Hosts planning a small drinks selection
If only a few guests are coming, several mixer flavours may be more useful than a large quantity of one. Count the expected drinks and check the volume in each can before deciding how many to buy.
Who is choosing these mixers?
Hosts serving gin, vodka or fortified wines
Classic and botanical tonics bring different flavours to a drink. Choose with the planned spirits and guests’ flavour preferences in mind, rather than treating every tonic as interchangeable.
Hosts catering for ingredient preferences
A labelled light or slimline tonic gives guests a distinct option. Keep the exact product labels available for anyone checking ingredients, including guests who need to avoid quinine.
What should you check before buying?
Start with the drinks and flavours your guests are likely to choose. Then work out the quantity from the can volume and your intended pours, not the pack count alone.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Quantity | Check the number of cans, millilitres per can and amount of mixer planned for each drink. Tesco Groceries lists tonic multipacks including 8, 12 and 15 cans of 150 ml; Britvic described a six-pack of 330 ml cans in its September 2023 announcement. | I want enough mixer for the drinks planned without assuming that each can makes exactly one serve. |
| Flavour | Decide whether a drink calls for tonic bitterness, a botanical or fruit flavour, or soda water. Check the particular product against the drinks you intend to make. | Some guests may want the mixer to contribute flavour; others may prefer a less prominent mixer. |
| Light or slimline options | Compare the nutrition and ingredient panels of the exact variants. Fever-Tree says its Refreshingly Light Indian Tonic has 50% fewer calories than its Premium Indian Tonic; Coca-Cola Great Britain describes Schweppes Slimline Tonic as no sugar and low calorie. | I want guests looking for a light or slimline tonic to be able to identify it separately from standard tonic. |
| Ingredients | Read the current label for ingredients relevant to your guests. Check whether a tonic contains quinine, and keep packaging available when serving drinks. | If a guest has a known quinine reaction or another ingredient concern, I want them to be able to check the exact mixer before drinking it. |
What could go wrong with the selection?
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Assuming four cans make four drinks
Can volumes differ. Britvic described its 330 ml tonic cans as providing two serves each, but that does not set the pour size for every drink or product.
Use the labelled volume and your planned pours to calculate how much mixer to buy.
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Buying one flavour for a varied drinks menu
Classic tonic, botanical tonic and soda water have different flavour profiles. A large pack of one type may not match all the drinks guests choose.
Choose the flavours first, then buy a larger multipack only for one that several guests are likely to use.
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Treating standard and slimline tonic as the same product
Calorie, sugar and ingredient descriptions apply to named variants, not automatically to every tonic from the same brand.
If guests want a light or slimline option, check that wording and the nutrition panel on the exact pack.
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Overlooking quinine
Tonic water contains quinine, which matters if a guest has previously reacted to it.
Let guests check the label before drinking and offer a non-tonic mixer where needed.
Which brands offer relevant mixer styles?
These brand ranges provide examples of styles to compare; check the named variant and pack details when choosing party drinks.
Fever-Tree
A range to consider when choosing between classic, flavoured and light tonic styles.
- Fever-Tree positions its Premium Indian Tonic for gin, vodka and selected fortified wines.
- Its claim of 50% fewer calories compares Refreshingly Light Indian Tonic specifically with its Premium Indian Tonic; it does not describe every product in the range.
Schweppes
Classic tonic, Slimline Tonic and Soda Water give hosts different mixer styles to compare.
- Coca-Cola Great Britain describes Schweppes Slimline Tonic as no sugar and low calorie.
- Check the exact variant rather than applying the Slimline description to standard tonic.
Fentimans
A tonic option for guests who want the mixer’s citrus and herbal flavours to be noticeable.
- Fentimans describes citrus, herbal and lemongrass notes in its Premium Indian Tonic and suggests serving it with London Dry gin.
- That flavour profile may not suit a drink intended to have a less prominent mixer.
Britvic
Its larger tonic can format is relevant when comparing can volumes for a gathering.
- In September 2023, Britvic announced a six-pack of 330 ml Indian Tonic cans and described each can as providing two serves.
- Base your quantity calculation on the cans and pours you actually plan to use; check the current pack details before buying.
Four-can options on Joybuy
These four-can options offer ginger beer or fruit-flavoured soda for a New Year’s Eve drinks selection. Check their flavours against your planned drinks; neither is a classic tonic.
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Grace Ginger Beer, 4 × 330 ml cans
For drinks where ginger beer is the planned mixer, this pack contains four 330 ml cans. Work out how many drinks it covers from your intended pour sizes, and check the current ingredients on the pack.
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Living Things Peach & Blood Orange Soda, 4 × 330 ml cans
This fruit-flavoured soda offers four 330 ml cans for drinks where peach and blood orange suit the recipe. Check the flavour against your planned serves and use the label for current ingredient information.
Frequently asked questions
Is a four-pack of mixer cans enough for a New Year’s Eve party?
It can be enough for a small gathering or for one flavour within a wider selection, but the pack count alone will not tell you how many drinks it makes. Check the millilitres per can and calculate from the pours you plan to serve; Britvic, for example, described its 330 ml tonic can as providing two serves.
Should I choose standard tonic, slimline tonic or soda water?
Choose by the flavour and product details your guests need: standard tonic brings tonic bitterness, while a labelled light or slimline variant is the option to check when calories or sugar matter. Soda water offers a different, less flavour-led style. Read the nutrition and ingredient panel for the exact product rather than assuming variants share a recipe.
How can guests check ingredients before a drink is served?
Keep the packaging available and ask guests with ingredient concerns to check the exact mixer. Recipes can differ between variants, so a brand name or a general description such as “tonic” is not a substitute for the product’s ingredient list.
What if a guest has previously reacted to quinine?
Offer a non-tonic alternative and let the guest check the product label. The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s 2014 medicines guidance notes that previous adverse reactions to quinine can include reactions to quinine in tonic water; its advice concerns prescribing and is not a blanket rule about drinking tonic. A guest with a known reaction or a medication concern should seek advice from an appropriate healthcare professional.