Reception caterers planning named drinks
If the menu includes gin, vodka, vermouth or an alcohol-free long drink, a small selection of mixers lets the team specify which drink each flavour is intended for.
Who is this choice for?
Event buyers planning busy bar service
Pack size matters when drinks need to be poured quickly and kept chilled. Compare individual 150ml portions with larger bottles against the way the bar will operate.
Teams managing ingredient information
Keep the current labels and supplier information for the mixers being served, and make sure staff know where to find allergen details. The Food Standards Agency’s guidance covers allergen information for both prepacked and non-prepacked food and drink.
What should you check before ordering?
Set the drinks menu first, then choose flavours and packs that fit the planned serves and bar setup.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Drinks pairing | Identify the spirits and alcohol-free serves on the menu. Compare a classic Indian tonic with floral or botanical flavours only for drinks you intend to offer. | I want guests to recognise the standard serve, with a different mixer available for a named drink rather than an unexplained range of flavours. |
| Serving format | Check unit size, pack count and container type for each product. For bottles, follow the selected label’s refrigeration and post-opening instructions. | Our bar needs portions that staff can serve at the expected pace and space to chill them. |
| Nutrition and ingredients | Compare energy and sugars per 100ml across the exact variants. Read the current ingredient list, including any sweeteners; a light or premium name does not describe every recipe. | I need to show guests which mixer they are receiving and give them the product information needed to make their own choice. |
| Allergen information | Keep current product labels and supplier details accessible, including when mixers are poured into drinks. Brief serving staff on how to provide or obtain the information. | If someone asks about allergens, staff should be able to refer to the ingredients of the mixer actually served. Food Standards Agency guidance requires food businesses to provide allergen information for prepacked and non-prepacked food and drink. |
What can complicate the order?
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Assuming every premium flavour suits every drink
A floral or fruit-led mixer changes the character of a serve and may not suit a guest expecting a classic tonic.
Specify a classic tonic for the standard serve and choose additional flavours for named drinks on the menu.
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Comparing packs without checking the units
An eight-pack of 150ml portions and a 500ml bottle call for different serving and post-opening plans. Pack size alone also tells you nothing about nutrition per 100ml.
Check the unit count and container, compare nutrition on the same per-100ml basis, and read the selected bottle’s storage instructions.
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Using an old ingredient sheet
An outdated sheet may not describe the mixer supplied or poured at the event. The Food Standards Agency’s allergen guidance requires food businesses to provide allergen information and train staff in allergen handling.
Keep the current label and supplier details for each product, and update the event information if a mixer changes.
Which brands offer relevant styles?
Fever-Tree
Offers classic and flavoured tonics in formats that can suit different reception setups.
- Fever-Tree describes its Premium Indian Tonic Water as intended for gin, vodka and fortified wines including vermouth.
- Check the exact flavour and pack: its Refreshingly Light Elderflower Tonic Water is a different product from its Indian tonic.
Fentimans
Offers Indian tonic alongside botanical and flavoured mixers for a deliberately paired menu.
- Fentimans lists options including elderflower, grapefruit, yuzu and soda alongside Indian tonic.
- Choose flavours against the drinks you will serve and check the ingredients of each selected product.
Schweppes
Provides a familiar Indian tonic option for a straightforward bar menu.
- The examined Schweppes Indian Tonic Water product is listed as a 12 × 150ml pack with a quinine-led flavour.
- Its listed ingredients include sugar and sodium saccharin; check the current label for the product served.
The London Essence Company
A mixer brand in Britvic’s portfolio with an emphasis on layered flavours.
- Britvic describes using distillation and layered flavours in its essences; this is the brand owner’s description, not an independent taste comparison.
- Check the specific mixer’s format and ingredients against the proposed conference menu.
Joybuy mixer options
These products cover classic tonic, lighter tonic variants and an elderflower soda for a named serve. Choose by the drinks menu and serving format; the elderflower soda is not an Indian tonic substitute.
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Fever-Tree Indian Tonic Water, 8 × 150ml
A classic tonic option for a reception menu featuring gin, vodka or vermouth. Joybuy lists 36 kcal and 8.0g sugars per 100ml for this product; use its current label when giving guests ingredient information.
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Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Premium Indian Tonic Water, 15 × 150ml
A light Indian tonic variant in 150ml portions for a menu that distinguishes it from the standard tonic. Check the current nutrition panel and ingredients for this exact variant rather than applying figures from a different Fever-Tree flavour.
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Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Mediterranean Tonic Water, 8 × 150ml
A Mediterranean tonic variant to consider for a named botanical serve rather than automatically using it for every tonic drink. The stated pack is eight 150ml units; check the current ingredients for the flavour being served.
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Dalston's Fizzy Elderflower, 330ml
An elderflower soda to consider when the menu specifies that flavour, not when it calls for a classic quinine-led tonic. Confirm the number of units in the order before using the 330ml size to plan service quantities.
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Schweppes Indian Tonic Water, 12 × 150ml
A familiar Indian tonic option for a straightforward gin or vodka serve. Joybuy lists 21 kcal per 100ml and ingredients including sugar and sodium saccharin. Confirm whether the delivered 150ml units are cans or bottles before setting up the bar.
Conference mixer questions
Should we choose individual portions or larger bottles?
Choose according to how drinks will be served and stored. The examined Fever-Tree and Schweppes packs contain 150ml portions; if you use a larger bottle, plan for chilling and follow its post-opening label. Sainsbury’s listing for Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Elderflower Tonic Water 500ml, for example, says to refrigerate it after opening and consume it within three days.
Does a light tonic suit every ingredient preference?
No: read the ingredients and nutrition panel for the exact variant. Sainsbury’s lists Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Elderflower Tonic Water at 18 kcal and 4.4g sugars per 100ml, while Joybuy’s examined Schweppes Indian Tonic Water lists sugar and sodium saccharin. Neither label describes every tonic in its brand’s range.
What allergen details should a UK conference catering team have ready?
Keep current allergen information for the packaged mixers and drinks served, and ensure staff know how to provide it. Food Standards Agency guidance requires food businesses to provide allergen information for both prepacked and non-prepacked food and drink and to train staff in allergen handling. Food Standards Scotland specifies that information about the presence of the 14 regulated allergens in non-prepacked food and drink must be available before purchase.
How many mixer flavours belong on the menu?
Start with the drinks you intend to serve: a classic tonic can cover the standard tonic serve, while a further flavour needs a named pairing or alcohol-free drink. Fentimans lists several botanical and flavoured options, but its range alone does not establish how many a particular event will use.