#1 Club Soda

Club soda is a manufactured form of unflavored carbonated water, commonly used as a drink mixer. Potassium bicarbonate and/or potassium sulfate and/or sodium citrate are artificially added to replicate constituents commonly found in natural mineral waters. In England, an artificial method for producing soda water was described in a pamphlet called Directions for Impregnating Water with Fixed Air, published in 1772 by Joseph Priestley. The pamphlet explained the process of dripping sulfuric acid onto chalk, which produced C02 which was captured in a bowl of agitated water. Priestly thought such carbonated water was a cure for scurvy and proposed the process to Captain James Cook to prevent scurvy during his second voyage to the South Seas. Priestley never really realized the commercial potential of his product. In 1807, Benjamin Silliman, a Yale chemistry professor, began producing carbonated water under pressure and selling it in New Haven, Connecticut. In the 1830's Anyos Jedlik of Hungary opened a large-scale carbonated water factory. The original trademarked club soda was made by Cantrell & Cochrane of Dublin, Ireland in 1877.