Fizzy Perfection: A Complete Guide to Beverage Carbonation
Discover what carbonation is, how it works, and how much to use to make stand-out sparkling drinks
Carbonated beverages—or, fizzy, bubbly drinks—are a phenomenon worldwide. Analysts estimate the global market value for carbonated beverages is $395 billion.
No beverage industry professional can afford to miss out on a piece of that pie!
But what’s the wisest way to approach drink carbonation in a bar, restaurant, or soda fountain? In this guide, learn exactly what carbonation is, how carbonation levels impact the experience of a drink, and the optimal carbonation volume for a diverse sample of popular beverage categories.
What Is Carbonation? From Chemistry to Culinary Art
Carbonation is CO2 gas dissolved in a pressurized beverage. When the pressure is released (by opening a sealed can, for example), the CO2 then rises to “escape” the liquid in the form of gas bubbles.
These bubbles create the “sparkling” effect found in soft drinks, foamy beers, and iconically “bubbly” beverages like champagne.
Bubbles and Fizz In Contemporary Culinary Culture
The release of CO2 causes chemical reactions impacting a drink’s flavor profile. Contemporary chefs and mixologists use this to their advantage, utilizing the increased acidity and “tang” imparted by carbonation in innovative recipes.
Carbonation Levels: Experiential Impact By Drink Type
Carbonation affects a drink’s fizziness: the ratio of bubbles to liquid in a drink, the nature of its foam or head, and how a sip “sparkles” (tactilely) on the tongue. In turn, this element of a drink affects the flavor, aroma, and mouthfeel of the drink as a whole.
According to a study published in Food Quality and Preference, the lowest carbonation volume people can detect by taste is 0.6 vol/vol. That is, most people can recognize 0.6 when a drink has 0.6 L of CO2 dissolved in 0.6 L liquid at sea level, 20 ℃.
Or, put another way, the typical human tongue registers as little as 1.18 grams of CO2 in a one-liter beverage.
That said, most culinary experts agree that a sparkling drink with a CO2 volume of 1.5 or less is under-carbonated.
Please note: the absolute maximum safe CO2 volume is 8.0 vol/vol. Any higher, and the sparkling “bite” is likely to burn one’s throat.
Hard Drinks
Most beers have a carbonation volume between 2.0 – 3.0 vol/vol. Certain German wheat beers have a high CO2 volume (around 5.0 vol/vol).
In contrast, many sparkling wines maintain a higher CO2 volume. Champagne bottles are often rated for 7.0 vol/vol CO2, though the desirable CO2 volume of champagne itself is typically no more than 6.0 vol/vol.
Mixed drinks, like cocktails, often utilize club soda for carbonation. As a result, many popular sparkling cocktails are in the 2.5 – 2.7 vol/vol range.
Soft Drinks
Soft drinks have a wide range of carbonation volumes, and each drink’s standard volume is connected to its aesthetic, ambiance, and place in our food culture. Sparkling waters and teas have a lower CO2 volume than, say, sodas, as they’re often connected to wellness aesthetics. The sparkling sensation should be refreshing, but not overwhelming.
In contrast, sodas are typically dessert like, and they have strong associations with play, fun, and nostalgia. A sharper bite, acidity, and tangy notes offset the extreme sweetness of drinks in this category.
Perfecting Carbonation: How To Make Just-Right Sparkling Drinks
This portion of the guide is meant to be used as a reference, as one experiments with fizzy soft drinks, juices, waters, and wines. If you’re more interested in carbonating beer, please explore our beer carbonation guide and chart. Otherwise, let’s get to mixing!
Choose The Right Carbonation Method For The Task At Hand
While there are many tactics, we’ll focus on the three most commonplace methods: fermentation, bottle conditioning, and forced, mechanical carbonation.
Fermentation & Secondary Fermentation
Fermentation and secondary fermentation are methods of carbonating a beverage using yeast. The right strains of yeast reliably break down sugars in a liquid, producing both CO2 and alcohol as byproducts. Both types of fermentation are enacted during the brewing process.
This method is popular for certain wines and hard teas (like kombucha).
Forced Carbonation (CO2 Cylinder Mechanism)
Forced carbonation is the process of pushing CO2 from a pressurized gas cylinder into a consumable liquid. The “push” force infuses the CO2 into the drink.
Different devices and machines enable precise CO2 infusion, and it’s important to choose the right tool for the specific job at hand.
Bottle Conditioning
Bottle conditioning is a traditional method of increasing the carbonation in the bottle of an alcoholic beverage (often beer or champagne). It entails adding yeast and fermentable sugars to a beverage already in a bottle, sealing it, then giving the yeast time to ferment and produce CO2.
Unlike fermentation, bottle conditioning happens after the brewing process is complete. When making sparkling wines, wineries know the longer a bottle rests, the more the wine itself ages—and the more the “sparkle” of the wine increases.
Use Best-In-Class Tools
For most mixologists, forced carbonation is the best method to use. But, not all carbonation machines are equally useful. Before choosing a device, consider your specific carbonization needs, research the benefits and drawbacks of different carbonation systems, and explore options through that lens.
