Soda syphon

The soda syphon, also known as the seltzer bottle or syphon seltzer bottle is a device for dispensing soda water. As early as 1790, the concept of an "aerosol" was introduced in France with self-pressurized carbonated beverages, but the modern syphon was created in 1829, when two Frenchmen patented a hollow corkscrew which could be inserted into a soda bottle and by use of a valve allowed a portion of the contents to be dispensed while maintaining the pressure on the inside of the bottle and hence preventing the remaining soda going flat.

Soda syphons were popular in the 1920s and 1930s but the rise of bottled carbonated beverages and the destruction of many of their manufacturers' plants in Eastern Europe during World War II lead to a decline in their popularity in the years after the war.

Commercial production and delivery of pre-filled bottles of seltzer continued in the New York, USA region into the 1980s.

The seltzer bottle is an indispensable prop in classic physical comedy.