Thirsty Thursday: Things to Do with Club Soda

The Frugal Hostess loves a cocktail. Boy, does she. Same is true for beer and wine. She doesn’t remember much about her best cocktail experiences, so she’s quite certain they were lovely.

However, there are times when a ride on the wagon is most appropriate. Should you decide to take such a ride, TFH suggests club soda served a variety of ways: with a squeeze of fresh orange; several drops of homemade grenadine (coming soon to Make It Yourself Monday); ginger beer; or key lime juice. And should you be left with any club soda once you’re back on the sauce, you can use it up in one of the following ways.

Pancakes

Substitute club soda for the liquid called for in the recipe, and revel in the lightest and most fluffy pancakes you’ve ever had. (And you know how TFH feels about pancakes; The Frugal Husband makes his Famous Weekend Pancakes every weekend based on her non-stop whining.)

Plants

Use club soda to water your indoor and outdoor plants. The minerals are said to help them grow. (The word “said” is used here because TFH has no idea if this is true or not, based on her inability to keep a houseplant green, even if it were made from green plastic.)

Oysters

If you love oysters but find shucking them to be a near-impossible chore, try soaking them in club soda before you shuck. The oysters won't exactly jump out of their shells, but they will be much easier to open. (Untested theory, FYI. But TFH plans to get right on this as soon as an R shows up in the month.)

Jewels

Soak your diamonds, rubies, and emeralds in club soda to make them sparkle. Drop jewels in a glass of club soda, and let them sit overnight. (Skip this for pearls, darlings).

Photo by Rodrigo Paoletti