I searched on this thinking I’d get the answer right away… no such luck.
We were looking for mixers at the local grocery today and found club soda and seltzer water. I asked what the difference was. Ardred didn’t know.
I thought they were the same and that the names were regional differences, but if that’s so, why do we have both on our store shelves?
Seltzer = water + carbon dioxide
Club soda = water + carbon dioxide + sodium bicarbonate
You sure? Every site I’ve seen says they’re the same, and both can contain a small amount of sodium bicarbonate.
Based on the times that I’d looked at ingredients lists on bottles in supermarkets, yeah I’m sure. Of course, that doesn’t mean there aren’t exceptions.
Both bottles said: Ingredients: Carbonated Water.
There is no legal definition afaik of either seltzer water or club soda, so manufacturers can put all sorts in them. I do agree from what I seen that club soda is more likely to have sodium in it than seltzer, but I am sure it possible to buy examples where this is not true
According to the OED, “Club Soda” was originally a brand name for a type of soda water, which was a term coined to mean the same thing as the earlier “seltzer.” “Club Soda” eventually became a generic term (like “cellophane”). It is not strictly defined.