Hosts making a classic Campari Spritz
Choose neutral soda water. Campari’s UK recipe combines Prosecco, Campari and soda water; tonic or flavoured soda would make a different drink.
Who is each mixer for?
Hosts planning a blood-orange alternative
A blood-orange soda brings a distinct citrus and herbal flavour to a drink with vodka or Italian liqueurs. Treat it as an alternative to the classic spritz, not its neutral soda component.
Gin or vermouth drinkers
Choose tonic when its bitterness and flavour are part of the long drink you intend to serve. Check the particular tonic’s flavour profile against the spirit rather than using it as a stand-in for soda water.
What should you check before choosing?
Start with the drink you plan to make, then compare the mixer’s flavour, ingredients and pack format.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Classic spritz | Look for plain soda water rather than tonic or a flavoured soda. Campari’s UK recipe specifies 3 parts Prosecco, 2 parts Campari and 1 part soda water. | I’m making a Campari Spritz and want the mixer called for in the recipe, without adding another flavour. |
| Citrus flavour | Check whether the drink calls for a flavoured soda or an orange tonic: tonic brings its own bitter character. Fever-Tree describes its Italian Blood Orange Soda as combining Sicilian blood orange with a herbal blend. | For a fruit-led drink with vodka or an Italian liqueur, I’d choose a citrus mixer deliberately rather than add it to a classic spritz by mistake. |
| Tonic character | Compare the named tonic style and its ingredients. Fentimans describes citrus and herbal notes in its Indian Tonic Water and recommends its Valencian Orange Tonic Water for citrus or herbaceous gin. | I’m serving a spirit-led long drink and want the mixer’s bitter or botanical flavour to be noticeable. |
| Ingredients and labelling | Read the nutrition and ingredient information for the exact variant; a light tonic is not necessarily sugar-free or unflavoured. For guests with allergies, check the pack: GOV.UK says any of the 14 specified allergens in prepacked food or drink must be clearly labelled. | Before serving guests, I want to know what is in the bottle or can I’ve bought, rather than rely on the mixer’s name. |
Mixers that can change the drink
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Using tonic as the soda in a classic spritz
Campari’s UK Campari Spritz recipe calls for soda water. Tonic contributes a distinct bitter flavour, so the result is a variation rather than the specified drink.
Buy plain soda water for the classic recipe; save tonic for a drink in which you want tonic flavour.
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Choosing a flavoured soda for a neutral top-up
Blood-orange soda adds citrus and herbal flavour where plain soda would leave the other ingredients more prominent.
Decide whether you want the classic Campari Spritz or a fruit-led alternative before selecting the mixer.
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Reading “light” as “sugar-free”
“Light” describes a particular product variant; it does not tell you everything about its ingredients or make tonic equivalent to plain soda water.
Read the exact variant’s nutrition and ingredient panel if sugar content or flavouring matters for your serve.
Relevant brand ranges
These ranges illustrate different mixer types; a brand name alone does not tell you whether a bottle suits a classic spritz.
Fever-Tree
Its range includes Premium Soda Water, Italian Blood Orange Soda and Indian tonic variants, covering neutral, citrus-led and tonic serves.
- Fever-Tree describes its Premium Soda Water as having no aroma, which makes it a relevant option when plain soda is required.
- Its blood-orange soda and tonics add their own flavours; they are not neutral substitutes in Campari’s classic spritz recipe.
Fentimans
Fentimans offers Soda Water alongside orange and Indian tonic styles.
- Its Soda Water provides a plain-mixer route, while the tonic styles offer citrus or herbal flavour for spirit-led drinks.
- Choose the particular product, not just the brand: a flavoured tonic changes a drink that calls for neutral soda.
Schweppes
Indian and Slimline tonic variants are relevant when planning tonic-based long drinks.
- The named variants give shoppers distinct tonic options to compare by pack label and format.
- Neither tonic variant should be assumed to perform the role of plain soda water in a classic Campari Spritz.
Tesco
Own-label soda water and tonic types are relevant to the same product-type decision.
- Check the product name to distinguish a plain soda-water option from an Indian or low-calorie tonic.
- Check the exact pack’s ingredients and nutrition information before treating variants as interchangeable.
Britvic
Britvic’s Indian tonic range is another reference point for shoppers considering a tonic-led serve.
- An Indian tonic belongs with the spirit-and-tonic options, rather than the neutral soda route.
- Check the current product’s label for its ingredients and format before choosing it for guests.
Joybuy tonic options
These are tonic-water options for spirit-led long drinks at an Italian night. For a classic Campari Spritz, choose plain soda water instead.
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Schweppes Slimline Tonic Water 12 × 150 ml
A tonic option for a spirit-led long drink, supplied as 12 × 150 ml cans. It is not plain soda water for a classic Campari Spritz; check the exact pack’s ingredients when serving guests.
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Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Premium Indian Tonic Water 15 × 150 ml
A light Indian tonic option for a spirit-led long drink, in a 15 × 150 ml pack. “Light” does not mean plain soda or necessarily sugar-free; read the exact pack label if that distinction matters.
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Fever-Tree Naturally Light Tonic Water 8 × 150 ml
An 8 × 150 ml tonic pack for long drinks where tonic flavour is wanted. Check this variant’s nutrition and ingredient panel rather than assuming “light” means sugar-free; use soda water for a classic Campari Spritz.
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Schweppes Indian Tonic Water 12 × 150 ml
An Indian tonic option for gin- or vodka-led long drinks, supplied as 12 × 150 ml cans. Choose it for a tonic serve, not as the neutral soda component of a classic Campari Spritz.
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Fever-Tree Indian Tonic Water 8 × 150 ml
An 8 × 150 ml Indian tonic pack for spirit-led long drinks. Its tonic character makes it a different choice from plain soda water; check the exact pack label for ingredients and nutrition information.
Questions about Italian-night mixers
Do I need tonic water for a classic Campari Spritz?
No. Campari’s UK recipe specifies Prosecco, Campari and soda water. Use tonic only if you intend to make a different drink with tonic’s flavour.
Can blood-orange soda replace soda water?
It can make a citrus-led alternative, but it will not preserve the classic Campari Spritz recipe. Fever-Tree describes its Italian Blood Orange Soda as combining Sicilian blood orange with a herbal blend; consider it for a drink with vodka or an Italian liqueur.
Does a light tonic contain no sugar?
Do not assume so from “light” in the name. Check the nutrition panel on the exact tonic variant, and choose plain soda water if the drink calls for a neutral mixer.
What should I check when serving a guest with an allergy?
Check the label on the exact bottle or can you will serve. GOV.UK says that any of the 14 specified allergens present in prepacked food or drink must be clearly labelled; ask the producer or retailer if you need clarification about that product.