Choose squash or cordial with chilled sparkling water when cottage guests want to adjust the strength of each drink; remember that the sparkling water is a separate purchase. Choose ready-to-drink sparkling bottles or cans when serving without mixing matters more. Whichever format you choose, check nutrition on the stated serving basis, the exact bottle’s ingredients and its storage instructions.
Concentrated squash mixed with sparkling water lets guests dilute their own glasses. If choosing a no-added-sugar variety, check the exact ingredients for sweeteners and allergens rather than relying on the front label.
A cordial intended for sparkling-water mixing offers another flavour choice. Marks & Spencer describes its cordials as suitable for dilution with still or sparkling water; check the particular bottle’s dilution and opened-storage directions.
A ready-to-drink sparkling pressé can be opened and served without measuring concentrate or buying a mixer. Bottlegreen’s elderflower pressé is one example of this format.
Choose it when: Several guests want to mix drinks to different strengths from one concentrate.
Allow for: Separate sparkling water, mixing at serving time and a check of the exact bottle’s ingredients.
Choose it when: A shared citrus or floral drink suits the group and the cordial’s directions allow sparkling water.
Allow for: Bottle-specific nutrition and storage directions; Marks & Spencer’s Sicilian Lemon and Mexican Lime Cordial contains sugar and needs refrigeration after opening.
Choose it when: Guests want a sparkling drink they can open and serve without mixing.
Allow for: Less control over the drink’s strength than with a concentrate and fridge space for the finished drink.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Drink format | Check whether the bottle is a concentrate to dilute or a finished sparkling drink. For squash or cordial, check the mixing directions and arrange sparkling water separately. | Do I want everyone to adjust their own glass, or would a drink that is ready to open make the stay simpler? |
| Servings and nutrition | Check the stated dilution, servings per bottle and whether nutrition is given for concentrate or prepared drink. Waitrose & Partners suggests one part squash to four parts water and states 20 servings for its 1-litre Apple & Elderflower High Juice. | For a group, I need to know how much finished drink to plan for. If I am comparing sugar figures, I want them on a like-for-like prepared-serving basis. |
| Ingredients | Read the exact product’s ingredients and allergen information, including any sweeteners. Robinsons lists sodium metabisulphite in its Strawberry, Cherry & Lime Fruit Creations squash. | Someone in our group may need to check a particular ingredient; a no-added-sugar label alone does not answer that question. |
| Storage | Check fridge space and the bottle’s directions after opening. Marks & Spencer says to refrigerate its Sicilian Lemon and Mexican Lime Cordial after opening and consume it within two weeks. | Will we finish an opened bottle during the stay, or would smaller ready-to-drink portions suit our plans? |
Squash and cordial intended for dilution need a carbonated mixer to make a sparkling drink; a ready-to-drink pressé is a different format.
Decide which format you want before shopping, and get sparkling water if you choose a concentrate.
Mixing also takes a little time at serving, especially when guests want different strengths.
The term does not tell you whether a product contains sweeteners, naturally occurring sugars or a particular allergen. Waitrose’s Apple & Elderflower No Added Sugar High Juice lists sucralose and sodium metabisulphite.
Keep the original bottle available and read its current ingredients and allergen information before serving guests with specific requirements.
A bottle of concentrate makes a different quantity of finished drink from a bottle of ready-to-drink pressé. Nutrition figures can also refer to different dilution or serving bases.
Use each product’s dilution directions and stated servings to plan for the group, then compare nutrition for prepared drinks on the same basis.
An unfinished bottle may need fridge space during the stay. Marks & Spencer instructs buyers to refrigerate its Sicilian Lemon and Mexican Lime Cordial after opening and consume it within two weeks.
Check the instructions on the bottle you buy and choose a size your group can use within those directions.
Robinsons offers squash concentrates, including Fruit Creations flavours that can be diluted for individual glasses.
Waitrose’s Apple & Elderflower No Added Sugar High Juice is a concentrate with a stated serving yield for planning shared drinks.
Marks & Spencer describes its cordials as suitable for dilution with still or sparkling water.
Bottlegreen distinguishes elderflower cordial for dilution from its ready-to-drink sparkling elderflower pressé.
Sainsbury's grocery listings include squash, cordial and soda water, which are separate items to consider when planning mixed drinks.
These options include squash concentrates to mix with separately purchased sparkling water and one ready-to-drink sparkling peach drink. The peach drink is not squash.
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A blackcurrant concentrate for guests who want to mix drinks to their own strength; buy sparkling water separately for fizz. Check the bottle’s sweetener and sulphite information. Do not rely on calorie-free wording without checking its nutrition table and serving basis; the product information also advises against serving it to children under three.
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An orange squash concentrate for mixing individual glasses with separately purchased sparkling water. Check the current label for dilution, sweeteners and sulphites; the product information says it is not suitable for children under 36 months.
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A summer-fruits concentrate for a group that wants to vary the strength of each glass; sparkling water is a separate mixer. Check the label for sweeteners, sulphites, dilution and the instructions for keeping the bottle after opening.
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A sparkling peach drink to serve without diluting; it is not a squash concentrate, so guests cannot adjust its strength by mixing. Check the label for sugars and sulphites. Refrigerate after opening and consume within three days, as directed in the product information.
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A pineapple and passion fruit concentrate for mixing to taste with separately purchased sparkling water. Check the bottle’s dilution and opened-storage directions, as well as its sweetener, sulphite and phenylalanine information before serving.
Mix a squash or cordial intended for dilution with separately chilled sparkling water. Marks & Spencer describes both formats as suitable for sparkling-water mixing; follow the directions on the particular bottle rather than assuming every concentrate uses the same ratio.
Ready-to-drink pressé avoids mixing, while concentrate lets guests adjust individual glasses and can provide multiple servings. For a concrete planning example, Waitrose & Partners states 20 servings for its 1-litre Apple & Elderflower High Juice; check your chosen bottle’s serving directions and the fridge space available.
No. Waitrose’s Apple & Elderflower No Added Sugar High Juice lists sucralose and sodium metabisulphite. Read the ingredients and allergen information on the exact bottle if a guest needs to avoid a particular ingredient.
Follow the directions on the bottle you buy. Marks & Spencer says its Sicilian Lemon and Mexican Lime Cordial should be refrigerated after opening and consumed within two weeks; directions for other cordials may differ.