Club Soda vs Tonic Water
Bubbly, fizzy water is enjoyed by people all around the world and is used for various purposes. Club soda and tonic water are two types of water that can cause confusion due to their similarities. This article will take a closer look at these two types of carbonated water based on their features to clear up any doubts.
Club Soda
Club soda is water that has carbon dioxide added to it at high pressure. Sometimes, sodium salts are also added to this water. The process used to add carbon dioxide to water is called carbonation, which leads to effervescence in water. This carbon dioxide, added in very low concentrations (0.2% to 1.0%) to water, forms carbonic acid that makes the water sour. To control this sour flavor, sodium or potassium salts are added to this carbonated water.
Tonic Water
Tonic water is also carbonated water, meaning it has the addition of carbon dioxide to water. However, it is called tonic because it always contains quinine. The addition of quinine was a way to ward off malaria in countries like India by British administrators, and today the addition of quinine is mostly symbolic, although some amount of quinine is still added to give the water its distinct bitter taste. Once this bitter taste (acidic) has been compensated, commonly with corn syrup, tonic water makes refreshing drinks with gin and mineral water. In fact, we hear names like gin tonic and vodka tonic only because of using tonic water with these alcoholic beverages.
Key Takeaways
- Both club soda and tonic water are carbonated water, but there are differences in ingredients.
- Tonic water always contains small amounts of quinine, while club soda contains small amounts of sodium or potassium salts.
- Quinine was added earlier to make the water a sort of medicine to ward off malaria in British India, and the addition of quinine still continues, albeit in very small quantities.
