What is the difference between carbonated water, tonic, and sparkling water?

Question

My 10 yr old daughter asked me this one and I have no idea!

Answer 1

A carbonated water is a beverage that contains the characteristic of carbonation. Carbonation creates bubbles and fizzing in a carbonated beverage due to the presence of the carbon dioxide gas. Carbonation occurs both naturally and artificially. Carbonated beverages include spring water, beer and soda, or "pop."

Tonic water is a carbonated beverage that derives its somewhat bitter taste from the addition of quinine. It is usually flavored with lemon or lime, lots of sugar, and often contains caffeine. Tonic is a frequent mixer in cocktails, most famous for its use in gin and tonic, though vodka with tonic water is also popular. Tonic water may additionally be used with sweet alcohols like vermouth, to produce a balanced taste.

Sparkling water is an attractive name that sounds like something complicated to produce. Actually, sparkling water, soda water or seltzer derive their bubbly nature from the simple process of adding carbon dioxide (CO2) in gas form to regular water, and then bottling the water. The result is the effervescence that tickles our taste buds, and makes a nice change from regular water.

Sparkling water is not always mineral water, though it is frequently misnamed as such. Mineral water is defined as water that contains more than 250 parts per million of a dissolved mineral source. Though some mineral water can be sparkling water with the addition of carbonation, not all sparkling water is mineral water. All water needs to be considered sparkling water is carbonation.

Answer 2

Carbonated water = sparkling water = seltzer.

Club soda = carbonated water + salt

Tonic = carbonated water + sugar + quinine

Answer 3

Tonic is carbonated water with quinine and sugar. Carbonated water and sparkling water are both names for water with carbon dioxide dissolved in it under pressure.

Bert

Answer 4

Carbonated & sparkling are the same. Both have bubbles but sometimes sparkling water is bubbly from the spring.

Tonic water is flavored w/ quinine. It has a distinctive, bittersweet taste.

for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparkling_water
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonic_water