After reading Morgenthaler’s Post on how to build your own carbonating system, we couldn’t wait to build one for ourselves. If you are thinking about doing it, don’t hesitate. Building this Carbonating system could not be easier!

Hear that Fizz:

For the Equipment I purchased the exact equipment that Kevin Liu outlined in his blog post

Equipment:

• Carbon Dioxide Tank
• Pressure Regulator
• Paintball Adapter 
• 5/16″ gas line with ball lock
• Carbonater Cap Adapter
• Finished product storage bottle- I just used a recycled 2 Liter Coke bottle. The Carbonater Cap will fit on most Coke and Pepsi bottles. Obviously only pressurize plastic bottles, as glass bottles have a tendency to explode under pressure.
• Plumbers tape– To ensure a good seal

Setup:

1. Be careful when setting up this system. The CO2 canister is filled with highly pressurized gas
2. Add plumbers tape to any exposed  threads- I added some to the top of the Paintball container and to the top of the paintball adapter.
3. Connect the paintball adapter to the regulator using a wrench. Make sure that the nylon o-ring is between the adapter and the regulator to ensure that no gas escapes. Be careful not to apply too much force when connecting the 2 pieces, as the nylon o-ring can break.
4. Add the hose with the ball lock to the regulator output side and secure the locking sleeve with a screwdriver. Once again tight, but not too tight.
5. Now add the paintball tank and pressurize the system. My regulator was turned all the way down to 0 when it arrived, so I simply turned the regulator control valve until the needle reached 35 PSI
6. Add the Carbonater Cap to whatever liquid you want to carbonate and have fun 

Now for some tips on carbonating

• If you are serving the carbonated beverage immediately, 35 PSI is recommended
• If you are bottle carbonating, the recommended PSI is 65 PSI. (Recommendations are from the inventor of the Perlinni System)
• Get your beverage chilled before carbonation, as more CO2 will be dissolved in the liquid.
• Shake the beverage container as you are carbonating. This will help to dissolve the gas into the liquid.
• Dissolved CO2  will make your beverage slightly more acidic, so adjust your acid accordingly.
• If you are setting up this system for long term use, I would recommend securing the CO2 canister to something solid, in case there is a rapid release of gas from the canister. This will prevent the canister from punching holes in the wall as the gas quickly escapes the canister.
• Have fun carbonating 

Do you have some cocktails that you love carbonating? Leave your cocktail ideas in the comments below :