For a curry-night drink without flavourings or sweeteners, choose plain sparkling water and check the exact pack: Joybuy lists 0 g sugars per 100 ml for San Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water 6x1L. If you want fruit flavour, check both the sugars figure and ingredients rather than relying on the words “sparkling water”: Sainsbury's lists Maison Perrier Forever Blackberry as sugar-free and without sweeteners, while M&S lists 7.6 g sugars per 100 g for its Sparkling British Apple Spring Water.
Start with plain sparkling water if you want to avoid a juice- or sugar-containing drink. For a flavoured option, check its own nutrition panel and ingredients: similar-sounding sparkling drinks can have different formulations.
Look for a product whose label confirms both its sugars figure and whether it contains sweeteners. Sainsbury's lists Maison Perrier Forever Blackberry as sugar-free and without sweeteners; that description does not apply to every flavoured water.
Keep still water on the table as another choice. The NHS identifies fizzy drinks as a possible cause of gas, so a sugar-free sparkling drink will not necessarily suit someone who gets bloated after carbonation.
Plain water avoids the flavour question; flavoured drinks need a closer look because flavouring, sweeteners, juice and sugar are different ingredients. Compare the figures on the same per-100 ml or per-100 g basis shown on each label.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sugars | Read sugars per 100 ml or per 100 g and check for sugar or juice in the ingredients. Joybuy lists 0 g sugars per 100 ml for San Pellegrino 6x1L; M&S lists 7.6 g per 100 g for its Sparkling British Apple Spring Water. | I want a fizzy drink with dinner without accidentally picking a juice- and sugar-containing one. |
| Flavour and sweeteners | Check whether the flavour comes with sweeteners, juice or added sugar. Sainsbury's lists Maison Perrier Forever Blackberry as sugar-free and without sweeteners; M&S Summer Berries Sparkling Water lists steviol glycosides despite having less than 0.1 g sugars per 100 g. | A fruit flavour appeals to me, but I want to choose separately whether sweeteners are acceptable. |
| Carbonation | Check whether a drink is sparkling or still and offer both if guests have different preferences. The NHS notes that fizzy drinks can cause gas. | If fizzy drinks leave me feeling bloated, I would rather have still water with the meal. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the current pack when an ingredient exclusion matters. GOV.UK guidance says prepacked food labels must emphasise any of the 14 allergens required to be declared when present. | Before serving a drink to someone with an allergy or a strict ingredient exclusion, I need to check the pack itself. |
| Serving format | Check bottle size and pack quantity against how you plan to serve the meal. The Joybuy choices below include 8x500ml and 6x1L packs. | For a group meal, I want enough bottles to put out sparkling water alongside a still option. |
M&S Sparkling British Apple Spring Water contains apple juice from concentrate and sugar, with 7.6 g sugars per 100 g. Its name alone does not describe its sugar content.
Compare the sugars figure on the nutrition panel and scan the ingredients for juice and sugar.
M&S Summer Berries Sparkling Water lists less than 0.1 g sugars per 100 g, but its ingredients include steviol glycosides.
Decide whether you want to avoid sugar, sweeteners or both, then check the nutrition panel and ingredients separately.
The NHS identifies fizzy drinks as a possible cause of gas. A plain sparkling water may therefore be an uncomfortable choice for a guest who finds carbonation troublesome.
Put still water on the table too, so guests can choose.
An online description is less useful than the pack in hand when a particular ingredient or allergen matters.
Read the current ingredients, nutrition and allergen information before buying or serving the drink.
These examples show why the exact drink matters more than the brand or retailer name when choosing for a sugar or sweetener preference.
A plain sparkling-water option for serving with a meal.
Choose by range: plain sparkling mineral water and flavoured Essenza are distinct drinks.
Perrier Original and Maison Perrier flavoured drinks are separate choices.
A retailer where plain sparkling water and flavoured drinks can be compared.
A retailer listing a specific flavoured option for shoppers avoiding both sugar and sweeteners.
Its sparkling drinks illustrate two different ingredient choices.
These packs are plain sparkling-water options for serving with curry. If you would prefer a flavoured drink, use the label checks above to distinguish flavour-only, sweetened and juice-containing products.
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For a plain fizzy drink to share with curry, this pack contains six 1 L bottles. Joybuy lists natural mineral water and carbon dioxide as ingredients, with 0 g sugars per 100 ml. Offer still water too if carbonation does not suit every guest.
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Eight 500 ml bottles offer individual servings of sparkling water for a group meal. Check the current pack's ingredients and nutrition panel if you are choosing to meet a particular sugar or ingredient preference.
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For a plain sparkling choice to share, this pack contains six 1 L bottles. Joybuy lists natural sparkling mineral water as the ingredient. Check the current pack if your choice depends on a particular numerical sugars figure.
Choose an unflavoured product and check its ingredients and sugars figure. Joybuy lists natural mineral water and carbon dioxide, with 0 g sugars per 100 ml, for San Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water 6x1L.
No. M&S Sparkling British Apple Spring Water lists apple juice from concentrate and sugar, with 7.6 g sugars per 100 g. Read the nutrition panel and ingredients rather than relying on the product description alone.
Yes, for a product whose own label confirms both points. Sainsbury's describes Maison Perrier Forever Blackberry as sugar-free and without sweeteners; check the exact variant when buying.
Offer still water as another choice. The NHS notes that fizzy drinks can cause gas, so choosing a sparkling drink without sugar does not address discomfort from carbonation.
Read the current pack before serving it. GOV.UK guidance says prepacked food labels must provide an ingredients list and emphasise any of the 14 allergens required to be declared when present.