Carbonated Cocktails

August 7, 2013: Carbonated Cocktails

Carbonation is hot. I realize that likely sounds odd, but for the past several years there’s been a surge in popularity of in-home carbonation machines that consumers use to make their own soda.

But the love of fizzy drinks is spreading outside the home (and beyond grocery store shelves). If you own a bar or restaurant, American Way reports the demand for carbonated cocktails is growing across the country.

This is not about adding sparkling water or seltzer to drinks. Instead these are “hand-bottled” spirits “infused with an added burst of carbon dioxide.” This allows bar and restaurant owners to add a bit of the bubbly without spending more on seltzer or sparkling water.

The magazine reports making cocktails this way allows bartenders to pre-make the drinks, speeding up the process and eliminating the wait for mixed drinks at the bar. Bars across the country are coming up with their own special carbonated cocktails, including fizzy Margaritas.

The key is to be creative and experiment with flavors. You’ll want to develop some signature drinks for your bar or restaurant.

While these drinks are perfect for the dog days of August, knowing how much Americans love drinking bubbly drinks (I think my addiction to Diet Coke is as much due to the carbonation as the flavor), this is a fad that could end up becoming a bar staple.