For a child’s regular after-school snack, choose water rather than a no-added-sugar mixer; plain milk is another option when it suits the child’s diet. NHS guidance favours water and milk for young children, while NHS-affiliated dental guidance warns that fizzy, diet and no-added-sugar drinks can still be acidic if given often. If the mixer is for an adult in the household, compare sugars per 100ml and check the ingredients for sweeteners and quinine.
For an everyday after-school snack, start with water or plain milk rather than assuming a reduced-sugar fizzy mixer is equally suitable. NHS guidance recommends water and milk for young children, and NHS-affiliated dental guidance cautions against giving acidic fizzy drinks too often.
If the drink is intended for an adult, compare the sugars figure per 100ml and read the ingredients. A slimline or diet tonic may contain sweeteners and quinine even when it is described as having no sugar.
Plain soda water offers a different choice from flavoured tonic. Fentimans lists 0g sugar per 100ml for its Soda Water, with carbonated water, salt and sodium bicarbonate as its ingredients; expect an unsweetened drink rather than tonic flavour.
Decide who will drink it before comparing the sugar declaration and ingredients of individual mixers.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday child drink | Consider water or plain milk first. Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust warns that fizzy diet and no-added-sugar drinks can still be acidic if given often. | For a child’s regular after-school snack, I want a simple drink without making fizzy mixer drinks the default. |
| Sugar declaration | Read sugars per 100ml and, if relevant, per serving on the individual pack. Do not treat a description such as “light” as a statement of its sugar content. | If the mixer is for an adult, I want to know how much sugar is in the drink, not just how it is described on the front. |
| Ingredients | Check the full list for sweeteners and quinine in tonic. If avoiding both sugar and sweeteners, compare the ingredients of plain soda water instead. | I may want a carbonated adult mixer without sweeteners, or need to check whether tonic ingredients suit my household. |
Fever-Tree and Fentimans describe particular light tonics by comparing their calories with regular versions. A calorie comparison does not, by itself, give the drink’s sugar content.
Check the sugars figure per 100ml on the product you are buying, alongside any claim on its label.
Reducing sugar does not make a fizzy drink equivalent to water or milk for a child’s routine. NHS-affiliated dental guidance warns that diet and no-added-sugar fizzy drinks can still be acidic if given too often.
Offer water as the usual drink with an after-school snack; plain milk is another option where it fits the child’s diet.
Schweppes Slimline Tonic is described by Tesco as containing quinine and a sweetener. Sainsbury’s lists quinine hydrochloride, acesulfame K and sucralose in its Diet Indian Tonic Water.
Read the ingredients on the individual pack. If someone has previously reacted to quinine, seek advice from a pharmacist or clinician before choosing tonic water.
Its Slimline Tonic is an adult-style tonic option described as having no sugar by Coca-Cola Great Britain.
Its Diet Indian Tonic Water provides a labelled diet-tonic option for adult mixing.
Its Soda Water and Naturally Light Tonic serve different ingredient and flavour preferences.
Its Refreshingly Light range includes Indian and Mediterranean tonic variants.
Britvic’s London Essence range includes tonics and sodas.
This tonic is relevant when an adult in the household wants a slimline mixer. It does not change the choice of water or plain milk for a child’s regular after-school drink.
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A tonic format for adult household mixing, supplied as 12 × 150ml. Tesco describes Schweppes Slimline Tonic as containing quinine and a sweetener; check the pack’s sugars figure and ingredients if these affect your choice.
Choose water or, where it suits the child’s diet, plain milk for the regular snack drink. NHS guidance favours water and milk for young children, and NHS-affiliated dental guidance warns that no-added-sugar and diet fizzy drinks can still be acidic if given too often.
No. The wording does not tell you the drink’s total sugar content. Check the sugars figure per 100ml on the individual pack rather than treating “no added sugar”, “light” and “sugar-free” as interchangeable descriptions.
A slimline tonic may contain sweeteners and quinine even if it is described as having no sugar. Tesco lists quinine and a sweetener for Schweppes Slimline Tonic; if you want an unsweetened carbonated mixer instead, compare plain soda-water ingredients.
Ask a pharmacist or clinician about their situation before choosing tonic water. The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s medicines advice notes that previous adverse reactions to quinine can include reactions to quinine in tonic water and other beverages.
Yes. Read the pack’s current nutrition declaration and ingredients, particularly when sugars, sweeteners or quinine affect your choice. Tesco advises shoppers that food formulations and label information can change.