Sparkling Water, Sparkling Mineral Water, Club Soda, Seltzer, and Tonic Water: What’s the Difference?

Take a walk down the drinks aisle at the grocery store, and you’ll see a monument to fizzy waters. As beverage lovers of the world seek out new options, like non-alcoholic beverages, the popularity of carbonated water seems to know no bounds. In 2023, the highly competitive global market for sparkling water was valued at $38.13 billion, and it’s projected to grow to $108.35 billion by 2032. That’s a whole lot of bubbles. 

But not all fizzy waters are created equal. Within the somewhat nebulous category, you’ll find sparkling water, mineral water, club soda, seltzer, and tonic water. They are all refreshingly effervescent and extremely quaffable, but each one has its own unique characteristics. To find out their differences and best uses, I chatted with Jason O’Bryan, co-owner of the virtual cocktail company Drinkwell.Co and Robb Report’s cocktail columnist, as well as Dr. Bryan Quoc Le, food scientist, food industry consultant, and author of the book 150 Food Science Questions Answered.

What’s the Difference Between Sparkling Water, Sparkling Mineral Water, Club Soda, Seltzer, and Tonic Water?

“Fizzy water” refers to any water that has carbonation, regardless of how it got that way. Sparkling water, mineral water, club soda, seltzer, and tonic water are all slightly different examples of fizzy water. The term sparkling water is also sometimes used interchangeably with fizzy water as a catchall for any kind of bubbly, effervescent water. 

Sparkling Water 

Sparkling water is water infused with carbon dioxide, which gives the water its effervescent ‘“fizzy” mouthfeel. In addition to buying sparkling water, you can also make your own by using a countertop sparkling water maker, such as a SodaStream. But long before the SodaStream craze hit the US, an Englishman named Joseph Priestly discovered how to artificially add carbonation to water in the 1770s. Eventually, a Scottish physician named John Nooth improved on Priestly’s design, substituting glass vials for the pig bladder that Priestly had used, and giving us what we know today as sparkling water. 

Sparkling Mineral Water

Sparkling mineral water is naturally effervescent, O’Bryan explains. “Mineral water is any naturally carbonated water from a protected underground spring, containing more than 250 parts per million (ppm) dissolved minerals, like sodium, magnesium, calcium, or potassium,” he says. (The FDA states that, in order to qualify as mineral water, it must contain at least 250 ppm dissolved solids in its natural state.) The specific mineral content is what gives each kind of sparkling mineral water its distinctive flavor and carbonation level. Often, the terms “sparkling water” and “mineral water” are used interchangeably, though this is technically incorrect. Mineral water can sometimes, but not always, be sparkling water—whether carbonation is occurring naturally or with the addition of carbon dioxide—and not all sparkling water is mineral water.

Club Soda

“Club soda is carbonated water that contains salts like sodium chloride, sodium sulfate, sodium bicarbonate, or sodium citrate to give it a slightly mineral, salty flavor,” says Quoc Le. These compounds aren’t present naturally, but are instead added by the manufacturer. 

Seltzer

Unlike club soda and mineral water, seltzer is carbonated water that does not contain minerals. To make seltzer, water is infused with carbon dioxide gas under pressure to create carbonation. The term “seltzer” is often used interchangeably with “sparkling water,” though there is some debate among beverage professionals about whether or not this is technically correct.

It’s interesting to note that in the US, Jewish immigrants in New York helped popularize seltzer  in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Relegated to tenement buildings and unable to access clean water from the Croton Aqueduct that supplied water to other New Yorkers, Jewish New Yorkers opened their own seltzer firms and by 1899, 90% of all seltzer firms in New York were owned by Jews.

Tonic Water

Tonic water was created in the mid-19th century by Erasmus Bond as a way to make the antimalarial quinine more palatable. Because of quinine’s bitter taste, manufacturers added sugar, which made the concoction more reminiscent of a soft drink, like ginger ale or Sprite. Tonic also has an astringent quality that Quoc Le says is best paired with citrus or fruit flavors because their acidity helps mellow out the astringency. 

