For some reason, Sodastream bottles only come in boring colors in the US. Black, White, Gray or for a small fortune, Chrome. They have recently added a green and orange .5 liter twin pack to the line up, but If you don't mind taking a little trip, these varieties, plus a few more are available. My personal favorite is the blue in the upper left. All you have to do is go to Israel!Just kidding! There is a seller in Israel on Ebay that you can get them from. Just search for Sodastream Bottles. Now you have a bottle that stands out from the crowd and has a little zing!
Which brings us to our main discussion. What to do with the bottles of flavor? hmmmm
Due to the design of the flavor bottles it is quite difficult to tell which bottle has which flavor unless you are looking at it straight on. This is something I hope, but doubt, Sodastream designers would fix in the future. If they would just print what was in the bottle on the side as well as the front of the bottle, then it would be easier to line them up and grab what you want with a glance.
If your tastes are like ours, then you like to have a variety of drinks to choose from depending on mood or time of day (caffeine/no caffeine). We tend to have between 6-8 flavor bottles open at any given time. This is very unsightly sitting on your countertops.
To store them in cabinets would require the bottles to face forward to see what is in them and hence, would take up a decent amount of space while making it difficult to find the flavor you are craving without digging. If you have several family members using the Sodastream, this quickly gets very annoying.If you're lucky enough to have a large pantry, this could be a solution, but most of us don't. I do happen to have a pantry at this time, but it is in the laundry room on the far side of the kitchen and frankly, I'm too lazy to walk all the way over there and then put it back. My bad.
So I started thinking of different ways to keep the syrup on the counter but making it a little more aesthetically pleasing.
Idea #1 - Dispenser pump bottles pictured at right. This idea worked overall. It kept the counter cleaner appear less cluttered while giving it an almost Malt Shop feel.The downsides.
- These bottles only hold 16 oz. The flavor bottles are 16.9 oz. so there were always 'leftovers'.
- It requires 6-9 pumps depending on how far you push down to get the right amount
- The pumps are shorter than the bottles, so you have to do some manuevering
For our needs, it just wasn't practical.
Idea #2 - Three weeks ago my husband and I enjoyed a bottle of Sangria and this idea popped into my head. Why not refill the bottle with Sodastream flavoring?
So I washed out the bottle with hot soapy water being careful not to get the label wet because I have not yet decided if I want it on the bottle or not and filled it with my favorite "I haven't finished my chores yet" pick me up, Diet Fountain Mist (aka Diet Mountain Dew). Based on my calculations (included at the bottom of this post) I purchased a Bartenders Measured Pourer in the 1.5 oz size because I like my Mist (aka Dew) a little on the strronger side (all the way to the top of the flavor bottle cap). The pourers come with graduated rings that form a snug fit to any standard size wine (750ml) or liquor bottle. They also come in numerous colors and pour volumes (see calculations at bottom of post).
Voila! After a week of using my bottle, I am very happy. The bottle holds almost 25 ounces so when the bottle gets down to about a third full, you can add another flavor bottle and you'll always have a visual of where you are with flavor so you can keep stocked. Nothing is more irritating than reaching for a flavor bottle, only to find someone left a splash in the bottom that won't even make a liter.
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So now we have an excellent way to recycle our wine bottles and as we get a new bottle with an interesting design we can just swap it out for an older one. I guess I need to start drinking! There are some great liquor bottles out there, we just don't drink liquor.
To make it look cooler, I'm thinking of a countertop wine rack like this one, just have to reverse how the bottles are put in to the spout is up, not down.
Now the dilema. How much syrup, in fluid ounces, does it take to make a liter? Well I love any reason to create a new Excel spreadsheet so this was like a party for me!
Don't worry, I'm not going to show all the calculations, just the applicable results for a one liter bottle. If you use the half liter bottle, just divide by 2 and round to the closest size.
If you'd like to try this, here are some numbers you may want to know:
If you follow Sodastream directions and fill the cap to the top line, the you need a 1.25 (1 1/4) Fl.Oz. pourer.
If you like it a little stronger and fill the cap all the way up (I do this with the Ginger Ale always), then you need a 1.5 (1 1/2) Fl.Oz. pourer.
Finally, if you like it a little weaker and don't fill the cap to the measuring line, then you need a 1 Fl.Oz. pourer, which is a standard shot glass size.
If you do decide to try this let me know how it works for you by commenting below.
Do you have a creative way of storing your Sodastream flavor bottles? If so, I'd love to see it and post it for others to get ideas, just shoot me a comment and let me know you have pictures and I'll send you my email.
If you'd like to read my review of our Sodastream Genesis, you can read it here: Sodastream Review