Bonfire Night hosts serving mixed-age groups
Keep an alcohol-free bottled drink alongside party food and hot drinks. Plain still water gives guests an unflavoured choice; sparkling or sugar-free flavoured water can add variety.
Who is this for?
Shoppers avoiding added sugar
Choose by the exact product label, not a general impression that a drink is lighter. Flavoured waters with similar names can have different ingredients.
Guests who prefer fruit flavour
A sugar-free flavoured water may suit their taste, but check its ingredients separately if they prefer to avoid sweeteners such as sucralose or acesulfame K.
What should you check?
Decide which drink styles to serve, then check the exact flavoured varieties and bottle formats before buying.
Plain still water
Choose when: Guests want unflavoured water without added sweeteners.
Bear in mind: It offers neither fizz nor fruit flavour.
Plain sparkling water
Choose when: Guests want a fizzy drink without choosing a flavoured variety.
Bear in mind: Check that the bottle is plain sparkling water if you want to avoid flavourings.
Sugar-free flavoured water
Choose when: Fruit flavour matters and the listed sweeteners suit your guests.
Bear in mind: Sugar-free does not mean unsweetened: Volvic lists acesulfame K and sucralose in its Sugar Free Lemon & Lime 750ml.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Added sugar | Read the claim and ingredient list on the exact bottle. Compare the sugars declaration using the same per-100ml or per-serving basis. | I want a drink without added sugar, not simply a flavoured drink described as lower in sugar. Volvic lists sugar and 5.8g sugars per 250ml in its standard Touch of Fruit Lemon & Lime 500ml. |
| Sweeteners | Check flavoured-water ingredients for sweeteners. Tesco lists sucralose in Highland Spring Sugar Free Strawberry 1.25L; Volvic lists acesulfame K and sucralose in Sugar Free Lemon & Lime 750ml. | If I want to avoid sweeteners as well as added sugar, I would choose plain water or inspect each flavoured bottle before serving it. |
| Drink style | Identify still, plain sparkling and flavoured products separately. A carbonated water is not necessarily a fruit-flavoured drink. | Some guests may want unflavoured water, while others would choose bubbles or fruit flavour. More than one style would give them a choice. |
| Bottle format | Compare bottle volume and pack count with how you plan to serve drinks. Follow the storage instructions for the product after opening. | For pouring at a table, I might choose larger bottles; individual bottles may be easier to hand out to guests. |
Common buying mistakes
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Treating lower sugar as no added sugar
A flavoured drink can still list sugar as an ingredient. Volvic says its standard Touch of Fruit Lemon & Lime 500ml contains sugar and has 5.8g sugars per 250ml serving.
For a no-added-sugar choice, check the claim, ingredients and sugars declaration on the exact variety.
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Assuming sugar-free means unsweetened
Tesco lists sucralose in Highland Spring Sugar Free Strawberry; Volvic lists acesulfame K and sucralose in Sugar Free Lemon & Lime 750ml.
If guests want no sweeteners, choose plain still or sparkling water, or inspect the flavoured product’s ingredients.
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Serving only one drink style
A single flavoured option leaves no unflavoured choice; plain still water alone offers no fizz.
Consider serving plain still water alongside plain sparkling water or a checked sugar-free flavoured variety.
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Substituting a similarly named variety
Volvic’s standard and Sugar Free Touch of Fruit Lemon & Lime products have different ingredient lists, so a substituted bottle may not meet the same requirement.
Check the full variant name and physical label when buying or accepting a substitution.
Brand and retailer references
These ranges illustrate the label differences worth checking; a brand name alone does not identify the ingredients of every variety.
Highland Spring
Offers plain water and flavoured still-water varieties relevant to a Bonfire Night drinks table.
- Tesco lists Sugar Free Strawberry 1.25L as no added sugar, with 0g sugars per 100ml.
- That Strawberry variety contains sucralose, so it is not an unsweetened choice.
