these. I had to wean myself off of sparkling water because I couldn't dispose of all those bottles in good conscience.
http://www.abreadaday.com
view eprewitt's profile