Parents planning snacks at home
If the drink is for a child, start with water or milk, as the NHS recommends. A four-pack’s convenient size does not make a sugary fizzy drink an everyday snack drink.
Who is choosing the drinks?
Families hosting adults and children
A non-alcoholic drink may be sold as a standalone soft drink or as a base for a cocktail. Check the serving directions so drinks intended for adults, and any spirits added to them, stay separate from children’s drinks.
Shoppers choosing individual servings
Four-packs do not all provide the same amount per serving. Check both the pack count and container size when deciding how much drink to buy or comparing nutrition labels.
What should you check before buying?
Decide who will drink it and how it will be served before comparing flavours or pack sizes.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday drinks | Identify whether the drink is intended for children’s regular snacks. The NHS recommends water and milk for children and advises avoiding sugary fizzy drinks. | I’m stocking up for children’s snacks, so I want their everyday drinks covered before considering a fizzy four-pack for anyone else. |
| Serving purpose | Read whether the pack is a ready-to-drink soft drink or a cocktail base. Check for directions to add a spirit, even if the packaged mixer is labelled non-alcoholic. | Adults and children will be together; I want to know which drinks can be served as purchased and which are intended for cocktails. |
| Sugar per serving | Read sugars per 100ml and multiply by the container volume divided by 100. Ocado lists Fentimans Rose Lemonade at 4.4g per 100ml in 200ml bottles, or 8.8g per bottle; its Fever-Tree Classic Mojito Cocktail Mixer listing gives 12.7g per 100ml in 150ml cans, or about 19.1g per can. | I’m comparing individual servings, not just the figures per 100ml, because a full bottle and a full can contain different volumes. |
| Pack and label | Confirm the number and size of containers. Before serving, check the current label for ingredients, allergens, nutrition and any age-related or preparation instructions. | Four separate servings suit the gathering, but I need to know what is in the pack and follow the directions on the drinks I actually receive. |
Common four-pack mistakes
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Assuming “non-alcoholic” means child-oriented
The packaged Fever-Tree Classic Mojito Cocktail Mixer is labelled non-alcoholic, but Ocado’s serving directions tell shoppers to add rum. The label describes the mixer as sold, not every way it might be served.
For a mixed-age gathering, read the preparation directions and keep cocktail ingredients and serving separate from children’s drinks.
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Comparing sugar only per 100ml
Container size changes the amount consumed in one serving. Ocado’s figures work out to 8.8g of sugars per 200ml bottle of Fentimans Rose Lemonade and about 19.1g per 150ml can of Fever-Tree Classic Mojito Cocktail Mixer.
Use the current nutrition label to calculate the amount in the whole can or bottle, rather than comparing the per-100ml figures alone.
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Choosing tonic just because it comes in four
A four-pack can still be a mixer intended for a different serving occasion. Tesco’s Finest Indian Tonic Water listing, for example, describes 250ml cans containing 21g of sugars each.
For children’s snacks, start with the NHS’s recommended drinks, water and milk. If shopping for other people too, assess a tonic’s intended use, flavour and full-can nutrition rather than its pack count alone.
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Treating an online label as an unchanging recipe
Ingredients and nutrition can change when a product is reformulated, as Tesco notes on its grocery listings.
Use the listing to shortlist drinks, then check the label on the pack delivered before serving, particularly for ingredients and allergens.
Brand and range references
These examples show why the drink’s specific format and serving directions matter more than the brand name alone.
Fentimans
Ocado lists Fentimans Rose Lemonade as a non-alcoholic soft drink in four 200ml bottles.
- The Rose Lemonade listing declares 4.4g of sugars per 100ml, equivalent to 8.8g per bottle.
- That figure applies to Rose Lemonade, not every Fentimans drink; check the label of the flavour you buy.
Fever-Tree
Ocado lists Fever-Tree Classic Mojito Cocktail Mixer as a non-alcoholic cocktail base in four 150ml cans.
- The listing provides a pack size and per-100ml sugar figure for a full-can calculation.
- Its suggested preparation adds rum, so the cocktail directions are not directions for serving children.
Schweppes
The Schweppes range includes soda water, tonic water and ginger ale; the brand describes its mixers as drinks that can be mixed or consumed on their own.
- Coca-Cola Great Britain lists 0g of sugars per 100ml for Schweppes Soda Water.
- That soda-water figure does not describe the nutrition or intended use of Schweppes tonic or other flavours.
Tesco
Tesco lists a Finest Indian Tonic Water four-pack containing 250ml cans.
- Its listing states 8.4g of sugars per 100ml and 21g per can.
- It is a tonic mixer; check its current listing and pack label rather than treating the four-pack format as a sign of suitability for children’s snacks.
Britvic
Britvic describes mixers, juices and cordials within its soft-drinks range.
- The range covers different types of drink, allowing shoppers to look for the format they intend to serve.
- Check the particular product’s pack size, ingredients and serving directions; the wider range does not establish those details for an individual four-pack.
Joybuy four-pack drink options
These four-packs are snack-time soft drinks, sodas and kombucha rather than cocktail mixers. For a drink intended for a child, assess its current label alongside the NHS’s advice to choose water or milk instead of sugary fizzy drinks.
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Poppi Raspberry & Rose 4 × 330ml
A four-pack to consider when buying individual raspberry-and-rose drinks for a gathering. Check the current label’s ingredients, nutrition per full can and serving guidance before choosing whom to serve it to.
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Living Things Raspberry & Pomegranate Soda 4 × 330ml
This four-pack is labelled as raspberry-and-pomegranate soda, not a cocktail mixer. Compare its current per-can nutrition and ingredients with the other drinks you are considering; it does not replace water or milk as a child’s everyday drink.
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Remedy Kombucha Raspberry Lemonade 4 × 330ml
This is a four-pack of kombucha rather than a conventional mixer. If buying for a mixed-age gathering, check the current pack for ingredients, caffeine information, storage directions and any age-related guidance before deciding who will drink it.
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J2O Sparkling Apple & Raspberry 4 × 250ml
The name identifies four individual 250ml servings of a sparkling apple-and-raspberry drink. Use the full-can size when reading its current nutrition label; sparkling soft drinks are not a substitute for the water or milk the NHS recommends for children.
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J2O Orange & Passion Fruit Blend 4 × 275ml
This four-bottle orange-and-passion-fruit option has 275ml in each bottle. Check the current label for ingredients, sugar per bottle and any age-related instructions before serving it at a mixed-age gathering.
Questions about school-holiday drinks
Should a mixer be an everyday drink with children’s snacks?
No. The NHS recommends water and milk for children and says they should avoid sugary fizzy drinks. Choose the everyday snack drink separately from any four-pack bought for adults or a wider gathering.
How do I compare sugar in different-sized cans and bottles?
Multiply sugars per 100ml by the container volume divided by 100. Ocado’s listings give 4.4g per 100ml for a 200ml Fentimans Rose Lemonade bottle, or 8.8g per bottle, and 12.7g per 100ml for a 150ml Fever-Tree Classic Mojito Cocktail Mixer can, or about 19.1g per can. Check the figures on the pack you buy.
Does “non-alcoholic” mean a mixer is intended for children?
No. A mixer can be non-alcoholic as packaged yet marketed for cocktails: Ocado’s directions for Fever-Tree Classic Mojito Cocktail Mixer say to add rum. Read the serving instructions and keep spirits separate from children’s drinks.
Is the supermarket nutrition listing enough to check before serving?
Use it to compare products, then read the label on the pack you receive. Tesco notes that reformulation can change ingredients and nutrition, so check the current information, including allergens, before serving.