"seltzer" news and stories

Photo: travelbex, Flickr.

With a little baking soda, you can turn sparkling water into club soda.

Vermont Sweetwater is a small, family owned and operated soda bottling company that makes all natural sodas in eight different flavors. I had heard of, but never seen their products on the shelves before, but when I did I had to try it. The Maple Seltzer is made with fresh Maple tree sap that is lightly carbonated, and sometimes a touch of Maple syrup is added to provide consistency in the flavor. This is because maple sap's flavor can vary quite a bit depending upon the weather and the point in the sap season when it is collected. Besides the Maple Seltzer they also make a Maple soda from maple syrup and carbonated water, but I haven't run across it yet.

The Maple Seltzer has a nice, clean, light, and refreshing taste to it. You can really taste that it is mostly the sap and not much syrup since it doesn't have any of the smoky intensity of maple syrup. It has a really different flavor than I expected and wasn't overwhelming like many sodas and flavored seltzers can be. I'm not a big soda / seltzer drinker except for ginger, root, birch beers, and sarsaparilla; but I really enjoyed this seltzer and would get it again.

Besides the two maple based products, Vermont Maple Soda and Vermont Maple Seltzer, they also make four fruit flavors. Mango Moonshine, Tangerine Cream Twister, County Apple Jack, and Raspberry Rhubarb Ramble. They also have Kickin' Cow-Cola and Rugged Mountain Root Beer. I'm looking forward to trying the maple soda and the root beer some time soon.

If you are more concerned about spending time on your patio this summer than spending time in the kitchen, this super-simple recipe I came across for Lime Sorbet Margaritas might be exactly what you are looking for since no blender is required. Even better - you can tailor this drink to your own preferences by changing the flavor of the sorbet, or replacing the tequila with rum, vodka, or your favorite liqueur.

Lime Sorbet Margaritas

(recipe adapted from Real Simple Magazine)

1 lime, cut into 8 wedges
1/4 cup sugar
2 pints lime sorbet (though any flavor can be used)
1/2 cup tequila

Rub the lime wedges around the rims of 8 stemmed glasses. Place the sugar on a small plate. Turn each glass upside down and dip the rims in the sugar to coat.

Place 2 scoops of sorbet in each glass and pour 1 tablespoon of tequila over the top of each. Serve with a spoon.

Note: They also recommend having soda or seltzer available to replace the tequila so kids have have their own version of this drink as well.

Source

Do people still drink this? It's a classic drink (I remember it was a mainstay in my family years ago, when we had any kind of holiday party), but I don't think I've heard anyone order one in 20 years. Esquire has the classic recipe. It sounds simple, but if you get the mix wrong, it just won't come out right:

• use a tall, narrow mouth glass, at least 12 oz.
• put in two or three ice cubes
• pour in whiskey (you can use something else, but it's what is usually used)
• pour in seltzer or club soda.

Should be served cold so the ice doesn't melt. And don't stir it!