Disclosure: This guide contains Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. You don't pay more for using them. This is a buying guide. One product in it, the sparkling water maker, is one I own and use, and that pick says so. The others are chosen from research and have not been tested here. See the disclosure for details.
A home drink station: sparkling water, Italian sodas, iced tea and cold brew
Working from home means every drink comes from your own kitchen. A small drink station makes that a pleasure: cold fizzy water on demand, a flavored soda when you want a treat, and a pitcher of iced tea or cold brew waiting in the fridge. It can cost less per glass than cans and café runs, and you decide exactly what goes in.
Last updated
Start with one thing you will use every day. For most people that is either a sparkling water maker or a big pitcher for iced tea. Add a bottle or two of syrup and a glass with a lid, and you have a drink station. Everything else here is a nice extra.
The fizz
Sparkling water on demand, and the flavors to turn it into a soda.
1. A sparkling water maker
Fill the bottle with cold water, press, and you have sparkling water in a few seconds. No cans to carry home or recycle, and you choose how fizzy it is.
Hands-on: I have had a SodaStream Terra since August 2026 and I love it. The drinks come out fresh, crisp and bursting with nose-tickling bubbles. The best part is that you choose the flavor, or flavors, and whether it is sugar-free or extra sweet. I enjoy how easy and versatile it is: whether it is sparkling water, flavored name-brand soft drinks or non-alcoholic mimosas, it does not disappoint. It is made of sturdy materials, the gas bottles are easy to install, and you control the amount of bubbles by pressing for more or less gas. Mine is the smaller Sparkling Water Bundle of the same machine; the link below goes to the bundle with two gas cylinders and three bottles.
Look for: a bundle that includes at least one gas cylinder and one bottle, and check how cylinder refills or exchanges work where you live before you buy. Carbonate plain water only, then add the flavor afterwards.
The one I use: the SodaStream Terra sparkling water maker (bundle with two cylinders) on Amazon →
Or browse all sparkling water makers →
2. Flavored syrups
An Italian soda is simply flavored syrup and sparkling water over ice, with a splash of cream if you want a cream soda. A variety pack lets you find a favorite before committing to a big bottle of one flavor. Look for: a variety pack of four, and a sugar-free version if you are watching sugar.
Fruit flavors for sodas: the Torani Soda Shop syrup variety pack (raspberry, peach, vanilla, strawberry) on Amazon →
Sugar-free, good for cream sodas and coffee: the Torani sugar-free Café variety pack on Amazon →
Or browse all soda syrups →
The still drinks
Make a batch once, pour from the fridge all week.
3. An iced tea pitcher
A glass pitcher with a tight lid is the workhorse of a drink station. Use it for iced tea, lemonade, fruit water or a batch of cold brew. Look for: glass that will not hold flavors, an airtight lid so it can lie on a fridge shelf, and a size that fits your fridge door.
One to look at: the Spreccio mason jar glass pitcher with lid (64 oz) on Amazon →
Or browse all glass pitchers →
4. A cold brew maker
Cold brew is coffee steeped in cold water for 12 to 24 hours. It is smooth, less sharp than hot-brewed coffee, and keeps in the fridge for days, so one batch covers a working week. Also in the coffee station guide, with two pitcher-style alternatives. Look for: a reusable filter and a carafe that fits your fridge.
One to look at: the OXO Brew cold brew coffee maker on Amazon →
Or browse all cold brew makers →
Storing and serving
The part that makes it look like a station and not a cluttered counter.
5. Flip-top glass bottles
For anything you make in a batch: homemade simple syrup, iced tea, lemonade, cold brew. The clamp stopper seals tight, and a row of them looks good on a shelf or in the fridge door. Look for: thick glass, spare seals, and a funnel and brush in the box.
One to look at: the AYL flip-top glass bottles (set of 6) on Amazon →
Or browse all flip-top bottles →
6. Syrup dispensers
Pouring syrup from the original bottle gets sticky fast. Dispensers with a pump or a pour spout give you the same amount every time and keep the counter clean. Look for: glass, labels in the box, and a pump or spout that comes apart for washing.
With metal pour spouts: the Shining Craft syrup dispenser set of 4 on Amazon →
With pumps: the New England Stories syrup dispenser set of 6 on Amazon →
Dark green glass, two bottles: the Verspace glass dispenser bottles on Amazon →
Or browse all syrup dispensers →
7. A glass cup with a lid and straw
A lid keeps a cold drink safe next to a keyboard, and glass does not hold yesterday's flavor. Look for: a silicone sleeve for grip, and a lid that takes a straw.
One to look at: the Pandaloo glass cup with lid and straw (20 oz) on Amazon →
Or browse all glass cups with lids →
8. Reusable glass straws
A small thing that makes a homemade soda feel finished, and you can see at a glance that they are clean. Look for: a mix of straight and bent straws and a cleaning brush in the set.
One to look at: the Piteno reusable glass straws (set of 12 with brushes) on Amazon →
Or browse all reusable straws →
9. A tray
A tray is what turns a few bottles on a counter into a station. It keeps everything in one place, catches drips, and lifts off in one go when you need the counter back. Look for: raised edges, a wipe-clean surface, and a size that fits your counter. Measure before you order.
Small, for two or three bottles: the Ayiaren acacia wood tray (10 x 5.5 in, larger sizes on the same page) on Amazon →
Bigger, with handles: the Fibogollo bamboo serving tray (15 x 10 in) on Amazon →
Or browse all wood trays →
Easy starter sets
- Soda bar: sparkling water maker, a syrup variety pack, glass straws
- Iced tea and cold brew: a pitcher, a cold brew maker, a glass cup with a lid
- Homemade syrups: flip-top bottles for the batch, dispensers and a tray for the counter
Think twice
- A sparkling water maker, until you know where you will swap the gas cylinders
- More syrup flavors than you will finish. Start with one variety pack
- Tall bottles and pitchers, until you have measured your fridge shelf
More for the workspace
For hot drinks, see the desk-side coffee station. For the rest of the room, see 12 desk setup upgrades for work and play and the small-space desk and chair guide.
Prices and availability on Amazon change often, so check the current listing before you buy. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Want to come back to this? Save the guide to one of your Pinterest boards.
Save to Pinterest