Volvic
Its standard Touch of Fruit and Sugar Free Touch of Fruit varieties need to be distinguished by their full names and labels.
- Volvic lists 0g sugars per 250ml serving for Sugar Free Lemon & Lime 750ml.
- That variety contains sweeteners. Volvic’s standard Lemon & Lime 500ml instead lists sugar and 5.8g sugars per 250ml.
Buxton
A reference for unflavoured still or sparkling mineral water.
- Tesco describes its Sparkling Natural Mineral Water 1.5L as carbonated natural mineral water.
- It provides fizz rather than fruit flavour; check the specific format and bottle size you need.
evian
A reference for plain natural mineral water, including individual bottles.
- Sainsbury’s describes an evian 500ml bottle as natural mineral water.
- Check the pack format if you need larger bottles for pouring rather than individual servings.
Tesco
A retailer whose listings show plain water and sugar-free flavoured varieties from different brands.
- Its Highland Spring Strawberry listing gives both a no-added-sugar description and an ingredient list naming sucralose.
- Read the current label for the exact product rather than applying one variety’s details to another.
Sainsbury’s
A retailer with own-label plain spring water and listings for flavoured water from other brands.
- Its own-label 2L bottle is described as still spring water.
- Its Volvic Sugar Free Mango & Passion listing describes a flavoured drink with sweeteners; check labels when choosing between ranges.
Joybuy bottled-water options
These options cover plain still water, plain sparkling water and a strawberry-flavoured choice for a Bonfire Night gathering. Compare their bottle formats and check the flavoured option’s label if sweeteners matter.
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Highland Spring Sugar Free Strawberry Still Flavoured Water, 6 × 1.25L
The six-bottle pack offers a flavoured still-water option for serving a group. Tesco lists sucralose in the Strawberry 1.25L variety, so check the bottle’s ingredients if guests prefer to avoid sweeteners.
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Highland Spring Still Water, 6 × 1.5L
A pack of six larger bottles for pouring plain still water at a gathering. It does not provide fizz or fruit flavour, so consider a separate choice if guests want either.
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Highland Spring Sparkling Spring Water, 6 × 1L
Six 1L bottles provide a plain fizzy option for guests. This is sparkling spring water rather than a fruit-flavoured drink.
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Buxton Sparkling Water, 8 × 500ml
The eight-bottle pack provides individual servings of sparkling water. Its 500ml bottles serve a different purpose from larger bottles set out for pouring.
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FIJI Water Natural Artesian Still Water, 24 × 330ml
The 24-pack offers smaller individual bottles of plain still water for guests. Choose a larger-bottle format instead if you plan to pour and share water at the table.
Frequently asked questions
Does no added sugar mean a flavoured water has no sweeteners?
No. Tesco lists sucralose in Highland Spring Sugar Free Strawberry 1.25L, and Volvic lists acesulfame K and sucralose in its Sugar Free Lemon & Lime 750ml. Read the ingredients if avoiding sweeteners matters to you.
Is a lower-sugar flavoured water suitable when I want no added sugar?
Not necessarily. Volvic lists sugar as an ingredient in its standard Touch of Fruit Lemon & Lime 500ml, with 5.8g sugars per 250ml serving. Check the exact variety’s claim and ingredients rather than substituting it for a sugar-free version.
What can I serve guests who dislike plain still water?
Offer plain sparkling water for fizz, or a checked sugar-free flavoured water if fruit flavour suits them. The NHS suggests sparkling water as an option for people who do not like the taste of plain water; check flavoured-water ingredients separately for sweeteners.
How should I store large bottles after opening?
Follow the instructions on the exact bottle. Sainsbury’s says its British Bottled Still Spring Water 5L should be refrigerated after opening and used within three days; do not assume that instruction applies to every product.
Should I recheck ingredients when buying a familiar variety?
Yes. Tesco and Sainsbury’s advise shoppers to read current product labels because product information can change. This matters particularly when you are choosing between similarly named standard and sugar-free flavoured waters.