Price Points: Water carbonators

Water carbonators

I may have mentioned at some point in the past that I’m not a great fan of drinking plain water. Also, if I really have to drink a glass of the stuff, I prefer fizzy water to flat. Finally, if I really, really must drink water, my favoured way of imbibing is adding a large glug of elderflower cordial.

I don’t like buying bottles of water – even less, if the bottles are plastic. The water that comes out of our taps makes its short journey from the Teifi Pools and tastes lovely! A water carbonator would be a great addition to our kitchen appliance repertoire. It would encourage me to drink more water.

Here are three water carbonators that I found online. I thought that a classic SodaStream would be the most affordable, however, their basic model comes in at £70.00. The Aarke carbonator is an absolute modernist beauty, and is available in a range of colours to complement any kitchen décor; black, gold, brass, copper, steel, white. However, I’d have to be sure that I’d be drinking a lot of fizzy water, every day of the week, to shell out over £100.00.

  1. MySoda Woody sparkling water maker, black: £52.80, Finnish Design Shop
  2. SodaStream Spirit Machine, black: £69.99, Argos
  3. Aarke Carbonator II water carbonator, including PET bottle, silver: £107.23, Amazon

shop water carbonators

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Prices & links correct at time of publication.

Aarke Carbonator II water carbonator, including PET bottle, silver
Aarke Carbonator II water carbonator, including PET bottle, silver
£107.23
SodaStream Spirit Machine, black
SodaStream Spirit Machine, black
£69.99
MySoda Woody sparkling water maker, black
MySoda Woody sparkling water maker, black
£52.80
Aarke Carbonator II water carbonator, including PET bottle, silver
Aarke Carbonator II water carbonator, including PET bottle, silver
£107.23
SodaStream Spirit Machine, black
SodaStream Spirit Machine, black
£69.99
MySoda Woody sparkling water maker, black
MySoda Woody sparkling water maker, black
£52.80
Aarke Carbonator II water carbonator, including PET bottle, silver
Aarke Carbonator II water carbonator, including PET bottle, silver
£107.23
SodaStream Spirit Machine, black
SodaStream Spirit Machine, black
£69.99
MySoda Woody sparkling water maker, black
MySoda Woody sparkling water maker, black
£52.80
Aarke Carbonator II water carbonator, including PET bottle, silver
Aarke Carbonator II water carbonator, including PET bottle, silver
£107.23
SodaStream Spirit Machine, black
SodaStream Spirit Machine, black
£69.99
MySoda Woody sparkling water maker, black
MySoda Woody sparkling water maker, black
£52.80
Aarke Carbonator II water carbonator, including PET bottle, silver
Aarke Carbonator II water carbonator, including PET bottle, silver
£107.23
SodaStream Spirit Machine, black
SodaStream Spirit Machine, black
£69.99
MySoda Woody sparkling water maker, black
MySoda Woody sparkling water maker, black
£52.80

Review: Crozier Drinks

Crozier Drinks mango, lime & cayenne margarita in a glass

Crozier Drinks is a brand new company, launching only last week. They offer a home delivery service of pre-mixed, luxury cocktails using the best-quality fresh ingredients. You can make one off purchases or set up a regular subscription. It makes a lovely treat for yourself or an amazing gift for someone else.

Crozier Drinks box that came through the post

All the packaging is recyclable – we’ve kept the box to send items sold on our web shop and the inner cardboard filler has gone on to our compost heap. The very nice aluminium bottle is totally re-usable for storing & carrying other liquids – or displaying a few cut flowers, perhaps.

Inside of Crozier Drinks unboxing

We opted to try the Mango Lime & Cayenne Pepper Margarita. The beautifully labelled bottle contains gold tequila, mango juice, lime juice, sugar syrup and cayenne pepper – suitable for vegetarians and vegans. This mixture 14% ABV.

Some of the other mixes in their range include marmalade & ginger daiquiri, kiwi & lime mojito, bakewell sour and apple pie martini.

Mango, lime & cayenne margarita

The margarita is very quaffable; the delicious fruitiness of the sweet mango is balanced with a tangy sourness of lime. The cayenne pepper adds a depth of flavour & spicy warmth. Truly delicious!!

Included in the package is an info sheet containing useful garnish ideas and serving suggestions for their whole range of cocktails.

Mango, lime & cayenne margarita with salt & cayenne rim

Each Crozier Drinks bottle holds a 500ml amount of cocktail. The number of cocktails you get will depend on the size of your glass. Somewhere between two and four… or one whopping big one if you’re feeling particularly thirsty!!

Get their look: The Staying Inn home bar

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by abigaillaurax (@abigaillaurax)

We thought that this home bar was a very sweet idea. This year’s Covid crisis, and its associated social lockdowns, has meant restricted opening hours for pubs, bars and clubs… and often no opening hours at all.

