Soda Syphons

Soda syphons are ten-a-penny in junk shops (at least they are in the UK), but with soda water available cheaply in plastic bottles where there's always a lot of fizz, and it can be chilled, does anyone still use them? They certainly look cooler, but is buying the refills a pain in the ass? Is the quality of the soda water better or worse than what's readily available? Anyone collect soda syphons? As they are more associated with the 20's/30's, do they belong in a Tiki bar?

Trader Woody

[ Edited by: Trader Woody on 2004-05-26 11:41 ]

My Great, Great Aunts used to still have soda water delivered to their apartment in Jamaica, Queens, in the early to mid '70s, so I'd say "yes, it's part of cocktail culture."

i've never gotten a vintage one to work, despite having tried. the contemporary ones are basically glorified plastic bottles unlike the old glass and metal ones. anyways, i bought an 'isi' brand siphon several years ago, and have used it from time to time. the quality of the co2 you buy does influence the taste though ~ i bought some cheap co2 cartriges made somewhere in eastern europe, and it made the soda water taste like oil/petrol fumes. not exactly what you want in your scotch and soda. but it's fun ~ i mostly display it now.

I received a modern glass soda bottle as a gift recently. It came from Williams-Sonoma and is big and sturdy. Strange thing is that as big as it is, it only fills a couple glasses worth. Much better for a spritz here and there I guess. The CO2 refills are about $1 each at W-S and the water(I have a reverse osmosis tap) tastes good. Just like seltzer. It's a great tool for any bar and always seems to impress the guests when I whip it out.

-Weird Unc

I have a new professional model in my bar. I don’t use it a lot.
More for show I guess.
It also comes in handy when you feel like reenacting a Three Stooges episode.
http://www.audioautographs.com/tiki/nyuk.mp3

indeed, good for down the pants or in the face.

'wise guy, eh?' spritz

Catching up on the Drinks Forum I saw this topic.

We are lucky in the Bay Area because we have a company that delivers seltzer in glass bottles (vintage bottles are available) to your home or business.

I have been a customer for years and they just recently returned to business after they went up for sale last year and shut down operations for a while.

There's nothing comparable to pure seltzer. It doesn't have any sodium or salty flavor and it stays fully charged as long as it's cold.

Makes even a simple bourbon and soda a treat. And I love the feel and look of the vintage bottles. They look like this one but the label isn't usually this exciting:

http://www.seltzersisters.com/

[ Edited by: thejab on 2004-05-27 19:12 ]

Can you put other stuff inside? I mean, could you use fresh pineapple juice instead of water and make a soda?

Blue Moose

On 2004-05-28 08:25, Blue Moose wrote:
Can you put other stuff inside? I mean, could you use fresh pineapple juice instead of water and make a soda?

Blue Moose

i think what you would want to do is pour your flavouring into the drink glass then shoot the soda water into it to mix. the valves would get gunked up with the sugar and stuff. i believe that's how drugstores used to make soda - via "soda jerks" prior to bottling of sodas such as coke. but don't take my word for it.

On 2004-05-26 12:37, weirduncletiki wrote:
...from Williams-Sonoma and is big and sturdy...

I have the same one. It's a great piece of hardware, but in the 5+ years I've had it, it's been more of a cool & shiny thing to look at than a functional tool. Maybe this thread will inspire me to use it. Maybe...

-Z

How's the control with them? After seeing a few too many black & white comedies, I imagine you'd end up with the greater part of your drink flying across the room if you ever used one!

Trader Woody

with mine the valve is variable, so if you press down halfway it's half as forceful. full open it goes flyin. ergo stooge.

On 2004-05-28 08:25, Blue Moose wrote:
Can you put other stuff inside?

well if you get some NO2 bulbs that you use for making whipped cream, and put the gas in the soda syphon, then use the syphon to fill balloons, then inhale the contents of the balloon, you can have a intresting time.

On 2004-05-28 08:46, Feelin' Zombified wrote:

On 2004-05-26 12:37, weirduncletiki wrote:
...from Williams-Sonoma and is big and sturdy...

I have the same one. It's a great piece of hardware, but in the 5+ years I've had it, it's been more of a cool & shiny thing to look at than a functional tool. Maybe this thread will inspire me to use it. Maybe...

-Z

OK, so I gave mine a test run today (getting ready for the holidays) and my wife was all concerned that the finished product was less "bubbley" than, say, store bought soda. It tasted fine to me, but I have to admit it was lacking "ooomph".

The cartridges were ISI brand, bought at William Sonoma, so I doubt it's their fault.

Is there a trick? or is soda made in a syphon just less fizzy?

-Z

OK, so I gave mine a test run today (getting ready for the holidays) and my wife was all concerned that the finished product was less "bubbley" than, say, store bought soda. It tasted fine to me, but I have to admit it was lacking "ooomph".

The cartridges were ISI brand, bought at William Sonoma, so I doubt it's their fault.

Is there a trick? or is soda made in a syphon just less fizzy?

-Z

I will recharge mine today and A/B it with Canada Dry and see if I notice a difference.
One thing I do remember was that the bubbles are smaller/finer, which I did find more pleasing.
If you’re right, than mine is just an expensive prop.

A Tiki Cheers To You

Bump... So gang, what's the consensus on this? Is seltzer water from a syphon better tasting than club soda? I bring this up because I just watched an old episode of Good Eats on bar drinks and Alton Brown (my hero) said seltzer was better tasting than club soda. If he said it, maybe it really is. I did happen to notice that he got a lot more fizz in his glass than I do when I pour in club soda.

On 2006-06-22 14:54, GatorRob wrote:
Bump... So gang, what's the consensus on this? Is seltzer water from a syphon better tasting than club soda? I bring this up because I just watched an old episode of Good Eats on bar drinks and Alton Brown (my hero) said seltzer was better tasting than club soda. If he said it, maybe it really is. I did happen to notice that he got a lot more fizz in his glass than I do when I pour in club soda.

Club Soda has additives such as sodium bicarbonate, sodium chloride, sodium phosphate and/or sodium citrate, so it has a different flavor then seltzer, which is just carbonated water. The carbonation in the seltzer I have delivered form larger bubbles and seem to last longer then club soda.

I have an ISI soda siphon and I do like it. I bought mostly because I got tired of buying San Pelligrino and lugging bottles to the house and taking them out to recycle etc. It's got some great advantages to buying club soda or seltzer: you can have as much or as little anytime you want and it stays carbonated and there's less environmental waste than buying bottled water. Think about how much gas is used just trucking around bottles of water!
-Sam

That was something else I meant to ask. Once it's charged, does it need to be used in a certain amount of time before it goes flat?

I've never kept a charged bottle around for more than a week or two without finishing it but it does not go noticeably flatter in that amount of time.
-Sam