Sparkling water sounds like something shiny and bright and much too hard to make. Sparkling water is sometimes called carbonated water, and also seltzer water. But it is just plain ole’ water which carbon dioxide gas has been added. This is the major component of soft drinks. This process of adding carbon dioxide gas forms carbonic acid and gives all these drinks, including soft drinks, their fizzy taste.
Sparkling water which is not always mineral water is considered by most people to be just that; but mineral water is classified as water containing more than 250 parts per million of dissolved minerals. So, some mineral water can be classified sparkling water when carbonated, but not all sparkling water can be called mineral water.
This process of carbonating water began sometime in the 1800’s. A brewer made the discovery that when passing water over fermenting beer a very interesting taste was made.
Today, pressurized CO2 is put into bottles, or can be made with a soda maker at home or in bars and restaurants. When the bottle is open, and the pressure is released, bubbles form. So if anyone opens up a shaken bottle of sparkling water, the water will make a considerable mess as it sprays out of the bottle. This also happens with soda pop.
Soda gets its fizz from the same process. A recent discovery was made by (I would assume) some kids with nothing else to do. Someone mixed Mentos breath mints with the aspartame from a diet soda. This caused the CO2 to react violently and shot straight up rapidly out of the bottle until all the fluid is gone. This little experiment may impress the kids, but it is a bit messy, so I would advise not to do it. Instead, go to YouTube and you can find hundreds of videos of others doing it – often in some very creative ways.
Sparkling water was once used as a drink to cure stomach problems. However, now most doctors recommend that people with acid reflux or any other chronic stomach problems avoid sparkling water. Although, it is helpful in calming nausea.
Sparkling water can also be home made in a reusable seltzer bottle by filling it with water and then adding carbon dioxide. A large assortment of calorie free flavors to flavor sparkling water to great taste is sold at https://allfreightfree.com.
There are sparkling waters from sources that cause natural carbonation. There is a brand of sparkling mineral water with 100% carbonic acid from the source which means that no CO2 is added to the water. This brand comes from an area with volcanic activity. The water there is rich in minerals, as the magma gives off carbon dioxide. This combines with the water and increases the solubility of minerals. This naturally carbonate sparkling water is the result and is considered quite delicious and is also very famous.
So now you know everything you wanted to know about sparkling water and how to make this refreshing and calorie free drink.