For a Christmas party, choose plain sparkling water when you want an unflavoured drink or mixer; choose a flavoured water only after checking that the particular variety meets your sugar and sweetener preferences. A drink labelled ‘no added sugar’ is not necessarily sugar-free, especially if it contains fruit juice, so compare its ingredients and ‘of which sugars’ value before serving it as a zero-sugar option.
If you want a fizzy drink to serve on its own or alongside party food, plain sparkling water is a straightforward starting point. The NHS also suggests sugar-free and no-added-sugar drinks as alternatives to sugary drinks; check each product if zero sugar is your requirement.
Flavoured sparkling waters have different ingredient lists. S.Pellegrino says its Essenza range contains no sugars or sweeteners, while M&S lists steviol glycosides in its Lemon and Lime Sparkling Water. Check the particular flavour if sweeteners matter to your guests.
Read the current packaging for every drink you plan to serve, including its ingredients and allergen information. Sainsbury's advises that ingredients in its own-brand products can change, so an earlier product description should not replace the pack label.
Decide whether the drink must contain zero sugar, then choose the flavour and bottle format that fit how you will serve it.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar content | Read ‘of which sugars’ on the nutrition panel and check the ingredients. ‘No added sugar’ does not mean zero total sugars: M&S describes its Juicy Apple and Elderflower sparkling drink as containing over 60% juice. | I want to know whether the drink I put out actually meets a zero-sugar requirement, rather than relying on the front-of-pack wording. |
| Flavour and sweeteners | Check the exact variety for sweeteners and other ingredients. S.Pellegrino says Essenza has no sugars or sweeteners; M&S lists steviol glycosides in its Lemon and Lime Sparkling Water. | Some guests would welcome a flavoured drink, but I also want to know whether it contains a sweetener. |
| Serving format | Compare the number of bottles and volume per bottle with your guest count and plans for sharing or mixing. Highland Spring lists plain sparkling water in both sharing-bottle and multipack formats. | Will bottles sit on the table for sharing, or would separate servings be more practical? |
| Frequent sipping | Do not use sugar content as a measure of acidity. Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust notes that sugar-free fizzy drinks can still be acidic; Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust also identifies fizzy and fruit-flavoured drinks as acidic-drink categories. | If drinks will be available throughout the party, I want still water available alongside the fizzy choices. |
Fruit juice can contribute sugars even when no sugar has been added. M&S describes its Juicy Apple and Elderflower sparkling drink as containing over 60% juice.
If zero sugar matters, compare the current ‘of which sugars’ value and ingredients rather than choosing by the front label alone.
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust notes that sugar-free fizzy drinks can still be acidic. Sugar content alone therefore does not settle the question of dental erosion, particularly with frequent sipping.
Offer still water alongside sparkling drinks, rather than treating a sugar-free label as a measure of acidity.
S.Pellegrino says Essenza contains no sweeteners, whereas M&S lists steviol glycosides in its Lemon and Lime Sparkling Water.
Read the label of each flavour you select if guests want to avoid particular sweeteners or other ingredients.
A plain sparkling spring-water option with bottle and multipack formats for group serving.
Its Essenza range provides a flavoured sparkling-mineral-water option.
A plain carbonated mineral-water option for serving separately or using as a mixer.
A retailer where shoppers can compare own-brand and branded water formats.
Its flavoured sparkling drinks illustrate why ingredient and nutrition checks matter.
A retailer reference for checking current own-brand ingredients when serving guests with restrictions.
These plain sparkling-water packs suit hosts considering unflavoured drinks for sharing, individual serving or mixing. Check each pack's current label if a numerical zero-sugar value or particular ingredient restriction matters.
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Six 1-litre bottles provide a plain sparkling-water format for sharing or mixing. Choose a separate flavoured option if guests want one.
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Eight 500 ml bottles offer a plain sparkling-water option when you would rather put out separate bottles than a sharing bottle.
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This six-bottle pack has 500 ml bottles for separate servings of plain sparkling water. It is a different bottle size from the San Pellegrino 6 × 1L pack above.
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Four packs of eight 500 ml bottles offer a bulk format for individual servings. Check that the quantity suits your guest count and storage space; if you need a specific sugar value, read the current nutrition label.
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Six 1-litre bottles offer a plain sparkling-water format for table sharing or mixing. Check the current nutrition label if you require a specific per-100 ml sugar value.
No. ‘No added sugar’ does not mean a drink contains zero total sugars. M&S describes its Juicy Apple and Elderflower sparkling drink as containing over 60% juice, so check ‘of which sugars’ on the nutrition panel if zero sugar matters.
No. Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust notes that sugar-free fizzy drinks can still be acidic, and Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust identifies fizzy and fruit-flavoured drinks as acidic-drink categories. Offer still water alongside sparkling choices if drinks will be available throughout the party.
Read the current packaging of each drink you intend to serve, including its ingredients and allergen information. Sainsbury's says ingredients in its own-brand products can change, and flavoured waters can differ in whether they contain sweeteners.