Choose a glass-bottled squash or cordial if the packaging matters to you and you can prepare and carry it safely; glass does not determine what the prepared drink contains. For ordinary pre-exercise hydration, water or a no-added-sugar squash may fit better, while a missed meal or a longer, harder session calls for considering food and fluid needs separately. Compare nutrition after dilution, and follow each drink’s mixing and storage instructions.
The useful distinction is whether you are choosing a bottle material, a flavoured drink for hydration, or something to eat before training.
A glass-bottled squash or cordial fits a packaging preference when you can mix it at home and use a suitable container if glass is impractical at your workout venue. Check the particular product’s bottle rather than assuming every drink from a brand uses glass.
If carbohydrate is not the purpose of the drink, a no-added-sugar squash diluted with water is an option. The British Heart Foundation includes no-added-sugar squash among fluids for day-to-day intake; check the label if sweeteners or other ingredients matter to you.
When the timing of food before training matters, bottle material is a separate decision. University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust describes a pre-exercise snack containing carbohydrate and protein when a meal has not been eaten beforehand; the British Dietetic Association says carbohydrate requirements depend on the training programme and individual goals.
Decide whether you want fluid, food before exercise, or a particular bottle material. Then compare drinks as you would prepare them, rather than comparing concentrate with a ready-to-drink serving.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Fluid or food | Consider the session and when you last ate. The British Dietetic Association says carbohydrate requirements depend on training and individual goals; University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust describes a carbohydrate-and-protein snack 60–90 minutes before exercise in its missed-meal guidance. | For a routine workout, I may simply want a drink. If I have missed a meal or have a longer, harder session planned, I need to think about food separately rather than treating cordial as a complete snack. |
| Prepared-drink sugar | Compare the nutrition labels per 100 ml after dilution and follow each product’s stated mixing ratio. Waitrose lists 4.4 g sugars per 100 ml prepared drink for both Rocks Blackcurrant Squash and Bottlegreen Elderflower Cordial. | If I prefer a no-added-sugar drink, I should check the prepared-drink label rather than choose a glass bottle on appearance alone. I also want to know whether a no-added-sugar option contains sweeteners. |
| Glass and portability | Confirm the bottle material for the exact product and check any container rules at the place you will exercise. For disposal, follow your council’s instructions: Defra classified glass bottles and jars as commonly collected at kerbside across the UK in its 2026 list, but local details vary. | Glass matters to me for storing or preparing a drink at home, but I may need a different container when travelling or exercising. |
| Mixing and storage | Check how much water to add, whether to refrigerate after opening and how soon to use the bottle. Waitrose instructs one part Rocks Blackcurrant to eight parts water and use within three weeks after opening; its Bottlegreen Elderflower instructions specify one part cordial to 15 parts water and use within one month. | I want a drink I will prepare as directed and finish within its stated post-opening period, rather than leave an opened bottle unused. |
Glass is a packaging choice, not a measure of the prepared drink’s sugar or its suitability as food before exercise. Waitrose lists 4.4 g sugars per 100 ml when prepared as directed for both Rocks Blackcurrant Squash and Bottlegreen Elderflower Cordial.
Decide what you want from the drink, then compare its prepared nutrition information and ingredients before choosing the bottle format.
A bottle that works for mixing at home may be awkward to carry or unsuitable for a particular gym or sports venue.
Check the venue’s container rules. If needed, prepare the drink before leaving and carry it in a suitable reusable bottle.
Waitrose instructs shoppers to refrigerate both Rocks Blackcurrant Squash and Bottlegreen Elderflower Cordial after opening, but gives different periods for using them: three weeks and one month respectively.
Check the current bottle label and choose a size you expect to use within its stated period.
An opened bottle left beyond that period may have to be discarded.
These examples illustrate different product formats; a brand or retailer name alone does not establish the packaging or nutrition of every squash it offers.
Rocks is relevant when glass-packaged fruit squash is the starting point: Friends of Glass UK describes Rocks fruit squash as packaged in recyclable glass bottles, while Waitrose lists a 740 ml Blackcurrant Squash.
Bottlegreen Elderflower Cordial is a glass-bottle example: DDC Foods lists the 500 ml product in glass, and Waitrose provides its mixing and nutrition information.
Robinsons Orange No Added Sugar is a squash to consider when a flavoured drink matters more than glass packaging.
Tesco is a retailer reference for comparing squash formats rather than evidence that every listed product comes in glass.
This Robinsons squash represents the flavoured, no-added-sugar drink route. If glass packaging is essential, confirm the bottle material for this exact product before choosing it.
Image unavailable
A concentrated squash for a flavoured drink when added sugar is not what you are looking for. Dilute it according to the bottle label, and check its mixing instructions and bottle material if either affects your choice. The product information calls for refrigeration after opening and use within four weeks for flavour.
No: glass identifies the packaging, not what the prepared drink contains or whether it meets the needs of your session. Check the diluted nutrition information, consider when you last ate, and make sure the container is practical where you will exercise.
For a flavoured drink when carbohydrate is not the aim, no-added-sugar squash diluted with water is an option; a sugar-containing cordial is not automatically a substitute for food before training. The British Dietetic Association says carbohydrate requirements depend on training and individual goals, while University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust describes a snack containing carbohydrate and protein in its pre-exercise missed-meal guidance.
Compare nutrition per 100 ml as consumed, then check each bottle’s dilution and storage instructions. Waitrose specifies one part Rocks Blackcurrant Squash to eight parts water and use within three weeks after opening; for Bottlegreen Elderflower Cordial, it specifies one part to 15 parts water and use within one month.
Glass bottles and jars were classified as commonly collected at kerbside across the UK in Defra’s 2026 list, meaning collection by at least 75% of local authorities across the four nations. Check your council’s instructions for your address, including what to do with the lid or cap.