So, if you’ve fancied a drink or two, there’s often been no alternative to having them at home. ‘The Staying Inn’ adds a little bit of fun to the experience. It also serves as the perfect backdrop for those online get-togethers on Zoom and FaceTime. You could even go on a virtual pub crawl if your friends install similar bars. Get thinking of some equally good names!

Get their look

Some of the links on our blog are affiliate links. We may receive a small commission - at no cost to you - if you click through and make a purchase.
Prices & links correct at time of publication.

Just for Two 34ml lead crystal white wine glass (set of 2)
Just for Two 34ml lead crystal white wine glass (set of 2)
Haysmith’s rhubarb & ginger gin
Haysmith’s rhubarb & ginger gin
Kraken black spiced rum
Kraken black spiced rum
6-bottle wall mounted wine glass rack
6-bottle wall mounted wine glass rack
The Staying Inn acrylic street sign
The Staying Inn acrylic street sign
Just for Two 34ml lead crystal white wine glass (set of 2)
Just for Two 34ml lead crystal white wine glass (set of 2)
Haysmith’s rhubarb & ginger gin
Haysmith’s rhubarb & ginger gin
Kraken black spiced rum
Kraken black spiced rum
6-bottle wall mounted wine glass rack
6-bottle wall mounted wine glass rack
The Staying Inn acrylic street sign
The Staying Inn acrylic street sign
Just for Two 34ml lead crystal white wine glass (set of 2)
Just for Two 34ml lead crystal white wine glass (set of 2)
Haysmith’s rhubarb & ginger gin
Haysmith’s rhubarb & ginger gin
Kraken black spiced rum
Kraken black spiced rum
6-bottle wall mounted wine glass rack
6-bottle wall mounted wine glass rack
The Staying Inn acrylic street sign
The Staying Inn acrylic street sign

Elderflower and rose cordial

Elderflower and rose cordial drink | H is for Home

What a scorching few weeks we’ve just had! To me, summer officially begins when the wild elderflowers are in bloom.

Black elder shrub | H is for Home

I’ve long wanted a sambucus nigra – or black elder – for the garden; it’s just that little bit more exotic looking than the usual type. What luck, I discovered that there’s one here in our new garden – and it’s a good size too!

Elderflower florettes and pink rose | H is for Home

As well as the elder, we have at least a dozen rose bushes; that’s when I decided this year, I’ll make elderflower and rose cordial.

Glass bowl with elderflower florettes, rose petals and lemon peel | H is for Home

The colours and scents of the elderflowers, rose petals and lemon peel give the cordial a fresh, fragrant, summery look & flavour.

Soaked flowers and caster sugar | H is for Home Syrup and jug of lemon juice | H is for Home

I’d never attempted a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe before; they’re usually quite involved and require ingredients that aren’t the easiest to get hold of… pomegranate molasses, anyone? This one, for me anyway, is doable; florets of elderflower, petals from a single rose, a couple of lemons and caster sugar… that was it! The other great thing about the recipe was it makes less than a litre of the stuff; I find it much easier to double or triple up a recipe than to halve or quarter it. Or is it just me? How do you divide an egg by four?

Home-made elderflower and rose cordial | H is for Home

Anyway, this will be an annual early summer ritual for me from now on. It’s gorgeous – a glug in a glass of fizzy water loaded with ice or a splash in a gin & tonic. I’m going to make some more before the elderflower season is over… I’m hooked!

Click here or on the image below to save the recipe to Pinterest

Drink made with elderflower and rose cordial with sparkling water in a glass with stainless steel straw, lemon garnish and florette of elderflowers

Elderflower and rose cordial drink | H is for Home

Elderflower and rose cordial

Course Drinks
Cuisine British
Servings 800 ml

Ingredients
  

  • 100 g elderflower heads about 12 heads, gently rinsed
  • Shaved skin of 2 small lemons
  • 1 small red rose petals picked (about 20 petals)
  • 500 ml boiling water
  • 325 g caster sugar
  • 125 ml lemon juice

Instructions
 

  • Put the elderflower in a large bowl with the lemon skin and rose petals. Pour over the boiling water and press down the florets, making sure they’re submerged. Leave to cool, then cover the bowl and leave to infuse at room temperature for about 36 hours.
  • Strain the infusion into a medium saucepan, pressing against the flowers with the back of a spoon, to release all the liquid, and discard flowers, branches and rose petals. Add the sugar and lemon juice to the infusion, then turn on the heat to high and cook for three to four minutes, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved, and the liquid is starting to simmer. Take off the heat, leave to cool, then pour into a sterilised bottle, seal and store in the fridge.
Elderflower and rose cordial ingredients
The cordial keeps in a sterilised bottle in the fridge for at least a month.
Keyword elderflower, elderflowers, forage, rose