sparkling water

In a sea of flavored sparkling waters, one company captured our attention at the NASFT Fancy Food Show: Spindrift Water. Unlike others on the market that are flavored with essential oils or the ever-ambiguous "natural flavors," this soda maker actually adds fresh-pressed juice to its sparkling waters to give them the essence of the fruit, without the calories or any artificial sweetness. We couldn't wait to request the line so our taste testers could give them a try. Take a look at the results and more pictures.

Now that we're in the trust tree, let me be completely honest with you about something — soda is downright dangerous to drink. Aside from the health risks including bone loss, hypertension, and dental decay, soda drinks like Coke are full of sugar, caramel coloring, high-fructose corn syrup and often leave you thirstier — not exactly the crème de la crème of beverages.

Contrary to popular belief, not all carbonated drinks are bad for you — sparking water is sugar free and can keep calcium locked in your bones (no studies have backed up the preconceived notion that sparkling water actually leaches calcium out of your bones).

For those of you that like that thirst-quenching appeal that carbonated beverages provide, you may be able to slowly wean yourself off soda once-and-for-all with one of these delicious and easy carbonated drink alternatives.

1. Fizzy Lemonade: Squeeze about three to four large lemons in a large pitcher. Pour in six cups of soda water and stir until all of the lemon is mixed in the water. Add four to five tablespoons of agave nectar for sweetness. Refrigerate for about an hour and then add in 2-3 cups of ice cubes. Garnish with some lemon slices.

Here are some more DIY carbonated drink options.

PartySugar's the queen of cocktails, and her bar is stocked with tons of essential ingredients for mixing, from grenadine to simple syrup. Yesterday, she brought up a good question about carbonated water, another popular bar fixture. Soda water, seltzer, club soda, sparkling water, mineral water: there are so many different fizzy waters out there. Are they all the same thing? To find out the answer, keep reading.

If you've swapped out your daily soda for sparkling water, or like to drink the bubbly stuff because plain H2O can be boring, I bet you're wondering how healthy it is. Fizzy water is not only refreshing, but it also hydrates your body as well as regular ol' water.

You may have heard that the carbon dioxide added to water to make it bubbly can be acidic, and can cause erosion to your tooth enamel. Don't worry because the damage is minimal, and one would have to drink massive amounts of sparkling water in order to wear away enamel faster than it's renewed. Sodas, on the other hand, contain phosphoric acid, which definitely rots your teeth.

What about sparkling water affecting your bones? To find out the truth, read more