Campers making drinks over several days
Concentrate lets you mix drinks as needed instead of packing every serving ready-made. Compare the stated dilution and servings, then work out where you will get sparkling water and whether you can carry both.
Who is each option for?
Shoppers comparing prepared-drink sugar
Check nutrition for the drink as diluted, alongside its sweeteners and ingredients. “No added sugar” is not the same as sugar-free: Tesco lists 0.5g sugars per prepared 300ml glass for its cited quadruple-strength tropical squash.
Cordial drinkers with cold storage
Fruit or botanical cordial can be mixed with sparkling water, but the cited Waitrose and Belvoir Farm examples require refrigeration after opening. Check the bottle material against your event’s rules, too.
What should you check before packing?
Choose between mixing at camp and taking finished drinks, then check the water, pack and storage requirements of the exact product.
Squash and sparkling water
Choose it when: You want to mix fruit-flavoured drinks as needed; compare standard and more concentrated bottles by their stated dilution.
Plan for: Sparkling water must be carried or obtained separately, and the finished drink’s ingredients depend on the squash you choose.
Cordial and sparkling water
Choose it when: You want a particular fruit or botanical cordial serve and can follow its dilution directions.
Plan for: Check sugar per prepared serving, refrigeration after opening and whether the container is allowed at your event.
Ready-to-drink sparkling drinks
Choose them when: Avoiding mixing matters more than carrying each finished serving.
Plan for: Each drink needs its own pack; check your festival’s container and quantity rules before buying.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Servings and carrying | Compare bottle size with the stated dilution and prepared servings. Tesco labels its 1.5L quadruple-strength tropical squash as 100 servings, with 15ml making a 300ml drink. | I want to mix several drinks at camp. I also need to account for the sparkling water, whether I carry it in or obtain it there. |
| Sparkling serve | Check the chosen concentrate’s dilution directions and add sparkling water when serving. Waitrose suggests one part of its Raspberry & Pomegranate Cordial to four parts sparkling or still water. | I would rather control the flavour and fizz as I make a drink than pack every drink ready-made. |
| Nutrition and ingredients | Compare energy and sugars on the same prepared-drink basis. Read the ingredients and allergen declaration on the exact pack, including any sweeteners or sulphites. | “No added sugar” alone does not tell me the prepared drink’s sugar content or whether its ingredients suit everyone sharing it. |
| Container rules | Check your named event’s current prohibited-items and quantity rules, then confirm the pack material. Glastonbury Festival’s 2025 guidance prohibited glass; that rule does not establish other festivals’ policies. | I need a container I can take through the entrance and carry to the campsite. |
| Storage after opening | Read the exact post-opening instruction. Waitrose says to refrigerate its cited cordial below 5°C; Belvoir Farm also instructs refrigeration for Summer Punch Cordial. | If I have no reliable cold storage, I need to settle the opened-bottle question before packing. |
Packing mistakes to avoid
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Assuming “sparkling squash” must come ready-made
Squash can be mixed with sparkling water at serving time; M&S explicitly suggests this. Ready-to-drink choices avoid mixing but require you to pack each finished drink.
Decide whether you would rather bring concentrate and arrange sparkling water, or carry ready-made drinks.
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Taking a glass cordial bottle without checking entry rules
The cited Waitrose cordial comes in glass. Glastonbury Festival’s 2025 guidance said glass would be confiscated, though another event may set different rules.
Check your festival’s current policy before buying or transferring a drink into another container; follow the product’s storage instructions.
Where glass is prohibited, a confiscated bottle would leave you without the drink you packed.
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Reading “no added sugar” as an ingredient guarantee
A prepared drink can still contain sugars or sweeteners. The cited Tesco squash lists both sugars per prepared glass and sweeteners; its ingredients also include sodium metabisulphite.
Compare prepared-drink nutrition and read the ingredients and allergen declaration for the exact flavour and pack.
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Using unopened-bottle storage directions after opening
The cited Waitrose and Belvoir Farm cordials require refrigeration after opening, which needs planning at a multi-day camp.
Check the post-opening label before packing, and only open a bottle you can store and use as directed.
Brand and range references
These examples illustrate different squash and cordial formats; check the exact product rather than assuming directions apply across a whole range.
