Seltzer vs Club Soda vs Tonic Water vs Sparkling Water

All four of the waters in the title are carbonated, but they vary based on how they are made and used. You may feel like they are all different, but you might not know why. Using the tips below will help enlighten you as you make drinks at home, make drinks for friends, and use carbonated water to manage your health. Each of these waters can be useful to you so long as you use them properly.

What Is Club Soda?

Club Soda is a carbonated water drink that has been infused with minerals. The water is carbonated using a simple burst of CO2. The gas will dissipate when you open the bottle or can, and the minerals are added before the drink is carbonated.

You can taste the distinct flavor of club soda because you will notice all the minerals that are in the water. However, you might not know what sort of minerals are in the water.

Minerals added to club soda include:

Potassium sulfate
Sodium chloride
Disodium phosphate
Sodium bicarbonate

Every company adds its own minerals in different amounts. However, one of the big draws of club soda is that it has a slightly salty taste. You could add club soda to a drink instead of using a salt rim, or the club soda could help cut into the sweetness of a drink you are making.

You might feel like drinking these drinks will help you stay hydrated, but you need to b careful about which waters you are drinking every day. All four are compared below so that you know what you are getting.

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What Is Seltzer Water?

Seltzer water actually started in Germany where naturally carbonated springs were used to bottle and sell the water. This concept was brought to America with the millions of immigrants who traveled out of Europe. This is why seltzer water is used in mixed drinks.

Seltzer water and club soda are very similar. However, seltzer water does not have any added minerals. This means that you do not get the distinct taste that you would get from a club soda. You get the true taste of water, and you can use seltzer water when you are making mixed drinks because a lot of people cannot tell the difference.

Plus, you can drink seltzer water to ensure that you are hydrated. The carbonation does not ruin the health benefits of the water, and you may enjoy drinking seltzer water because it has the sparkling feeling that you like in your mouth. This might be the best way for you to ensure that you are healthy. This is the only water on this list that does not have extra minerals.

While this is not a major concern, some of the minerals in your waters could start to form kidney stones if you are drinking mineral water constantly. This is why you might want to drink mineral water occasionally while you can drink seltzer water every day to keep water in your body.

Sparkling Mineral Water

Sparkling mineral water is naturally carbonated. This means that it comes from a spring that already carbonates the water based on natural processes that are happening underground. This is much like what the Germans were selling when they came up with seltzer water, but sparkling mineral water must note the source on the packaging.

You typically get a combination of minerals that might include sodium, magnesium, and calcium. These minerals depend entirely on where the water came from, and you might want to search for the mineral waters that you think taste the best. Also, mineral water must contain up to 250 parts per million of dissolved solids. This means that the water is filled with minerals in a way that other waters may not be.

For example, there is not a limit on how club soda is infused.

You may also notice that your favorite mineral water has more carbonation in it than you thought. Some of these bottlers prefer to add more carbonation to each bottle before it is sold. They may like the taste, but they want you to have the bubbles when you open the bottle or can.

What Is Tonic Water?

Tonic water sounds like something that a salesman in a cartoon sells to people to help them get healthy overnight. However, it is much more complex than anything your favorite snake-oil selling carton sells. Tonic water is made up of odd ingredients that might be confusing if you are new to these drinks.

Club soda and tonic water are the same in that they both contain minerals. However, tonic water also contains quinine. You might have heard of quinine without knowing what it is. This is a mineral that comes from the bark for the cinchona tree. This means that tonic water has been flavored specifically to have a slightly bitter taste.

Tonic Water was very popular in Africa during malaria outbreaks because older tonic waters contained massive amounts of quinine. The drink is not used for that purpose today, and that is why it has had sugar added to it to make it a bit more palatable.

You could make an aperitif out of a tonic water, or you could use tonic water to help yourself wake up in the morning because it is so strong. Plus, it works very well in mixed drinks that contain gin or vodka.

Are They Healthy?

You cannot get healthy just by drinking these waters. Yes, they have minerals in them, but they do not have many nutrients. This is why club soda or tonic water is not marketed as a health drink. You may enjoy drinking these waters to get hydrated, but you will not magically cure any mineral deficiency that you have.

Plus, you should make sure that you avoid tonic water as much as you can. You do not need the sugar in tonic water, and you should confine it to mixed drinks or extremes situations where you need some water. You can drink mineral water every day with no trouble, and you could do the same with sparkling water. However, you need to like the taste.

In the end, only seltzer water is truly healthy. This product will give you the water that you need, but it will not continue to add minerals to your body that are not necessary.

How Do You Get The Right Taste?

Club soda has minerals that were chosen by the manufacturer. These companies are very consistent, and the brands that you do not like will never suit your palette. Make sure that you have tried several club sodas until you come to a conclusion

You can try sparkling mineral water if you think that might be better, Nd you could go for seltzer water if you want a pure water taste. Everyone is different, and that is why you need to sample all these waters before you start drinking them every day.

Remember that tonic water has quinine that will give it a bitter taste that you cannot shake. No form of tonic water will taste nice because they are designed to be a bit bitter. Tonic water might help you get over a sickness, but you will not want to drink it every day. Tonic water has too much sugar for daily consumption. However, you might choose to mix your tonic water with your seltzer water.

Also, you can avoid any flavor by drinking seltzer water. You will discover that seltzer water is very easy to drink because it is made from pure water and carbonated. This is a great way for you to add water to your diet, and you could even serve seltzer water with dinner every night.

One More Thing About Carbonated Water

While you can use these different waters to remain hydrated, you need to leave tonic water at home. It is the only water on the list that has calories, and it has sugar that you likely do not need. You can continue drinking sparkling water, club soda, or seltzer water if you like the sensation. These are good substitutes for soda drinks, and you can change your lifestyle when you start buying carbonated waters instead.

If you are serious about using the right waters, you should keep all these waters in the house because they are all different. Some of these waters can be used to mix drinks, and others will help you stay hydrated.