Sparkling Water Versus Soda

The popularity of sparkling mineral water is at an all-time high. I remember starting to drink Perrier a few years ago because I was attracted to the little bottles (there’s something about green and yellow labeling that I find oddly alluring). When I first tasted the drink, I found it so bitter that I had to spit it out! It tasted nothing like what I expected — Sprite or lemonade — and this was the lemon flavored Perrier, not the straight kind. I wondered who actually drank this. Were French people that different from me?

Fast-forward a year or two and I was drinking Perrier daily. Somehow I got over the taste (or lack of taste), and now I find it to be pleasant, especially when chilled. Before, I always associated rewarding drinks with carbonation, and that usually meant Coke or Sprite. But now, I find sparkling mineral water as a worthy substitute. It kind of tricks my senses into thinking that I’m getting what I’m used to having, which is a very good thing, as drinking calcium fortified Perrier is really much healthier than consuming soda or candy beverages, like Frutopia.

In the last year or two, I’ve noticed the Italian brands getting more and more popular. I still like my Perrier. I guess I’ve grown accustomed to the brand’s particularities. So what is your favorite chilled, non-alcoholic beverage?