Soda water is one of the many terms for carbonated water. Other synonyms include club soda, sparkling water, seltzer, or fizzy water. Carbonated water has been around for several decades, and is credited in invention to two people, who independently invented processes for adding carbon dioxide to plain water.

In 1771, Torbern Bergman, a Swedish chemist, found a way to turn plain water into effervescent soda water, similar to the natural effervescence found in spring water. Joseph Priestly, a brewer, has by far the more colorful story of invention. In 1772, Priestly noted that air on top of fermenting beer, beer vat, could be injected into water. It was known beforehand that mice exposed to this air died if they were suspended in it. Despite this knowledge, Priestly decided to flavor water with the air, called and offered it to his friends as a pleasant drink, hopefully strained of any mice. The drink soon became touted as healthful. Priestly later developed a method for using sulfuric acid on chalk to produce carbon dioxide gas and then spreading this to bowls of flat water.

Today soda water in bottles is made by injecting carbon dioxide gas into the bottles under pressurized circumstances. This results in a much fizzier drink, which you should be careful not to shake and then immediately open since it will spray everywhere. In homes people may make their own soda water, now less common, by charging water with carbon dioxide. The result is not quite as fizzy, but still tasty.

Modern trends in making soda water include adding flavors to it without adding sugar, which would then technically make the drink a soda or a pop. This has been popular with people who don’t like the taste of soda water alone, but find they’ll drink plenty of it if it has a little flavor. Some types of carbonated water also contain preservatives or a little sodium. If you’re watching sodium intake, read labels before deciding which brand to buy.

From soda water, we of course get flavored and sweetened soda, and a number of mixed alcoholic drinks. Carbonated water is often added to single alcohols, such as scotch and soda, whiskey and soda, and et cetera. Non-alcoholic drinks can get a bit of pep and fizz from the addition of fizzy water. One great tip for parents if you’d like to cut down on your kids’ juice consumption is to offer them a juice and soda water mix. You can do a half and half mix reducing calories and sugars in the resultant drink.

There has been some concern about the health effects of carbonated water. It is know to slightly increase deterioration of tooth enamel. Concerns about it decreasing bone mass have also been mentioned. There is a causal relationship between soda consumption and lower bone mass, but it has not been proven that soda itself deteriorates bone mass. Rather some suggest that people who drink more soda may drink less milk, reducing their calcium intake. Of course you could resolve this issue by drinking egg creams, a combination of soda, milk and chocolate syrup.