Ep. 129 "Cool. Clean. Seltzer"

That's right, you read right- we’re going to dive deep into the depths of our favorite carbonated liquid and bit of its history. This one is bubbling with referecnes everyone, on this minreal infused edition of the Bellingham Podcast.

Sparkling water (the differences) (https://skillet.lifehacker.com/the-difference-between-club-soda-seltzer-and-sparkling-1787683786) - from Lifehacker’s Skillet section

* *Club Soda:* Club soda is plain water with added minerals and dissolved solids, usually sodium bicarbonate, sodium citrate, disodium phosphate, and—less commonly—plain ol’ sodium chloride. The carbonation in is added, rather than naturally occurring, and the taste can range from practically flavorless to slightly salty or bitter. Its lack of strong flavor makes it a good choice for adding some effervescence to cocktails, lemonade, or juice.
* *Seltzer (Sparkling Water): *Seltzer is just plain water that has been carbonated, but is (usually) lacking in minerals. Some varieties are flavored with fruit “essence” and oils, and are meant to be enjoyed on their own. Though they lack the slight mineral bite of club soda, they make a pretty good cocktail, especially if you just want to add a tad of flavor by way of pamplemousse or some other fruit oil. [ CP - named for the town of Seltsers, Germany. From the Science History Institute Podcast episode: The Unnatural History of a Carbonated Drink (https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/podcast/fizzy-water). ]
* *Sparkling Mineral Water:* Sparkling mineral water usually comes from a natural spring or well, and can be naturally carbonated, depending on the source. As its name would suggest, there are some minerals in there, though the type and amount of dissolved solids vary from brand to brand. Mineral water is usually best enjoyed on its own, as the flavor imparted by all the minerals (such as magnesium, potassium, and calcium) can be distracting in a cocktail.
* Tonic Water


*Spa towns and Niederseltzers*

What are we drinking? - Get to Know Your Sparkling water choices

1783: Scheweppes- watchmaker...and bubble entrepenuer: Founded in Geneva then 10 years later moved to Londo https://www.schweppesus.com/
San Pellegrino - 120 years old https://www.sanpellegrino.com/us/en

Perrier - 150 years old https://www.perrier.com/us/

* A French brand of natural bottled (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bottled_water) mineral water (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mineral_water) captured at the source in Vergèze (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verg%C3%A8ze), located in the Gard (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gard) département (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%A9partement). Perrier is best known for its naturally occurring carbonation, distinctive green bottle, and higher levels of carbonation than its peers.

La Croix - The anti-Perrier?
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Croix_Sparkling_Water. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Croix_Sparkling_Water)In 1981 the G. Heileman Brewing Company of La Crosse, Wisconsin, introduced LaCroix as one of the first "Anti-Perrier" brands. Meant to appeal to sparkling water consumers who were put off by Perrier's "snobbish positioning", LaCroix marketed to its niche by imaging itself as an "all occasion" beverage. In spring of 2015, with sugary soda sales plummeting to a 30-year low in the US, National Beverage saw an opportunity to expand their consumer base, subsequently launching a marketing campaign for the beverage on social media, specifically targeting millennials.Their marketing efforts have since helped position LaCroix with mainstream news outlets as a healthier alternative to sugary soda, as well as a mixer for popular cocktails.

Bubly Sparkling Water (https://www.bubly.com/#/) - a PepsiCo company. Be prepared for a Michael Buble-infused, colorful, ADHD website.

Canada Dry Sparkling Seltzer Water (https://www.canadadry.com/products/sparkling_seltzer_water) - FYI, made in Canada since 1904. Best known for its Ginger Ale. “The champagne of soda.”

Dasani Sparkling (https://www.dasani.com/products/sparkling/) - a Coca Cola company. Fourteen flavors available.

Spindrift (https://spindriftfresh.com/) - Founded in 2010, 5-8% real fruit juice in every can instead of “natural flavors.” Small company with 99 employees.

