For a summer BBQ, choose plain sparkling water if you want an unsweetened fizzy option, or check a zero-calorie flavoured water if guests want flavour without sweeteners. A no-added-sugar fruit drink is a different choice: fruit juice can still contribute sugar, so compare the total-sugars figure and ingredients rather than relying on the front of the pack. Offering plain water alongside one clearly labelled flavoured option gives guests a choice between those styles.
If you want a fizzy alcohol-free option for a group, plain sparkling water gives you a starting point without the sugar in a fruit drink. Check the label of any flavoured alternative before adding it to the drinks table.
A flavoured sparkling water and a sweetener-containing diet drink need not have the same ingredients. S.Pellegrino describes its Essenza range as zero-calorie and without sweeteners; check the exact flavour and pack you choose.
Low sugar does not settle the acidity question. Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust identifies fizzy and fruit-flavoured drinks among acidic drinks and advises reducing how often fizzy drinks are consumed.
Decide whether guests want plain bubbles, a lightly flavoured water, a sweetener-containing drink or a juice-led drink. Then compare labels and bottle sizes for the options you plan to serve.
Choose it when: You want an unsweetened fizzy drink that can be served on its own.
Trade-off: Plain water does not provide fruit flavour; being sugar-free does not remove the acidity consideration associated with fizzy drinks.
Choose it when: Guests want flavour but prefer to avoid both sugar and sweeteners; S.Pellegrino describes Essenza as zero-calorie and without sweeteners.
Trade-off: Its flavoured-water style is different from a juice-led drink, so check the particular range rather than applying its claims to every product from the brand.
Choose it when: Guests want a sweeter-tasting flavoured option and are comfortable with its listed ingredients.
Trade-off: No added sugar does not mean unsweetened: Tesco’s Apple & Raspberry sparkling flavoured water contains sucralose and fruit juice.
Choose it when: A juice-forward flavour matters more than choosing a zero-sugar drink.
Trade-off: Naturally occurring sugar can remain. M&S lists 6.6g sugars per 100g for its Apple & Elderflower drink despite its no-added-sugar label.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Total sugars | Read ‘of which sugars’ and its stated basis, such as per 100ml or per 100g. Check the serving size before comparing bottles. | I want to distinguish a plain fizzy drink from a fruit drink that still contains sugar. M&S lists 6.6g sugars per 100g for its Apple & Elderflower drink. |
| Sweeteners | Read the ingredients as well as the no-added-sugar wording. Tesco lists sucralose in its Apple & Raspberry sparkling flavoured water. | Some guests prefer to avoid sweeteners; others want a sweeter-tasting option. I would label the choices clearly rather than assume one flavoured drink suits both. |
| Type of flavour | Check whether the flavour comes from a flavoured-water range or from fruit juice, and compare the juice percentage and sugars where listed. | If I’m offering a fruity drink, I want to know whether it is a flavoured water or a juice-led soft drink. |
| Bottle format | Compare the number of bottles, volume per bottle and total quantity. Check whether the format suits sharing or individual serving. | For a group, larger bottles may suit pouring; smaller bottles give guests individual portions to take from the drinks table. |
| Frequent sipping | Consider whether still water will also be available. Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust advises reducing how often fizzy drinks are consumed because acidic drinks can contribute to enamel erosion. | I want a non-fizzy option available throughout the BBQ, even if the sparkling drinks have little or no sugar. |
A fruit-based drink can carry a no-added-sugar label and still contain sugar. M&S lists 6.6g sugars per 100g for its Apple & Elderflower drink.
Compare the ‘of which sugars’ figure using the unit shown on each label, and check the amount in the serving you intend to offer.
Tesco’s No Added Sugar Apple & Raspberry sparkling flavoured water lists sucralose, which matters if a guest wants to avoid sweeteners.
Read the ingredients panel and include a plain sparkling-water option if you are serving guests with different preferences.
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust identifies fizzy and fruit-flavoured drinks as acidic drinks and notes that acid can erode enamel. A low sugar figure does not answer that concern.
Keep still water available alongside the sparkling drinks rather than treating the fizzy selection as the only option throughout the BBQ.
These examples illustrate different ingredient routes; a claim about one range should not be assumed to apply to everything a brand makes.
Its ranges include flavoured sparkling mineral water and fruit-based sparkling drinks with different sugar claims.
Its plain carbonated mineral water is an unsweetened option.
Its plain sparkling spring water is another route for serving fizzy water without a fruit flavour.
Its Apple & Raspberry No Added Sugar sparkling flavoured water illustrates a fruit-flavoured option containing a sweetener.
Its Apple & Elderflower sparkling drink is a juice-led option rather than a zero-sugar water substitute.
These options include plain sparkling water in different bottle formats and one white-peach flavoured sparkling drink. Check the exact pack label when sugar figures or sweetener ingredients matter to your choice.
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A plain sparkling option in larger bottles for pouring at a BBQ. Joybuy lists natural mineral water and carbon dioxide as the ingredients and 0g sugars per 100ml for this six-bottle pack.
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The eight 500ml bottles suit a BBQ where guests will take individual bottles. Check the pack label if you need a specific nutrition or ingredient declaration.
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A plain sparkling-water format with six individual 0.5L bottles. This is a different pack size from the six 1L bottles above; check this pack’s label for its own nutrition details.
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Four packs of eight 500ml bottles provide an individual-bottle format for a larger gathering. Check the exact pack label if you need its sugar or calorie figures.
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A three-bottle white-peach option if you want to offer a flavoured drink alongside plain water. Check the exact pack’s ingredients and nutrition panel before treating it as suitable for guests avoiding sugar or sweeteners.
No. A drink containing fruit juice can have no added sugar and still contain naturally occurring sugar. M&S lists 6.6g sugars per 100g for its no-added-sugar Apple & Elderflower drink, so check the ‘of which sugars’ line.
Check plain sparkling mineral or spring water rather than assuming a flavoured drink has the same ingredients. Joybuy lists 0g sugars per 100ml for its San Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water 6 × 1L pack; Perrier describes its plain carbonated mineral water as having no sugar and zero calories.
It can, but check how it is flavoured and how much sugar it contains. Sanpellegrino describes its Essenza flavoured sparkling water as having no sweeteners and zero calories, while the juice-led M&S Apple & Elderflower drink lists 6.6g sugars per 100g.
No. Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust identifies fizzy and fruit-flavoured drinks as acidic drinks and advises reducing how often fizzy drinks are consumed. Keep still water available for guests who want a non-fizzy option throughout the BBQ.