Who is choosing the drinks?

Hosts keeping ingredients simple

If you want fizz without added sugar or sweeteners, plain sparkling water is a straightforward starting point. For flavour, check the exact product’s sugar claim and ingredients rather than relying on its range name.

Hosts choosing a fruit flavour

A no-added-sugar flavoured water may contain sweeteners; a juice-based drink may contain sugars from fruit. Check which distinction matters to the families attending before choosing a pack.

Hosts offering children a fizzy choice

The NHS identifies water and milk as the best drinks for children and associates carbonated drinks with dental erosion because of their acidity. Keep still water easy to reach alongside any sparkling option.

What should you check?

Decide whether the drink must be free of sweeteners as well as added sugar, then compare the exact ingredients and nutrition panel before choosing a serving format.

Priority What to check Your needs
Plain sparkling water Check that the product is plain carbonated water, rather than a flavoured drink or one containing juice. Read the exact pack ingredients. I want a fizzy option without choosing between fruit flavourings and sweeteners.
Flavour without sweeteners Check for both a zero-sugar claim and no sweeteners in the ingredients. S.Pellegrino describes its Essenza range as having no sugars or sweeteners; Sainsbury’s lists Maison Perrier Forever Lime as zero sugar and zero sweeteners. I would like a fruit flavour, but sweeteners are outside what I want to serve.
No added sugar with sweeteners Read the ingredients as well as the front label. Tesco lists sucralose in its No Added Sugar Apple & Raspberry sparkling flavoured water; Sainsbury’s describes its Apple & Elderflower version as a drink with sweeteners. A sweetened flavour is an option for my party, provided I know what is in the drink.
Juice-derived sugars Compare the “of which sugars” figure using the unit printed on each nutrition panel. M&S lists 6.6g sugars per 100g for its no-added-sugar Juicy Apple and Elderflower drink. “No added sugar” is not enough for me if the finished drink still contains sugars from juice.
Still-water alternative Keep still water available alongside fizzy drinks. The NHS identifies water and milk as the best drinks for children and associates carbonated drinks with dental erosion because of acidity. I want children to have a non-fizzy choice throughout the party.
Serving format Compare the number and size of bottles with the number of children and how drinks will be served. Check storage directions on the pack if bottles may be left open. Individual bottles may suit the way I plan to serve drinks; a larger bottle would need pouring.

Common label and serving mistakes

  • Reading “no added sugar” as “no sweeteners”

    Tesco’s No Added Sugar Apple & Raspberry sparkling flavoured water lists sucralose, while Sainsbury’s describes its no-added-sugar Apple & Elderflower drink as containing sweeteners.

    If avoiding sweeteners matters, read the ingredients on the exact flavour and pack before buying.

  • Reading “no added sugar” as “zero sugar”

    M&S lists 6.6g sugars per 100g for its no-added-sugar Juicy Apple and Elderflower drink. The two claims answer different questions.

    Check the “of which sugars” line and its unit on the nutrition panel, especially when comparing a juice-based drink with sparkling water.

  • Treating sugar-free fizz like still water

    The NHS associates carbonated drinks with dental erosion because of their acidity. Removing sugar or sweeteners does not remove the carbonation consideration.

    Put still water within easy reach rather than making a fizzy drink the only water option.

  • Overlooking bottle size

    A multipack of 330ml bottles and a pack of larger bottles call for different serving plans at a children’s party.

    Check the bottle size, pack count and on-pack storage instructions against how many drinks you expect to open.

Brand and product-line references

These examples illustrate different label and ingredient choices; a statement about one flavour or product line should not be assumed to apply to every drink from the brand.

San Pellegrino

The brand offers plain sparkling mineral water and the flavoured S.Pellegrino Essenza range.

  • S.Pellegrino describes Essenza as containing no sugars or sweeteners.
  • Check the exact pack; a flavoured range claim is not a claim about every San Pellegrino product.

Perrier

Plain Perrier and the flavoured Maison Perrier Forever range offer different choices.

  • Sainsbury’s lists Maison Perrier Forever Lime as zero sugar and zero sweeteners.
  • Check the exact variant rather than applying the Lime listing’s claims across the range.

Highland Spring

Its plain sparkling spring water is an option when no fruit flavour is needed.

  • The plain-water route avoids a choice between juice-based flavour and sweeteners.
  • Highland Spring states that its sparkling water has a pH between 4 and 5; do not treat it as dentally equivalent to still water.

Tesco

Its No Added Sugar Apple & Raspberry sparkling flavoured water is a fruit-flavoured option.

  • The product is labelled no added sugar.
  • Tesco lists sucralose in its ingredients, so it does not meet a no-sweetener preference.

Sainsbury’s

Its no-added-sugar Apple & Elderflower sparkling flavoured water is another flavoured route.

  • The product is labelled no added sugar.
  • Sainsbury’s describes this product as containing sweeteners; check the current pack ingredients.

M&S

Its Juicy Apple and Elderflower sparkling drink illustrates a juice-based no-added-sugar choice.

  • It offers a different ingredient route for hosts considering a juice-based drink.
  • M&S lists 6.6g sugars per 100g, so its no-added-sugar label does not mean zero sugar.

Plain sparkling water options on Joybuy

These packs represent the plain sparkling-water route for a children’s party. Compare bottle counts and sizes, and keep still water available alongside any fizzy choice.

San Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water, six 0.5L bottles

San Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water 6 × 0.5L

A plain sparkling-water choice if you do not need a fruit flavour. The pack contains six 0.5L bottles; check the current label if an exact sugar figure is important to your choice.

View on Joybuy
Buxton Sparkling Water, eight 500ml bottles

Buxton Sparkling Water 8 × 500ml

Eight 500ml bottles provide a defined serving format for a party. This is a plain sparkling-water option; follow the storage directions on the bottle once opened.

View on Joybuy
Highland Spring Sparkling Spring Water, eight 500ml bottles

Highland Spring Sparkling Spring Water 8 × 500ml

This plain sparkling spring water comes in eight 500ml bottles. If you need an exact sugars-per-100ml figure, check the nutrition panel on the pack; follow its storage directions after opening.

View on Joybuy

Questions about party drinks

Does “no added sugar” mean a sparkling drink is sugar-free?

No. M&S lists 6.6g sugars per 100g for its no-added-sugar Juicy Apple and Elderflower drink. Read the “of which sugars” line and its unit on the exact product’s nutrition panel.

Does “no added sugar” rule out sweeteners?

No. Tesco lists sucralose in its No Added Sugar Apple & Raspberry sparkling flavoured water, and Sainsbury’s describes its no-added-sugar Apple & Elderflower drink as containing sweeteners. Check the ingredients if you want to avoid them.

Is sugar-free sparkling water equivalent to still water for children’s teeth?

No. The NHS associates carbonated drinks with dental erosion because of acidity. Keep still water available rather than treating a sugar-free fizzy drink as tooth-neutral.

What drink should be easy to access throughout a children’s party?

Still water is a straightforward choice to keep available. The NHS identifies water and milk as the best drinks for children; a sparkling option need not replace access to still water.