There are many legends around how gin became inextricably linked with tonic, but they are difficult to verify. What we do know is that doctors administered bitter quinine (as tonic) with alcohol as a way to make it more palatable, and the lime garnish is a natural complement to both the tonic and the gin. The first recorded reference to a gin and tonic comes from the Oriental Sporting Magazine in 1868, which describes it as a cocktail enjoyed in the hot, tropical climate of Lucknow, India.

What Are the Best Uses For Sparkling Water, Sparkling Mineral Water, Club Soda, Seltzer, and Tonic Water?

Each of the five fizzy waters mentioned above has its own unique taste, mineral content, and nutritional value, so their uses and applications differ. 

When it comes to making cocktails, O’Bryan says, the quantity of carbonation is the biggest factor in choosing a sparkling water. “You want big, ripping carbonation,” he says. “In something like a Tom Collins or a mojito, the sparkling water is only one third of it and needs to lift twice its weight to get the whole thing effervescent and alive, so you want the most carbonation you can get.” O’Bryan adds that sparkling mineral waters rarely have enough carbonation to achieve this, so seltzer or club soda would be a better choice.

However, O’Bryan notes, the minerals in some of these waters can mitigate bitterness and make other flavors pop, “so a Campari soda or an Americano with a soda water will be more vivid and less bitter than one with a seltzer or unsalted water, and has no ill effect on regular drinks, like a vodka soda.” 

Quoc Le adds that the sodium content in club soda helps offset bitterness in culinary applications as well. “Sodium salts are very good at inhibiting bitter receptors and activating umami taste receptors, hence why salt is always added to savory dishes,” he says. “Club soda is best used to create fluffier fried, savory foods because the sodium content helps enhance their umami flavor.” Adding club soda to batters for foods like tempura also limits the rate of gluten formation, which helps extend the life of the batter, according to J. Kenji López-Alt. And in this chiffon cake recipe, club soda is used to create a light, fluffy crumb.

Tonic is in a category of its own, and the only appropriate substitutes are other soft drinks, like Sprite or ginger ale. “But no one drinks gin and Sprite because it’s nowhere as good as gin and tonic,” says O’Bryan. “The two are just perfect together.” The bittersweet flavor of tonic water also makes it a great choice for cocktails like an espresso tonic and a Pimm’s and tonic. 

If you are just looking for a good fizzy water to drink, go with what you like. Of course there are many fizzy waters with added flavors, such as lime, lemon, and grapefruit, but even unflavored mineral waters have a wide range of flavors across various brands, thanks to their different mineral compositions. Topo Chico’s sodium content, for example, makes it a great accompaniment to spicy and rich foods like birria de res, while the bicarbonate content in Gerolsteiner is a good match for saucy dishes like spaghetti all’arrabbiata. A simple seltzer would be well suited for lighter fare like sole meunière, so the delicate flavors of the dish can shine, whereas bittersweet tonic water plays nicely with the robust flavors of a charcuterie board.

Can You Use Sparkling Water, Sparkling Mineral Water, Club Soda, Seltzer, and Tonic Water Interchangeably?

Sparkling water, club soda, and seltzer may be used interchangeably, either for drinking as-is or mixing in cocktails. O’Bryan says it’s the subtle differences in taste that make him choose one over the other. “Mineral content is a minor concern,” he says. “So as long as they have enough carbonation, salted water like club soda and unsalted water like seltzer are interchangeable.” Since sparkling mineral water tends to have lower levels of carbonation, it’s best not to use it in place of other fizzy waters in cocktails and other drinks where lots of fizz is needed. And, as noted above, because of the unique flavor and sugar content of tonic water, it is not well-suited for swapping out with other types of fizzy water.

The Takeaway

Fizzy water is a category that includes sparkling water, sparkling mineral water, club soda, seltzer, and tonic water. Sparkling mineral water and club soda both include mineral compounds, but mineral water derives its mineral content naturally from underground springs, while club soda has mineral content added to it by the manufacturer. Seltzer water is carbonated water that does not contain minerals. Sparkling water is a type of water infused with carbonation that may or may not contain minerals, but the term is often used as a catch-all for all types of carbonated water. These types of fizzy water are used interchangeably, with minor differences giving them their distinct carbonation and flavor. Tonic water is the most unique fizzy water because it includes a bitter compound called quinine, as well as added sugar, making it more like a soft drink.