Club soda vs Seltzer water... should I care?

(Brian) #1

Just outta curiosity, and thinking some of you might have already been down this road…

Is there anything better or less better about either club soda or seltzer water? I have and use either one but haven’t really done much research on either.

From what I understand, the seltzer water is just carbonated water. But I believe that club soda has some minerals in it. There is no sugar in either, at least not that I’m aware of. (Does it vary by brand?)

Sometimes, I have the desire for a little “drinky” before bed. I know, I shouldn’t be drinking alcohol. Sometimes I’ll give in and have a big glass of either club soda or seltzer water and put a splash of wine or something else in it, mostly for a little flavoring. But sometimes I just do the club soda or seltzer water over ice and call that good. And most of the time, that will satisfy me. (Yeah, I know, I could do plain water, just don’t enjoy that nearly as much.)

So I figured I’d ask, should I be steering towards one or the other for any reason? If I had to pick one for taste, I would probably pick the club soda. But both are enjoyable to me. Or is it a total non-issue?

#2

I don’t know about the benefits or not of either of them but I have a splash of wine (alcohol free for me as I can’t have alcohol) with sparkling water too, cheers!

(KM) #3

I think it’s a total non issue. Commercial club soda may have minerals and usually some table salt in it. We don’t mind salt. Seltzer is just water and carbon dioxide. I have a cheap seltzer maker, cost about $30 and cut the cost and plastic garbage vs. store-bought bottles. The taste is exactly the same, as expected - water and fizz. I usually add lemon juice to mine for a “lemon soda”, but occasionally if I have wine or a mixed drink I’ll cut it with seltzer.

#4

Both the same thing really minus the addl minerals, then theirs Tonic Water which is the same as those, but with the addition of quinine. Tastes a little weird, but usually only used in mixed drinks.

(KM) #5

Tonic water has as much sugar in it as Coke. Seltzer and club soda have no sugar or calories.

(Brian) #6

Thanks, kinda as I thought but I appreciate the comments as I have been known to miss stuff from time to time. :slight_smile:

Yeah, we have some tonic water around (diet, maybe?) but I keep that for medicinal purposes. It’s a little too bitter for me to just enjoy as a nightcap. I think I got that as part of a “covid preventative” kind of thing back when that was way more of a thing.

(Peter - Don't Fear the Fat ) #7

I love the Sodastream. You can choose your water and add electrolytes etc if you wish.
I make my own electrolytes (LMNT recipe) and the carbonated water seems to help it mix better.

(Brian) #8

I gotta look into a SodaStream. Have never even seen one but it doesn’t look like they’re expensive and I think I’d get some good use out of it. I like the idea of being able to add specific things (electrolytes) and not just questionable flavorings (I’m sure I’ll learn more about what their flavorings are and where they come from, and whether I should avoid them). Time for some YouTube videos. :smiley:

(Brian) #9

BTW… thank you all for the comments! Hope it wasn’t too silly of a question. :slight_smile:

(KM) #10

I got this one. It didn’t get the best reviews but I’m not sure why, it seems to work just as well as the $200 ones. You can use sodastream cartridges in it, which you can get refills for at Target for $17. A cartridge lasts me about 3-4 months of perhaps 3 liters of soda a week. (which is not as much as they claim you’ll get out of a cartridge, maybe that was the problem, but still much more convenient and inexpensive than $1 liter plastic bottles).

(Peter - Don't Fear the Fat ) #11

They are not too expensive though there are some posh ones availablr.
In the UK you can return the empty cylinders which makes for good value.

(Judy Thompson) #12

I make my own club soda in the Sodastream and I love it (also plain seltzer). The club soda recipe is ⅛tsp baking soda and a pinch of salt per pint of cold water. (I use a splash of vodka and a squeeze of lime in mine.) Varying the amount of soda and salt changes the flavor a bit, kind of a fun sideline to it.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #13

They are both carbonated water. Club soda contains some salt; Seltzer water does not.

To me, they taste the same, so I buy whicher is cheaper.

We had an old-style siphon when I was a kid, which carbonated the water as you spritzed it into the glass; with a Sodastream, you carbonate an entire litre of water at once.

(Brian) #14

Thanks. :slight_smile:

I’m now down the bunny trail of SodaStream vs Sparkel… LOL!!

(Ethan) #15

I just got 2 carbonators yesterday. I got the soda stream for a birthday present 2 years ago, I had never heard of it before.

I usually add a slice of lime to it.

(Pete A) #16

No

(Brian) #17

I looked at a bunch of YouTube videos. I looked at soda makers on Amazon. And today I went to the grocery store. Trying to decide if it’s really worth buying a soda maker.

Bought 1L bottles of club soda today for $1 and a 2L bottle of seltzer water for under $2. At that price, it’s hard to justify my own machine. Dunno. Still mullin’ it over. I like toys. :slight_smile: But… do I actually NEED it? Still decidin’…

(KM) #18

Oh, just get overzealous about something else. I wouldn’t be without mine because I’m anti plastic. All those not really recycled bottles, all that #2 plastic leaching into my drinks … Of Course I need a soda maker! :smirk:

(Ethan) #19

I’ll point out -

When you get those plastic bottles of seltzer you’re also getting all the PCBs that leach in.

It’s a nuisance to have to buy them and recycle them all the time.

You can make the seltzer as strong or weak as you want by hitting a couple of extra sprays.

It does come out cheaper in the longer term

So I’d say Go For It

#20

I love mine but have to admit I should use it more. I love my gadgets too :grin: