Who is each mixer for?

Hosts making classic tonic drinks

A zero-sugar tonic keeps the bitter tonic character in a spirit-and-tonic serve. Check the sweetener named on the pack before offering it to guests.

Hosts avoiding sweeteners too

Plain sparkling water offers a different route when both sugar and sweeteners matter. Add citrus, cucumber or herbs at the table rather than choosing a flavoured light tonic without checking its ingredients.

Hosts offering guests a choice

Set out tonic and plain sparkling water as distinct options, with their labels available to read. Guests can then choose around sweeteners, quinine and their preferred flavour.

What should you check before buying?

Decide whether the drink needs tonic’s bitter character or a plain sparkling base, then check the sugar information and ingredients on the current pack.

Zero-sugar tonic

Choose it when: You want the familiar bitter taste of tonic in a long drink and guests accept its listed sweetener.

Bear in mind: Tonic contains quinine, and the sweetener varies by product; the NHS says aspartame is unsuitable for people with phenylketonuria (PKU).

Plain sparkling water

Choose it when: You want a sparkling base without listed sugar or sweeteners and plan to add flavour separately.

Bear in mind: It does not provide tonic’s quinine bitterness or sweetness.

PriorityWhat to checkYour needs
Sugar information Read the exact claim, sugars per 100ml and ingredients. “Light” alone does not establish that no sugar was added: Fever-Tree lists fructose in its Refreshingly Light Mediterranean tonic, while Fentimans lists sugar in Naturally Light. I need a mixer that meets the dinner-party sugar requirement, not merely one described as light.
Sweeteners Check the named sweetener. Tesco Groceries lists aspartame in Schweppes Slimline and acesulfame K and sucralose in Tesco Low Calorie Indian Tonic Water; the NHS says aspartame is unsuitable for people with PKU. If guests avoid particular sweeteners, I want to know which tonic they can choose and whether plain sparkling water is a better option for them.
Drink style Choose tonic for its quinine-led bitterness or plain sparkling water for a different, unsweetened base. Check flavoured tonics individually rather than assuming their sugar status from the flavour name. For a classic spirit-and-tonic drink, the mixer should taste like tonic; for other serves, I may prefer to add garnish to sparkling water.
Serving format Compare bottle or can sizes with the number of drinks planned. Check pack instructions for storage after opening and open larger bottles when needed. I want enough mixer for guests without opening more bottles than the evening calls for.

What can catch a host out?

  • Assuming “light” means no added sugar

    Fever-Tree lists fructose in its Refreshingly Light Mediterranean and Cucumber tonics, while Fentimans lists sugar and 3.4g sugars per 100ml in Naturally Light.

    Check the current ingredients and sugars-per-100ml panel before putting a light tonic on a no-added-sugar menu.

  • Overlooking the named sweetener

    Schweppes Slimline lists aspartame; Tesco Low Calorie Indian Tonic Water lists acesulfame K and sucralose. The NHS says aspartame is unsuitable for people with PKU.

    Keep labels available for guests to read and offer plain sparkling water as a separate choice.

  • Planning around a particular labelled tonic

    Tesco Groceries labelled Stretton Hills Originals Light Tonic Water “No Added Sugar” but showed it out of stock on the cited listing.

    Check availability before relying on it for the event, and choose another suitably labelled mixer if necessary.

    A last-minute substitution can take extra shopping time.

  • Serving tonic without identifying it

    Tonic contains quinine. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency notes previous adverse reactions to quinine, including quinine in tonic water, in its guidance on quinine prescribing.

    Make tonic-based drinks easy to identify and offer plain sparkling water as a separate option.

Which brands illustrate the choices?

Schweppes

Slimline Tonic Water is a tonic option for hosts who want a no-sugar claim alongside familiar tonic flavour.

  • Tesco Groceries labels the listed Slimline tonic “No sugar” and shows 0g sugars in its nutrition information.
  • It contains aspartame, which the NHS says is unsuitable for people with PKU.

Tesco

Low Calorie Indian Tonic Water offers a 1-litre tonic format.

  • Tesco Groceries lists 0g sugars per 100ml and names acesulfame K and sucralose in the ingredients.
  • Check the current label if the exact words “no added sugar” are required.

Stretton Hills

Originals Light Tonic Water is an example bearing an explicit “No Added Sugar” label.

  • The Tesco Groceries listing states “No Added Sugar”.
  • That listing showed the product out of stock; check availability before including it in a party plan.

Fever-Tree

Its light flavoured tonics and plain soda water serve different dinner-party requirements.

  • The Joybuy listing for Premium Soda Water names carbonated spring water and sodium bicarbonate and lists 0g sugars per 100ml.
  • Fever-Tree lists fructose in its Refreshingly Light Mediterranean and Light Cucumber tonics; do not treat those examples as no-added-sugar choices.

Fentimans

Naturally Light is a flavoured tonic to assess separately from a strict no-added-sugar choice.

  • The brand provides an ingredients list and nutrition information for the product.
  • Fentimans lists sugar among its ingredients and 3.4g sugars per 100ml.

Britvic

Britvic announced a zero-sugar Indian Tonic Water can variant for grocery in September 2023.

  • The Britvic announcement specifies a 330ml can format.
  • Check the current product label and availability before planning to serve that variant.

Joybuy mixer options

These options cover a tonic for classic serves and sparkling mineral water for drinks without listed sweeteners. Sparkling mineral water will not taste like tonic; check the current pack if exact no-added-sugar wording matters.

Schweppes Slimline Tonic Water, 12 × 150ml cans

Schweppes Slimline Tonic Water, 12 × 150ml

For classic tonic serves, this 12 × 150ml pack is listed as a quinine-based mixer with 0g sugars per 100ml. It contains aspartame, which the NHS says is unsuitable for people with PKU; identify it as tonic when serving guests.

View on Joybuy
San Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water, six 0.5L bottles

San Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water, 6 × 0.5L

For a sparkling drink without listed sweeteners, this six-bottle pack is described as suitable for cocktail mixing, with natural mineral water and carbon dioxide listed as ingredients and 0g sugars. It is mineral water, not tonic, so add garnish separately if wanted and do not expect tonic’s bitterness.

View on Joybuy

Dinner-party mixer questions

Do all zero-sugar tonics use the same sweetener?

No. Tesco Groceries lists aspartame in Schweppes Slimline and acesulfame K and sucralose in Tesco Low Calorie Indian Tonic Water. Read the specific pack: the NHS says aspartame is unsuitable for people with PKU.

Will a “light” tonic meet a no-added-sugar requirement?

Not necessarily. Fever-Tree lists fructose in its Refreshingly Light Mediterranean and Light Cucumber tonics, and Fentimans lists sugar in Naturally Light. Check the current ingredients, claim and sugars-per-100ml panel rather than relying on “light”.

What can I offer alongside tonic?

Plain sparkling water offers a different drink base without tonic’s quinine bitterness. Keep it separate from tonic and let guests add citrus, cucumber or herbs if they wish; check the water’s current ingredients when avoiding sweeteners is important.