Ask Adam: If a Cocktail Recipe Calls for Club Soda, Can I Use Seltzer?

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If a recipe calls for club soda can I use seltzer?

With all the sparkling waters now on the market, it can be extremely confusing to find the appropriate one to use in your drink. If you need an explanation of a the differences between different types of bubbly waters, make sure to check out our guide. But, to answer your question, yes, you can use seltzer in place of club soda if you need. What I would never suggest is substituting tonic for either of those other ingredients, as tonic is actually quite different from club soda and seltzer.

Both club soda and seltzer are made by carbonating still water with CO2. The slight difference is that various minerals — such as sodium bicarbonate, sodium citrate, disodium phosphate, and occasionally sodium chloride — are added to club soda. These only slightly impact the taste, though, and are barely noticeable.

The only time I would not suggest subbing seltzer for club soda is if all you have lying around is a flavored seltzer water, such as Spindrift, because these flavors would affect the balance of the drink.