Page 90 - Experience Magazine Fall 2023

SIPPING LITTLE KNOWN TO MANY

AND AN INTERESTING FACT:
The origins of soda fountains can
SODA be traced back to pharmacies. Today
when you think of soda fountains, a
plethora of images rushes to mind:
the colossal 44-ounce Big Gulp
available at 7-Eleven, the drink
A QUICK HISTORY OF dispenser at your cherished fast-
food joint and perhaps gleaming
SODA FOUNTAINS stainless-steel counters with a ’50s
AND THEIR diner vibe. Remarkably, from the
COLLECTIBILITY early 20th century until the 1960s,
both city dwellers and small-town
residents relished carbonated
beverages at local soda fountains
found mainly inside drug stores.
Soda’s origin is medicinal,
stemming from naturally
carbonated waters found in volcanic
springs. Due to transportation
challenges, only pharmacies initially
stocked it. Its effervescent properties
made it a prescribed remedy
for stomach issues. Researchers,
fascinated by its lack of side effects,
explored and recreated the process
of dissolving chemical compounds
of gas bubbles in water, leading to
the soda we know today.
The first application of creating
man-made carbonated water can
be traced back to 1767, when an
Englishman discovered the process
using yeast, though the term
“soda water” was not coined until
1798. Over time, the imitation
of carbonated mineral waters
advanced, transitioning to a blend
of sodium bicarbonate and tartaric
acid in water. To enhance the drink’s
taste, fruit juices and artificial flavors
were later incorporated.
In the quest for mass-producing
SOLD! LAS VEGAS 2023 artificially carbonated water,
1950s STAINLESS-STEEL SODA FOUNTAIN cost-effective methods remained
IN COCA-COLA REGALIA elusive until 1832 when a British-
$80,500 born inventor introduced an