TIP OF THE DAY: Homemade Flavored Seltzer
[1] Homemade raspberry seltzer (photo © Spoonful Of Flour). |
If you like flavored seltzer, here’s how to make an even more flavorful version of it, courtesy of the North American Raspberry and Blackberry Commission. The inspiration came from fruit grower Cheryl Ferguson of Plum Granny Farm in King, North Carolina.
You can use fresh or frozen and leave the drink unsweetened, like commercial flavored seltzer. Or, add sugar to turn it into…soda pop. You can use different fruits; although tender berries dissolve the most easily into syrup. Ingredients
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Preparation 1. BOIL water. If using sweetener, add the sugar and stir to dissolve. 2. ADD raspberries and stir. Cook 3 to 5 minutes. Strain out seeds or purée as desired. Let cool (store in the fridge in a closed container). 3. MAKE drink: Add 2-3 tablespoons of raspberry syrup to a glass (more if desired). Add cold seltzer water and optional lemon or lime juice. Stir gently and serve straight up, or over ice. |
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THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CLUB SODA & SELTZER Any effervescent water belongs to the category of carbonated water, also called soda water: water into which carbon dioxide gas under pressure has been dissolved, causing the water to become effervescent. The carbon dioxide can be natural, as in some spring waters and mineral waters, or can be added in the bottling process. (In fact, even some naturally carbonated waters are enhanced with more carbonation at the bottling plant.) Carbonated Water In the U.S., carbonated water was known as soda water until after World War II, due to the sodium salts it contained. While today we think of “soda” as a carbonated beverage, the word originally refers to a chemical salts, also called carbonate of soda (sodium carbonate, sodium hydroxide, sodium monoxide). The salts were added as flavoring and acidity regulator, to mimic the taste of a natural mineral water. After the war, terms such as sparkling water and seltzer water gained favor. |
[2] No time to make your own flavored seltzer? Just toss in fresh fruit. It will infuse very slightly (photo © Polar Seltzer). |
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Except for sparkling mineral water, all carbonated water/soda water is made from municipal water supplies (tap water). Carbonated water was invented in Leeds, England in 1767 by British chemist Joseph Priestley, who discovered how to infuse water with carbon dioxide by suspending a bowl of water above a beer vat at a local brewery. Carbonated water changed the way people drank liquor, which had been neat, providing a “mixer” to dilute the alcohol. Club Soda Like the original carbonated water, club soda is enhanced with some sodium salts. Fizzy Water Another term for carbonated water. Seltzer or Seltzer Water Seltzer is carbonated water with no sodium salts added. The term derives from the town of Selters in central Germany, which is renowned for its mineral springs. The naturally carbonated spring water—which contains naturally dissolved salts—has been commercially bottled and shipped around the world since at least the 18th century. When seltzer is made by carbonating tap water, some salts are added for the slightest hint of flavor. And that’s the difference between seltzer and club soda: Club soda is salt-free. Soda Water Another word for club soda. It usually refers to that which is dispensed with a siphon. Sparkling Water Another term for carbonated water/soda water. It can also refer to sparkling mineral water, which is pumped from underground aquifers. Note that not all sparkling mineral waters are naturally effervescent. Many are actually carbonated from still mineral water. Some are lightly carbonated by nature, but have extra carbonation added at bottling to meet consumer preferences. Two Cents Plain Another word for soda water, coined during the Great Depression, when plain soda water was the cheapest drink at the soda fountain. Check out our Water Glossary for the different types of water, including the difference between mineral water and spring water.
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