A little-known but well-loved appliance manufacturer, the London-based home-carbonation product manufacturer SodaSteam has been helping consumers class-up their beverages since 1903.
Their products are big online sellers and include everything from the $60 SodaStream Fountain Jet Soda Maker Set (equipped with four 1L bottles and a 30L CO2 Carbonator!) to the $200 SodaStream Penguin Earth Friendly Glass Carafe Soda Maker.
SodaStream has brought the fun of fizz to homeowners across the globe, but they can be slightly overwhelming to new users… what to carbonate, and when? Don’t worry, as this article will explain, there’s a myriad of great ways to use your SodaStream:
1. Start with orange juice.
You really can’t go wrong with some sparkling orange juice… or can you? Provided you don’t pick an OJ with too much pulp, you’re probably in the clear. Pulp makes orange juice more difficult to carbonate and opens up the potential for things to get messy. Still, if you’re a pulp-enthusiast and you’re willing to go the distance, you’ve got nothing to lose except a few minutes sponging off the counter.
Also worth keeping in mind: orange juice does carbonate more easily than water, which means you can expect significantly more fizz than what you’re used to. That also means that when you’re removing your bottle from the SodaStream, there’s going to be quite a lot more pressure. Take it slow and release that pressure as carefully as you can.
2. Evolve to tea.
Take it from me, carbonated tea is delicious. It also doesn’t fizz as much as orange juice, so carbonating it is a more stress-free procedure. Just fill the SodaStream bottle a little over halfway with chilled tea and slowly charge and remove it.
3. Try coffee.
I know it sounds insane, but some people really do swear by it. A little carbonation is a great way to give old espresso an added kick, and it makes iced coffee that much more refreshing. Fill the SodaStream bottle a little over halfway with cold brew coffee or chilled hot drip coffee and watch out for the bubbles when discharging it; they will be plentiful.
4. And then it’s cocktail time.
It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for… time to make your favorite cocktails fizzy and delicious. Try out a bubbly whiskey sour for added fizziness or turn a white-wine-OJ-combo into a full-fledged mimosa.
Just mix your favorite drinks as you normally would and then shake them with ice to chill them as much as possible. Strain the chilled concoction into the SodaStream bottle and charge it… slowly! Some liquors do carbonate more powerfully than others, so you’ll want to avoid any sudden movements when charging and removing the beverage.
5. Wine works too.
Ever heard of Prosecco and Lambrusco? Italians love a sparkling wine, and they do know what’s good. Make sparkling wine out of whatever is sitting uncorked in the back of the fridge simply by filing up that old SodaStream bottle.
White wine does work better than red, but both are possible. Either way, know that your best-case-scenario involves a SodaStream that uses plastic bottles instead of glass and comes with customizable carbonation controls. These procedures can be risky.