Soda Drinks

Soda drinks encompass all carbonated nonalcoholic beverages. The thirst for soda drinks began with the popularity of naturally carbonated mineral waters, which were thought to have medicinal properties. During the eighteenth century, European scientists, such as Joseph Priestley, developed processes for artificially carbonating water. In 1806, a Yale chemistry professor named Benjamin Silliman purchased an apparatus for impregnating water with carbon dioxide. Within three years, he owned soda parlors in New Haven and New York City that sold his mineral water by the glass and by the bottle. Although the use of these waters was at first strictly therapeutic, soon people realized that these shops could be gathering spots for more than sick people. Everybody seemed to enjoy the refreshing qualities of carbonated water. By 1820, soda makers had started adding flavored syrups to their waters, and a whole new industry was born.