carbonation

Fizz With Flair, SodaStream's Penguin

by Michael B. Dougherty (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

The recent crop of home soda makers appeal on several levels: environmentally (no plastic bottles to discard), economically (no plastic bottles to buy) and practically (fizzy water for everyone, anytime). But one shortcoming has been aesthetics, since most models look like a Nalgene bottle jacked into a piece of lab equipment. Thankfully SodaStream has corrected this oversight with their Penguin.

Available through SodaStream's website and at Williams-Sonoma, this avian-themed carbonation factory is something you'll actually want to display at home. Operating without batteries or an electrical connection, the Penguin carbonates beverages with a few quick pumps of the beak (I prefer to add my own penguin sound effects when doing this). Simply rotate the stainless steel flask and insert one of the two glass carafes provided, which are attractive enough to pass for vases or decanters. Close and lock, depress the beak to activate (2-4 times, depending on how much fizz you're after), and push the pressure release valve before opening again. Once carbonated, you can seal the carafes with the provided hermetic stopper for freshness. The CO2 canisters that power the Penguin are easy to install and SodaStream estimates you'll get about 45 carafes-worth of fizz out of each.

SodaStream also offers various soda mixes and recently released a line of all-natural flavor syrups, from apple mango to pink grapefruit, but I've found that a few well-placed lime wedges work just as well. I haven't yet experimented with the Penguin and alcoholic beverages, but something tells me a Collins night is in order soon.

Tags: carbonation, kitchen gadgets, penguin, soda, sodastream, water, williams-sonoma

Sparkling Shiraz, Anyone?

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets, Spirits, Wine

Nothing says summer like a nice cool glass of something sparkly. Well, now you can make anything bubbly!

The SodaStream is a DIY home carbonating machine with no electrical parts, nothing too tricky or messy, and a small splurge price of around $100. The Fountain Jet Start-Up Kit, with which I had the pleasure of experimenting, is currently on sale for $89.99 (normally $139.99) -- and it's perfect for both you and your dad for Father's Day.

How it works: You get the lightweight Fountain Jet, two BPA-free bottles, and a 110-liter Carbonator which makes approximately 110 liters of seltzer. You can select from a number of flavors for sparkling water, or buy their syrups in all kinds of varieties: cola, diet cola, root beer, orange soda, diet grapefruit, tonic, and more.

You put cold water in the bottle, then the bottle and the Carbonator in the Fountain Jet, and press the button on the top to infuse the water with seltzer. Like sparkling water? You're done. If you want soda pop, you add syrup -- which I can honestly recommend; it truly tastes like root beer, cola, or whatever it says -- and you have soda pop!

Not only is it fun to make yourself, but their syrups have no high-fructose corn syrup or aspartame, and you're also doing the planet a favor by not adding cans and bottles to landfills -- and the servings come out to pennies-per-glass.

So what's luxurious about this? You can use it on anything -- turn your whites and even reds to sparkling cocktails or make the most alcoholic gin and tonic ever (by mixing a little tonic syrup into sparkling gin). Look through the gallery to see, and click here to shop for a SodaStream.

Gallery: Carbonating Alcohol with the SodaStream