Homemade Seltzer Water Is the Cocktail Ingredient You Need

As someone who owns several beverage carbonators, I didn’t think I’d need to change how I make fizzy water. But during a conversation (and an Irish Coffee) with Teeling Brand Ambassador Ciarraí Kelly earlier this spring, she brought up her obsession with homemade carbonation. Forget the SodaStream — Kelly had hacked together a carbonating system with just a few pieces of equipment — which, it turns out, is not hard to do.

Why? Well, for improved or preferred carbonation. A commercial-made carbonator will usually get you about 30-35 psi (pounds per square inch, a number that determines the level of carbon dioxide dissolved in your beverage). But some people want more, or at least the ability to determine the exact psi for their drinks.

Some things you’ll need for fizzy water: A CO2 tank, carbonator caps and a regulator.

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“I got interested in making fizzy water when I was bartending at Hawksmoor in London,” Kelly says. “We started making carbonated cocktails. The folks from Crucible — a company that started as a test kitchen for bars/bartenders — taught us the basics, and I found it super interesting. Once I moved to New York to open Hawksmoor NYC in 2020, I did some research and found out how easy and affordable it was to set up at home.”

Plus, setting up your own carbonation station pays off in the long run beyond fizz-perfect water. “I drink seltzer all the time, so learning how to do it at home was much more affordable than constantly [buying bottled seltzer],” Kelly says.

A brief homemade seltzer water how-to with Kelly, below:

InsideHook: What equipment do you use to make homemade seltzer water?

Ciarraí Kelly: You only need three pieces of equipment, plus an empty plastic bottle: A carbon dioxide tank, a regulator and a carbonation cap. There are many websites with step-by-step guides on how to put the equipment together [this is a particularly good one]. If it’s a home setup, I recommend a five-pound CO2 tank.

Review: Breville’s InFizz Fusion Aims for Creative Home Bartenders

It’s a handsome machine that’ll carbonate any liquid — yes, including booze

Any setup tips?

One thing to note is that the liquid you are going to charge, whether it’s just water to make seltzer or a cocktail, needs to be very cold. So I keep a bunch of bottles of water in my fridge that will be cold enough to charge at any time. Once the tank runs out, you can bring it in to be replaced. I’ve found scuba and welding stores to be the best places to do that.

How easy or difficult is it to make your own carbonated water?

You can easily pick up the equipment on Amazon! You can also support your local homebrew shop, and they can help walk you through the setup. I find that a five-pound CO2 tank can last for up to six months, so it works out so much cheaper than buying seltzer at the store.

What specifically are you trying to achieve? Is there a quantifiable level of fizzy you want?

It’s down to preference. I like to drink seltzer that is around 50psi, but some people prefer 80psi, where the bubbles are more intense. Once you’re set up, you can try different levels by changing the pressure on the regulator.