Robinsons
Fruit-flavoured squash in several pack formats, including no-added-sugar options listed by Tesco Groceries.
- Tesco Groceries lists 1L, 1.75L and 66ml mini no-added-sugar formats.
- Check the selected flavour’s dilution, ingredients and post-opening directions on its pack.
Tesco
An own-label example for comparing concentration with the number of prepared servings.
- Tesco labels its cited 1.5L quadruple-strength tropical squash as 100 servings, diluted one part squash to 19 parts water.
- That product lists sweeteners and sodium metabisulphite; read its ingredients if these matter to your group.
M&S
M&S suggests pairing squash with still or sparkling water and lists high-juice options.
- Its squash guidance explicitly includes a sparkling-water serve.
- The cited Pink Grapefruit High Juice lists sulphites; check ingredients for the particular bottle.
Waitrose
Its cited Raspberry & Pomegranate Cordial has directions for a sparkling-water serve.
- Waitrose suggests one part of this cordial to four parts sparkling or still water.
- This example comes in glass and requires refrigeration below 5°C after opening.
Belvoir Farm
Summer Punch Cordial is presented by Belvoir Farm as a concentrate for mixing with sparkling water.
- The brand gives a one-part-cordial to three-parts-sparkling-water serving direction.
- Belvoir Farm says to refrigerate it after opening and use it within three weeks.
Squash options on Joybuy
These are dilutable fruit squash options for campers considering a drink mixed at serving time. Check each bottle’s directions before using sparkling water, and arrange the water separately.
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Robinsons No Added Sugar Orange Squash 1L
A dilutable orange squash for mixing drinks at camp. Refrigerate after opening and use within four weeks; check the pack for its dilution directions, ingredients, allergens and container material before taking it to your festival.
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Robinsons No Added Sugar Summer Fruits Squash 1L
A dilutable Summer Fruits option if you prefer that flavour. Its description calls for refrigeration after opening; check the pack for the use-by instruction, dilution, ingredients, allergens and container material.
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Ribena Pineapple and Passion Fruit Squash No Added Sugar 850ml
An 850ml dilutable squash for a pineapple and passion fruit drink. Refrigerate after opening and consume within 21 days; check the pack for dilution, ingredients, allergens and container material.
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Ribena Conc Blackcurrant No Added Sugar 1.5L
A blackcurrant concentrate with a stated direction of 50ml squash to 250ml water. Refrigerate after opening and consume within four weeks. Check the current pack for nutrition, allergens, container material and any directions for mixing with sparkling water.
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Robinsons No Added Sugar Squash Real Fruit Lemon Juice 1L
A 1L dilutable lemon squash for mixing at camp. Refrigerate after opening and use within four weeks; read the current pack for ingredients and allergens, as well as dilution, container material and sparkling-water directions.
Festival squash questions
How do I make squash sparkling at camp?
Mix the concentrate with sparkling water when you are ready to drink it, following the chosen bottle’s dilution directions. M&S suggests squash with sparkling water; Waitrose suggests one part of its Raspberry & Pomegranate Cordial to four parts sparkling or still water. Arrange a way to carry or obtain the water.
Does “no added sugar” mean the prepared squash is sugar-free?
No. Tesco lists 0.5g sugars per prepared 300ml glass for its cited no-added-sugar tropical squash, which also contains sweeteners. Compare labels on the same prepared-drink basis and read the ingredients.
Can I bring a glass cordial bottle to a festival?
Check your named festival’s current prohibited-items policy. Glastonbury Festival’s 2025 guidance prohibited glass and said it would be confiscated, but that does not establish the rules at another event.
Can an opened cordial stay in a tent all weekend?
Follow its post-opening label rather than its unopened storage directions. Waitrose instructs refrigeration below 5°C for its cited Raspberry & Pomegranate Cordial, while Belvoir Farm says to refrigerate Summer Punch Cordial after opening.
Which allergen details should I check when sharing squash?
Read the declaration on the exact pack you plan to share. Tesco’s cited quadruple-strength tropical squash lists sodium metabisulphite, and M&S’s cited Pink Grapefruit High Juice lists sulphites; do not assume another flavour has the same ingredients.