VOSS (https://vosswater.com/)- was conceived back in 1998 by childhood friends, Ole Christian Sandberg and Christopher Harlem. They started out as a venture that purchased a small *water* company in Vatnestrøm, Norway

*



*AJ’s Desert Island Fizzy Companion: *

*Chris’ Desert Island Fizzy Companion:* A berry-flavored sparkling/seltzer beverage, but he leans towards Raspberry Bubly.


Beverage Hacking

Some SodaStream owners hook up a heavy carbon dioxide tank (https://www.wsj.com/articles/want-even-cheaper-seltzer-some-fanatics-hack-their-sodastream-machines-1537458688) (think welding) or a paintball canister (https://www.wired.com/2016/03/sodamod/) to their SodaStream instead of the original gas canisters. “...per-bottle cost is roughly 25 cents per liter of carbonated water. It's much cheaper than supermarket seltzer, and it involves less worry about the environmental costs of making plastic and glass bottles and shipping them around the world.” “When I refill my two new tanks, it costs $10 instead of $45, and I've got some nice, cheap fizz on tap.”

Home Carbonation Setup for Unlimited Seltzer (https://www.instructables.com/id/Home-carbonation-setup-for-unlimited-seltzer/) - A DIY recipe from Instructables.com (http://instructables.com/) that only costs $1,000. Take a $150 little bar fridge modified with beer tower/faucets and a reverse osmosis system. #YouDoTheMath

Or drop $100 on a Drinkmate Carbonation Maker (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018K1C3KK?tag=thewire06-20&linkCode=xm2&ascsubtag=AwEAAAAAAAAAAXCx) on that online website marketplace.


Deep Dive into bubbly Learning

The Origins of Soda Water (https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/history/origins-soda-water) - 1874, Joseph Priestley's home in Leeds happened to be next to a brewery which gave off plenty of vapors. He became interested in these "airs" as he called them, particularly in the one that was responsible for the bubbles in beer. This "fixed air" he recognized as the same gas that made certain naturally occurring spring waters effervescent. Priestley combined sulfuric acid and chalk to form carbon dioxide, although he of course did not recognize the gas. He collected the gas in a pig's bladder and found a way to use it to carbonate water. He was awarded the Royal Society's prestigious Copley Medal for his publication on "Directions for Impregnating water with Fixed Air." Soda water, as the fizzy stuff was called, became very popular. But John Nooth, a Scottish physician, complained that the use of a pig bladder imparted an off flavour to the water, and to solve the problem, developed a glass apparatus for carbonating water. This found widespread use in shops and homes. The soda boom had begun.

2018 Quartz piece on How Seltzer took over America
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrJrq4-Jn4Y&t=1s

BUBBLES IN THE BUBBLE https://qz.com/1364156/the-only-people-more-obsessed-with-sparkling-water-than-millennials-are-venture-capitalists/ “The only people more obsessed with sparkling water than millennials are venture capitalists“

2017 Bon Appétit (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbpMy0Fg74eXXkvxJrtEn3w)’s Brooklyn's Last Seltzer Men | I Got a Guy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agAkMbk20y4
A century ago, New Yorkers got their fizzy water from the thousands of seltzer men that delivered to the five boroughs. Alex Gomberg is a fourth generation seltzer man and, as Brooklyn's youngest, he's trying to keep the business alive.

2016 Great Big Story’s The Last of the Seltzermen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6xDt2RwR7Y
Gomberg Seltzer Works is the last seltzer company in New York City. It's been around since 1953, fills up 3,000 bottles and has seltzer deliverymen attend to their customers in the New York area. There are eight seltzer men at Gomberg, who are all pretty entering old age. This is a story about the remaining few dedicated to the craft of old fashion seltzer.


Find us on the Web

AJ: ajbarse.com (http://ajbarse.com/)
Chris: chrispowell.co (http://chrispowell.co/)


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