Soft Drinks
Beverage Type | Description | Description | Optimal Carbonation Volume Range Sea Level, 20℃ (68℉) | Typical Avg. Carbonation (g/L) |
Cola | Sweet dark soda | Pepsi and Classic Coke’s carbonation volumes range from 3.6 to 3.8 | 3.5 - 4.0 vol/vol | 7.35 g/L |
Root Beer | Sweet, frothy, non-alcoholic “beer” made from imitation sassafras. | A&W, Red Arrow, and Bulldog root beers are carbonated in this range. | 3.5 - 4.0 vol/vol | 7.35 g/L |
Lemon-Lime & Citrus Soda | Typically less carbonated than colas. | Popular citrus sodas’ CO2 volumes: Mountain Dew (3.2), 7UP (3.7), Sprite (3.8) | 3.2 - 3.8 vol/vol | 3.86 g/L |
Fruit Soda | Fruit sodas, typically orange or grape flavored, are mildly carbonated. | The CO2 volume of the orange soda Fanta is 1.8 | 1.4 - 2.1 vol/vol | 3.43 g/L |
Cream Soda | Cream sodas offer a velvety texture, and are less carbonated than colas (but more than citrus sodas) | Big Red and Dr. Brown’s cream sodas fall along the standard range. | 2.5 - 3.5 vol/vol | 5.88 g/L |
Ginger Ale | Traditionally made from ginger root, these ales’ carbonation levels fall mid-range among soft drinks. | Schweppes, Vernors, and Canada Dry fit within the noted range. | 2.2 - 2.5 vol/vol | 4.6 g/L |
Sparkling Water
Beverage Type | Description | Description | Optimal Carbonation Volume Range Sea Level, 20℃ (68℉) | Typical Avg. Carbonation (g/L) |
Flavored Seltzer Water | Flavored seltzer waters typically have less sugar than sodas or juices, but taste sweeter than typical water. | LaCroix, Topo Chico, and Spindrift typically have a CO2 volume of 2.8 when canned. | 2.6 - 2.8 vol/vol | 5.29 g/L |
Club Soda & Unflavored Seltzer | Club sodas incorporate baking soda, for a fresh, mildly salty “bubbly” experience.
| Canned Liquid Death’s CO2 vol. is 2.55. | 2.5 - 2.65 vol/vol | 5.05 g/L |
Alkaline & Mineral Water | Typically less carbonated than colas. | Perrier’s CO2 vol. is 3.53. S. Pellegrino’s is typically 2.68. | 2.68 - 3.55 vol/vol | 6.1 g/L |
Tonic Water | Tonic waters are slightly bitter, in contrast to other sparkling waters. | Fever Tree’s and Socosani’s tonic water lines range from 3.0 to 3.5 CO2 vol. | 3.0 - 3.5 vol/vol | 6.37 g/L |
Fizzy Juices, Teas & Herbal Drinks
Beverage Type | Description | Description | Optimal Carbonation Volume Range Sea Level, 20℃ (68℉) | Typical Avg. Carbonation (g/L) |
Kavas | Kava is a beverage made from Kava root, a plant native to the South Pacific Islands. | The CO2 vol. of Leillo Calm In a Can is 2.5. | 1.0 - 2.5 vol/vol | 3.43 g/L |
Tea & Kombucha | Sparkling teas & Kombuchas are moderately carbonated, usually via secondary fermentation. | Hoptonic Earl Gray has a CO2 vol. of 2.5. | 2.5 - 3.0 vol/vol | 5.39 g/L |
Fruit Juices & Botanical Drinks | Most sparkling fruit juices are mildly carbonated. | Popular sparkling juice and botanical drinks’ CO2 volumes:
| 1.9 - 2.6 vol/vol | 4.41 g/L |
Sparkling Wines
Beverage Type | Description | Description | Optimal Carbonation Volume Range Sea Level, 20℃ (68℉) | Typical Avg. Carbonation (g/L) |
Prosecco | Prosecco is a light wine of Italian origin, known for its “lively” bubbly mouthfeel. | Most Proseccos are bottled at a CO2 vol. of 4.59. | 2.68 - 4.6 vol/vol | 7.13 g/L |
Cava | Cava DO is a popular style of sparkling wine from Spain. | Popular sparkling Cava’ CO2 volumes:
| 1.53 - 6.12 vol/vol | 7.95 g/L |
Rosé | Sparkling rosés tend to be sweet and dry, blending attributes of both white and red wines. | Popular sparkling rosés’ CO2 vols:
| 3.0 - 6.0 vol/vol | 9.0 g/L |
Champagne | Champagne bottles are typically rated to withstand internal pressure from a CO2 vol. of 7.0. But, even the most carbonated champagnes’ CO2 vol’s reach only slightly over 6.0. | Traditional champagne is carbonated to a volume of 4.6.
| 4.6 - 6.1 vol/vol | 11.66 g/L |
Sparkling Reds | Sparkling red’s range of carbonation stems from the diverse fermentation methods used to create them. | Sparkling Lambrusco made with the vineyard’s “ancestral method” typically has a CO2 vol of 2.1. Lambruscos made with the “Charmat method” have almost twice the carbonation, with a level of 4.0. | 2.1 - 6.02 vol/vol | 9.8 g/L |
Serve Smarter With Quantiperm
Carbonation levels can alter and enhance almost any type of drink. If you want to open your patrons up to a whole new world of fizzy confections, get in touch with our team.
We’ll work with you to determine the pitch-perfect carbonation tools for your space. Our systems are designed to eliminate any baby-sitting of the process and cuts down the carbonation time drastically while still providing the target carbonation! Call us at (602) 903-2158.
