How to Make Your Own Sparkling Water (2021)


Sorry, Perrier: Anyone who has washed down a taco al pastor knows that Topo Chico is the king of sparkling waters. Unfortunately, thanks to thick glass bottles and shipping costs from Mexico, this sparkling, smooth masterpiece is much more expensive than La Croix.

After a few years baking Mission burritos in the San Francisco Bay Area, my finance-conscious brother did some drunken mental calculations and sent me a Facebook message: $ 3,800. That’s how much he claimed it costs to drink eight bottles a day of Topo Chico at an average of just over $ 1 per drink – the prices of San Francisco Whole Foods, he claimed.

Like a longtime amateur brewer with a keg, kegerator, CO2 reservoir, and access to the minerals that make my crisp hoppy beers and silky malted lagers, I burst out laughing. I have been making my own sparkling water for years.

Then I realized that I was not just a pair of fancy pants that spent too much money on beer. He was expected to do the same, just for his habit of sparkling water. The initial cost was relatively high, but with the necessary equipment, my brother could make his own sparkling water for well under $ 3,800.

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Math

Let’s start with a kegerator, which has an initial cost of around $ 1,000. You can also use this setup for beer, cider, wine, and other drinks on tap, all of which are significantly cheaper in keg form.

There is also an environmental benefit. Although glass and cans are recyclable, many end up in landfills. I drink my homemade Topo Chico in a reusable, isothermal mug or Hydroflask. I barely touch a single-use can or bottle.

Plus, the flavors are incredibly inexpensive. You can buy lime and grapefruit extract powders online in packs of 500 for under $ 50. Like hard seltzer? You can buy aroma online, pour it into your sparkling water keg, add a little clear grain alcohol, and voila: hard seltzer water!

Sodastreams and other devices produce sparkling water in the home, but they are not as cost effective in the long run, and not as versatile. We all have a friend who tried to carbonate juice or wine in a Sodastream and broke it. With a barrel and a CO2 tank, you can make and carbonate whatever you want.

Provided you have space and find yourself recycling dozens of cans and bottles per week, you should consider making your own in bulk. I barely drink still drinks and my recycling bin is significantly more empty than it was when I bought it pre-made.

The Kegerator

I have chatted about the subject of kegerators over the years. I built my fair share of mini-fridges, chest freezers, and upright fridge-based kegerators with pipes and fittings, but it’s a lot easier to buy something that’s designed to do the job. When you factor in the cost of the pipes, connectors, and faucets, it’s not that much more money.

Used kegerators regularly appear on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace, but I like these basic EdgeStar kegerators ($ 559), which have enough room to hold two 5 gallon drums at a time. You can store one barrel of water to carbonate, while the other is pressurized. You can also save yourself the trouble and grab a two-tap version ($ 659) for a hundred dollars more. If you’ve read this far, you’ll eventually want two taps.

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