Later versions were make that could add concentrates to create carbonate flavor drinks which were popular in the ‘70s and ‘80s when there were different concentrated syrups available. This company then merged with Soda-Club and relaunched as a way to make health drinks for kids.
The SodaStream drink maker is a small device that forces carbon dioxide into water, making it have a taste like soda pop. The system includes a machine, a canister of carbon dioxide, and reusable beverage bottles (suitable for pressurizing). The bottle, when filled with water, is screwed on to the machine, and with a push of the button ejects compressed CO2 from a canister into the bottle, making sparkling water (also called seltzer). There are a number of favors which can be used to create regular soft drinks by adding a tiny amount to the bottle of water that has been carbonated. When the canister is out of CO2, you return it to the market and purchase a new one.
With so many types of concentrate, different and unique flavors of soft drinks can be made. In the days when the systems were most popular, many well-known brands were available for SodaStream in the concentrate – such as Fants, and Sunkist.
MilkStream, a variation of the SodaStream, was created for making milkshakes. By combining ice cream, milk and Crusha syrup in a glass, inserting the machine with an extended wand into the glass, and a frothy, delicious milkshake was made.
The very first machines made were rather large were sold to upper classes of London, including the royal household. There were flavors with odd names, one being the famous sarsaparilla introduced in the 1920s, as well as commercial carbonation machines. The first machine for home carbonation was produced in 1955.
The popularity of the SodaStream during the 70s and 80s in the UK and presently are associated with nostalgia for those periods of time. The advertising jingle in 1970 was “get busy with the fizzy” and was so very popular, that the slogan was added to their logo. It was finally dropped in 1996 after 17 years.
Commercially successful, there was a perception by some that the soft drinks made by these machines were a poor version of the commercial counterparts. One of the differences noticed was that in addition to slightly different flavors of the produced drink, the bubbles made by SodaStreams are larger and shorter-lived.