Sparkling Water
Sparkling water sounds like something shiny and bright and certainly too hard to make. Some refer to carbonated water as sparkiling water, others as seltzer water. But it is just plain ole’ water to which carbon dioxide gas has been added. This is the preeminent 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 is not always mineral water, although it is considered by most people to be just that; specifically, 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.
The process of carbonating water began sometime in the 1800’s. Some brewer discovered 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 then form. It is no secret that shaking, and then opening, a bottle of sparkling water will make a considerable mess as the water sprays out of the bottle. Of course, this also happens with soda pop.
Soda gets its fizz from this same process. Recently, a discovery was made by (one assumes) some kids with nothing else to do. Some mischievous person mixed Mentos breath mints with the aspartame from a diet soda. This caused the CO2 to react violently and rapidly shoot straight up out of the bottle until all the fluid is gone. This little experiment may impress the kids, but it ’s very messy, so I would advise not to do it. Instead, if you visit YouTube you can find hundreds of videos of others doing it – often in some very creative ways.
Sparkling water was once used as a cure for stomach maladies. However, now most doctors recommend that people with acid reflux or other chronic stomach complaints avoid sparkling water. Nevertheless, it is helpful in calming nausea.
Sparkling water can also be home made in a reusable seltzer bottle; it is filled with water and then infused with carbon dioxide. A large assortment of calorie free flavors to flavor sparkling water to great taste is sold at allfreightfree.com.
Some sparkling waters originate from sources that produce natural carbonation. One brand of sparkling mineral water has 100% carbonic acid from the source; this means that no CO2 is added to the water. This certain brand comes from a region noted for volcanic activity. Owing to the fact that the magma gives off carbon dioxide, the water there is rich in minerals. This combines with the water and increases the solubility of minerals. A naturally carbonated 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 refreshing and calorie free drinks.
Tags: Acid Reflux, Aspartame, Breath Mints, Bubbles, Carbon Dioxide Gas, carbonated water, Diet Soda, Fermenting Beer, Maladies, mineral water, Minerals, Passing Water, Pop Soda, seltzer water, Soda Maker, Soda Pop, Soft Drinks, sparkling water, Stomach, Water Sounds, Water Sprays