How to get really cold soda

Soda is one of those odd things that tastes best the colder it is. However, getting it cold enough is hard when it comes off a palstic bottle. There are reasons for this, having to do with thermal inertia of materials. So, glass bottles having joined the dodo and the passenger pigeon and fiscal responsibility, here's my solution:

Take a glass of any size and add some ice, preferably cubed rather than crushed (crushed ice melts more quickly). Put it in the freezer for 10-20 minutes. Take it out from the freezer and place it on a paper towel or a rag on the counter. Take the plastic soda bottle out fo the fridge and pour it slowly in the glass. It will make more foam than usual. let ti settle and keep pouring as needed untilt he glass is full.

Put a straw on it, if you care to, and serve. Sip slowly, unless you like brain-freezes (aka ice/ice cream headaches). Remember to use a coaster.

This will work with a plastic cup, too, but not as well. Glass stays colder longer, and it gets more cold than plastic.

A very thin layer of soda will freeze along the sides of the glass. It freezes so fast it tends to retain gas bubbles (I've tested it). But it should melt back into the soda in a few minutes.

The only thing better than this is a double-walled plastic cup/mug with water in the interstice. But these tend to crack after a few uses and then the water leaks all over.

Enjoy.

so, the secret to get soda really cold is ice?
wow you learn something new every day...
:)

Quote: WongBo

so, the secret to get soda really cold is ice?

No. Ice isn't enough. You freeze the glass. It was very clearly indicated in the instructions: put the glass in the freezer for 10-20 minutes.

Actually I never found a problem making beverages cold enough. The trick is about not freezing them. Also, you still get plenty of glass soda bottles in SEA.

Juts put the plastic bottle right off the +2C fridge into a -18C freezer for an hour or a -24C freezer for 30 minutes. YMMV (SF speeds things up, dual-compressors ae better still), but if you do freeze it - soda isn't beer, no loss when it thaws back.

Alternately, keeping a set of thick-walled glasses in a freezer, especially -24C, works well for practical purposes.

You could try mixing salt and ice together, and cooling the glass and/or soda bottle in that mixture. Not sure if that's going to be colder than your freezer, but adding salt to water lowers its freezing point.

Quote: megapixels

You could try mixing salt and ice together, and cooling the glass and/or soda bottle in that mixture. Not sure if that's going to be colder than your freezer, but adding salt to water lowers its freezing point.

Shattering glass could be a hazard.

Supercold fluids behave strangely. Check out this Youtube video of a bottle of Corona that appears to be fluid at room temperature, but turns solid when the bottle is tapped on a countertop: Youtube Beer Freeze.

I love canned soda that has been chilled in a tub of ice for a long time. The first sip is Brain Freeze City. But I've been known to grab a warm soda from the garage and enjoy that as well. I guess that's due to having a mom from Europe!

I think this was on MythBusters according to my cousin.

Adding salt to water and ice.

My 11 y/o cousin, he does this all the time with plastic bottles and regular cans.
I do not know how true it is, but he always gets me cold drinks in just a few minutes from the drinks in the garage on a shelf :)

Quote: FarFromVegas

But I've been known to grab a warm soda from the garage and enjoy that as well. I guess that's due to having a mom from Europe!

Well, Europeans know that no amount of cooling will improve beer ;)

Thats true, especially in England/Ireland. "Frosted Mugs" on this side of the pond are the staple of any bar worth its salt.

The salt thing to water and ice is true... We made ice cream in chemistry class by putting the ingredients of ice cream into a small coffee can. We then loaded that small can into a larger coffee can and surrounded the smaller can with ice, some water, and salt. I haven't idea why it works but It does. Makes me wonder why salt is thrown on snow in the winter

Along with the Cinnamon Challenge, kids are giving themselves frostbite with the Salt and Ice Challenge and filming it for YouTube.

Some teens are really stupid, in a scientific way.

Salt and water has a lower freezing point than water alone. Salt on ice melts the ice, and if the ambient temperature is higher than that of the salt water, it stays liquid, and therefore, not so slippy.

Quote: FarFromVegas

... Salt and Ice Challenge... really stupid...

=(


;)

Quote: Beardgoat

I haven't idea why it works but It does.

you melted the ice without using heat; in a closed system, heat is taken from the immediate environment. So the temperature really drops, freezing your ice cream.