Soda water
Also called club soda, seltzer, sparkling water, carbonated water
Plain carbonated water, used to lengthen and lift spirits and aperitivi in highballs, fizzes, collinses and the Spritz. Club soda adds a touch of minerals; seltzer is pure carbonated water. Colder and fresher means more fizz: open small bottles to order and pour down the side of the glass.
- clean
- mineral in club soda
- sharp carbonation
- faint sweetness from bicarbonate
- neutral
Origin
Joseph Priestley found a way to carbonate water in 1767 while living beside a Leeds brewery, and Johann Jacob Schweppe founded Schweppes in 1783 to bottle it commercially. Club soda carries added minerals such as sodium bicarbonate, seltzer (named for the German springs at Selters) is plain carbonated water, and both hold more gas when very cold. The 19th century soda fountain and the whisky and soda made it the universal lengthener, and the highball, the Collins and the Mojito all rest on it.
Production and safety
Keep bottles refrigerated and unopened until service; carbonation drops fast once opened and in warm glassware. Pour slowly down the inside of the glass and stir once, if at all. Club soda contains a small amount of sodium.
Allergens: None
Common uses
- japanese-highball
- mojito
- aperol-spritz
- singapore-sling
- Tom Collins
- Americano
Pours that use it
- International
Aperol Spritz
The Veneto's orange aperitivo, poured three, two, one
Italy's aperitivo-hour spritz: prosecco, Aperol and soda water built over ice in a wine glass with an orange slice, in the 3-2-1 proportion.
LiqueurBuiltEasy - International
Japanese Highball
Whisky and soda, built with care over clear ice
Japanese whisky and chilled soda water built over large clear ice in a frosted highball glass, at roughly one part whisky to three or four parts soda, with an optional lemon peel.
WhiskeyBuiltEasy - International
Mojito
Havana's mint and lime highball, pressed not pulverized
Cuba's mint and lime highball: white rum, fresh lime, sugar or syrup and gently pressed mint, built over ice and topped with soda water.
RumMuddledIntermediate - International
Singapore Sling
The rose-colored long drink of the Long Bar
A tall, fruit-forward gin sling from Singapore's Raffles Hotel: gin, cherry liqueur, Benedictine, orange liqueur, pineapple, lime, grenadine and bitters, shaken and served over ice.
GinShakenIntermediate
Sources
- Carbonated water (Wikipedia), Wikipedia · tertiary source, retrieved 2026-10-11
- Joseph Priestley (scientific biography), Science History Institute · secondary source, retrieved 2026-10-11