I think “Rum and sparkling water with soda syrup added in” is a catchier name, but the “sparkling” term might throw some folks off.
Well slap my ass and call me a hick, too, but I didn’t know. I never drank anything labeled “sparkling” in my life. Why would I, when Coca Cola is available (and when I was younger, that Speedy milk and chocolate syrup concoction mentioned above. yum!)? “Sparkling” sounds like something with glitter in it, or a type of YA vampire. Sounds foo-foo. Something yuppies would drink.
Do you walk through stores with blinders on? Sparkling water is everywhere these days (well, it’s been around forever but it’s way more popular now). Old brands like San Pellegrino and Perrier and “new” brands like La Croix and Bubly. I can’t make it through the local supermarket without seeing huge end displays of these. And then there are the sparkling ciders that seem to come out for non-alcoholic events or for kids when adults will have champagne. Martinelli is the main brand I see around here.
The term “sparkling” is very common but I’ve only ever heard it applied to water and to wine. In the case of wine, at least all but the cheapest swill, the carbonation is the result of natural fermentation so it’s different than other artificially carbonated beverages, though I think it’s still mostly CO2.
What’s so hard to fathom? There are TONS of things in stores I never look at, from cookies to cat food to feminine hygiene products. I couldn’t tell you a thing about the products in those aisles. It’s a waste of brain power to even contemplate them.
And bottled water is just another something I ignore. I have an RO machine, I have no need to buy bottled water.
Oooo, I want a Recreational Outrage machine too!
It’s only for non-yuppies. Looking at your username, it’s doubtful you could buy one.
I tried this, but used sparkling water instead. I will call it Sparkoke Waterum.
The Canada Dry people have a new product that I just had to try; Ginger Ale/Lemonade.
Why Canada Dry? The lemonade is made no better by adding ginger ale and the ginger ale is made no better by adding lemonade. 
Put about two fingers of cold milk in a glass. Add a good long squeeze of chocolate syrup (preferably U-Bet). Top it off with club soda/seltzer. That’s an egg cream, which contains neither egg nor cream.
I love to make them at home. It tastes the way a chocolate ice cream soda tastes after you’ve eaten out the ice cream, and all that’s left is fizzy, chocolate-y, creamy wonderfulness.
They’re a pain. They need constant recalibration. And you have to keep the software up to date, or your water starts to smell like teenage wankers in MAGA hats.
Rowling made a grievous error by not including this spell in Harry Potter.
And the Welch’s grape juice has been around forever.
I drink well water. Comes out of the tap very cold. If it sparkled I’d be concerned.
I’ve experimented with adding lemonade to beer. Now that’s one I’m sure you’ve never heard of it.
Beg your pardon?
Shandy deluxe there!
You’ve been whooshed but good.
But do you know what cat litter is, even if you don’t have a cat, or do you think it’s what happens when a cat throws garbage out the car window? Maybe there’s an age factor, but some people (including me) are surprised that a person could have existed in US culture long enough to be an adult and not have encountered countless references to sparkling as an adjective modifying a beverage to indicate carbonation.
Yeah, I realized that about a millisecond after hitting submit. But I still had to post that pink abomination. Where is the puke emoji?
I was genuinely surprised at that photo. I was served the non-mixed version once in a restaurant, but I attributed this to neglect or laziness on the part of the server. I immediately grabbed a spoon and mixed it.
The licensed version of the Arnold Palmer sold in grocery stores (with his picture on the container) is, obviously, mixed. That suggests to me that it’s the correct way to serve it. What would be the point of drinking in in layers?