For a shared drinks table, choose plain sparkling water if guests want fizz without a sweet flavour, and add still water for those who prefer it. Bottle size matters: larger bottles suit shared pouring, while smaller ones suit individual servings. Sugar-free flavoured water offers another choice, but check its ingredients if guests would rather avoid sweeteners.
Put out a non-fizzy option alongside sparkling water when guests may have different preferences. Larger bottles can serve a shared drinks station; smaller bottles are an alternative for individual servings.
A flavoured option is a different choice from plain water. Volvic lists 0g sugars per 100ml for Touch of Fruit Sugar Free Strawberry, but its ingredients include acesulfame K and sucralose.
Smaller bottles can be placed at seats or picked up from a drinks station. evian offers a 330ml glass-bottle range that the brand describes for events and entertaining.
Decide whether the drinks table needs plain water, a flavoured option or both; then match the bottles to the way guests will serve themselves.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Ingredients | Read the ingredients as well as any sugar-free wording. Volvic lists sugar at 2.3% in its regular Touch of Fruit Lemon & Lime; its Sugar Free Strawberry lists 0g sugars per 100ml. | I want drinks that fit a no-added-sugar brief, not just a product described as low in sugar. |
| Flavour and fizz | Distinguish plain still water, plain sparkling water and flavoured water. Check for sweeteners if an unsweetened drink matters: Volvic Sugar Free Strawberry lists acesulfame K and sucralose. | Some guests may want fizz, others still water. I would offer fruity water separately rather than assume everyone wants a sweet taste. |
| Bottle format | Compare total volume and bottle size, not just the number of bottles. Highland Spring lists sparkling water in 6 x 1L and 1.5L formats; Buxton lists 8 x 500ml sparkling bottles. | For a shared station, I want bottles guests can pour from. For individual servings, smaller bottles may be easier to set out. |
| After opening | Read the storage instructions for the product you buy. Tesco advises refrigerating opened Ashbeck still and sparkling water and consuming it within three days. | If bottles will be opened throughout the party, I want to know how their remaining contents should be stored. |
Volvic Touch of Fruit Lemon & Lime lists sugar at 2.3% and 5.8g of sugars per 250ml serving, so it does not fit a no-added-sugar selection.
For flavoured drinks, check both the ingredients and the sugars entry on the current label.
Volvic Touch of Fruit Sugar Free Strawberry lists 0g sugars per 100ml, but contains acesulfame K and sucralose.
Offer plain water as well if guests may prefer a drink without sweeteners or fruit flavour.
Six 1L bottles provide a different serving format from eight 500ml bottles, even though both are multipacks.
Work out the total volume you want, then choose between larger bottles for shared pouring and smaller ones for individual servings.
Pack details, ingredients and storage instructions matter when choosing a specific drink. Tesco advises shoppers that its product information can change.
Before ordering, confirm the pack size and availability; check the bottle label when ingredients or storage guidance are important to your choice.
Its range includes plain sparkling water in 500ml, 1.5L and 6 x 1L formats, as well as separate flavoured products.
Buxton lists sparkling natural mineral water in 6 x 1L and 8 x 500ml packs.
Volvic sells plain water and flavoured ranges with different sugar and sweetener ingredients.
evian lists a 1.5L bottle for sharing and a 330ml glass-bottle range described by the brand for events.
Tesco’s Ashbeck listings include still natural mineral water in 2L bottles and sparkling natural mineral water in a 4 x 2L pack.
Sainsbury’s lists British still spring water in a 2L bottle and a 12 x 500ml multipack.
These options cover plain sparkling water in shared and individual bottles, plus sugar-free flavoured still water. Choose by the flavours guests want and how you plan to serve the bottles.
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Six 1L bottles provide plain sparkling water for a shared drinks table.
Choose a still option alongside it if some guests do not want fizz. The product guidance says to refrigerate after opening and use within seven days.
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This six-bottle 1L pack is another plain sparkling format for shared pouring.
It will not replace a still-water choice for guests who prefer no carbonation.
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Eight 500ml bottles suit individual sparkling-water servings rather than a table served from larger bottles.
The product guidance says to refrigerate after opening and use within seven days.
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Six 1.25L bottles offer a strawberry-flavoured still option for guests who want something other than plain water.
The product information lists sucralose and flags sulphites; check the current label if either matters to your guests.
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Six 500ml bottles provide individual servings of strawberry-flavoured still water.
It is a flavoured choice rather than a substitute for plain or sparkling water. Check the current ingredients if guests prefer to avoid sweeteners.
No: a flavoured product is a separate choice from plain still or sparkling water. Volvic Touch of Fruit Sugar Free Strawberry lists 0g sugars per 100ml but contains acesulfame K and sucralose, so check the ingredients if guests want an unsweetened drink.
Larger bottles suit shared pouring, while smaller bottles suit individual servings. Highland Spring lists 6 x 1L and 1.5L sparkling formats; compare their total volume with the number of servings you plan to set out.
Not without checking its ingredients. Volvic Touch of Fruit Lemon & Lime lists sugar at 2.3%, despite being described as low in sugar, so it does not fit this no-added-sugar brief.
Follow the instructions on each bottle. Tesco advises refrigerating opened Ashbeck still and sparkling water and consuming it within three days; guidance for another product may differ.