When the waiter asks what kind of water I say "tap," but my other half says "sparkling." Until recently we had been drinking plain filtered tap water at home, but not anymore, now our water sparkles there too. My dad used to buy seltzer water in cans by the case and then by the liter until he got a carbonating machine. He's been raving about it for ages, so when Soda Stream offered me a unit to review I said sure.
Soda Stream sells an entry level soda machine for under $100 and frankly, I can't imagine why you'd buy any other model. It's easy to use, takes up barely any counter space and doesn't even require an electrical outlet. You do have to buy carbonator cartridges, but the cost per liter comes out to only about 20 cents. I'm particularly impressed that the water bottles you get with the machine keep the water very fizzy even after they have been repeatedly opened and closed.
I'm fine with a glass of sparkling water garnished only with a slice of lemon or lime, but if you want to make soda, they also sell various syrups to mix with the water. The soda mixes I tried were too sweet for my taste, but then again, I'm not a soda drinker. If I was going to make soda, I'd use the lovely syrups from Sonoma Syrup.
Having switched to drinking carbonated water I can really see the appeal. Little bubbles just make water even more refreshing somehow. Last year I wrote about cocktails and spirits over at Glam and this year I've been writing on the same subject for Project Foodie. I don't have much experience as a bartender but I think I may start experimenting now that I have soda water on hand...