The Difference Between Soda Water and Tonic Water: Top 5 differences

The Difference Between Soda Water and Tonic Water
The Difference Between Soda Water and Tonic Water

this post is about, the difference between soda water and tonic water: Top 5 differences you should know about these two keywords.

what’s the difference between soda water and tonic water

Soda water and tonic water seem like two very similar drinks, but there are actually several key differences between the two that could make or break your next cocktail party.

*In this article, we’ll be covering the top five differences between soda water and tonic water, so you can make an informed decision when you reach the cafe at your next cocktail party. Let’s get started!

What is Soda Water?

The term soda water is used in two different contexts. Originally, it was referred to as a soft drink made from sodium bicarbonate (also known as baking soda) mixed with mineral salts.

What is Tonic Water?

Tonic water is a carbonated soda where quinine is broken up. Initially utilized as a prophylactic against jungle fever, tonic water generally now has a fundamentally lower quinine content.

Here is everything you need To Know About tonic water.

The 5 differences between tonic and soda water

Here is the difference between soda water and tonic water, the biggest five differences you need to know.

1) Ingredients

A simple search online will tell you that one of these ingredients is quinine, which comes from a cinchona tree native to South America. For tonic water, though, it’s not always easy to find specifics on what quinine is exactly, and why it’s included in tonic water.

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There are two components of quinine: hydroquinone (which gives the tea its bitterness) and quinidine (which relieves muscle cramps).

Some sources say that quinine levels in bottled tonic water range from 15 mg per liter to 45 mg per liter. Coca-Cola uses 27mg/liter of pure cinchona bark extract for its drink.

Difference Between Soda Water and Tonic Water: Quinine
Difference Between Soda Water and Tonic Water

2) Colours

The most apparent difference between tonic water and soda water is color. The distinct color difference is due to sodium bicarbonate, a common ingredient in soda water but not in tonic water.

Sodium bicarbonate causes a reaction when mixed with ingredients like quinine and carbon dioxide that results in that tell-tale cloudiness we’ve come to associate with carbonated drinks.

What’s more, soda water is often artificially colored to appear more like a tonic, furthering their differences.

3) Storage

The most notable difference between soda water and tonic water is how they are stored. While both beverages are carbonated, soda water (often called club soda) is intended to be drunk straight while tonic is made with quinine to serve as a mixer.

When it comes to storage, you can store them in cool places like your pantry or even your refrigerator if they’re unopened.

However, once you pop open an aluminum can of soda water, it should be consumed right away, it’s not meant for long-term storage like cans of regular sodas.

4) Uses

The main difference between soda water and tonic water is that soda water does not contain any quinine, whereas tonic water does. Quinine, or simply quinine sulfate, is a naturally occurring substance found in bark from evergreen trees native to South America.

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This helps make it one of those few natural products that have medicinal qualities. The original purpose of quinine was as a treatment for malaria.

Today, it is most commonly used in soft drinks as well as tonic water because it acts as an anti-malarial agent, along with helping with digestive issues.

5) Taste

We’ll start with taste since it’s usually a deciding factor when comparing soda water vs tonic water. It’s pretty obvious that soda water tastes nothing like a tonic – it has no flavor at all! Some people even say that soda water tastes flat compared to the tonic.

Taste is obviously one of our top differences between these two drinks. They also have different purposes as well, Another difference is how much sugar they contain. in general, tonic water contains more sugar than soda water does.

On the other hand, there are many ways to make a low-sugar or sugar-free version of either drink using artificial sweeteners or natural sugars (like stevia).

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In conclusion, there are several key differences between soda water and tonic water. Soda water is carbonated water with no added ingredients, while tonic water is carbonated water with quinine and sugar. Tonic water is typically sweeter and more bitter than soda water. Soda water is generally safe to drink, while tonic water can be dangerous for people.

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