Choose the mixer for the drinks guests plan to have, not for the curry alone: tonic brings a bitter quinine flavour, ginger ale offers a gentler ginger option, and ginger beer suits those who want a more pronounced ginger drink. Small 150ml cans suit individual mixed drinks; larger cans make more sense when guests expect to drink a full can. Compare can size and total pack volume, then check the exact label for ingredients and alcohol status.
Plan the mixers around the spirits and alcohol-free drinks guests actually want. A 150ml can provides a single mixer portion without opening a larger container for each drink; tonic and ginger ale offer different flavours.
A larger can may suit someone who wants a whole soft drink rather than a small mixer portion. Tesco describes its No Added Sugar Ginger Beer 6x330ml as a carbonated soft drink with sweetener; check the exact ginger beer you buy rather than relying on its name.
Compare the nutrition panel and ingredients on the particular pack. The words “light”, “no added sugar” and “botanical” do not tell you everything about its sugar and sweetener ingredients.
Start with the drinks you will serve, then match the can size and ingredients to the people drinking them.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Mixer flavour | Check whether guests want quinine-led tonic, ginger ale or a more pronounced ginger beer. Choose for the intended drink rather than assuming the three are interchangeable. | I want tonic for guests who enjoy its bitter flavour, but a ginger option for those who do not. The curry menu alone will not settle that choice. |
| Can and pack size | Compare the volume of each can and the total pack volume. Tesco lists examples including 8x150ml tonic, 12x150ml ginger ale and 6x330ml ginger beer. | For individual mixed drinks, I would rather open small cans as needed. If people want a full soft drink, larger cans may fit the plan better. |
| Sugar and sweeteners | Read sugars per 100ml and per can, then check the ingredients for sweeteners. Tesco lists 0g sugars per 330ml can for its No Added Sugar Ginger Beer and identifies sucralose in the ingredients. | I need to know what is in the exact drink I am serving, rather than choose from “light” or “no added sugar” on the front of a pack. |
| Alcohol status and ingredients | Check the product description, category and any ABV marking for ginger beer. Review tonic ingredients for quinine and read the relevant label wording for sweeteners. | Some guests will want an alcohol-free drink, so I need to confirm the status of the particular ginger beer before serving it. |
Tesco lists a ginger-beer-flavour soft drink and also has a separate alcoholic ginger beer category. The drink name alone is not enough to distinguish them.
Check the exact product description, category and ABV marking, particularly when buying for children, drivers or guests avoiding alcohol.
Eight 150ml cans contain 1.2L, twelve 150ml cans contain 1.8L, and six 330ml cans contain 1.98L. Those formats also provide different-sized individual drinks.
Work out whether you need small mixer portions or full soft-drink cans, then compare both can size and total volume.
Those descriptions do not replace the nutrition panel or ingredient list. Tesco’s No Added Sugar Ginger Beer, for example, lists sucralose.
Check sugars per 100ml and per can, as well as the sweeteners named on the particular pack.
Sainsbury’s says orders of 12 or more units of one product line may depend on availability and store discretion.
Check order limits and possible substitutions early. Sainsbury’s asks customers to give at least seven days’ notice for larger orders.
These examples show different mixer formats and recipes to compare; a brand name alone does not determine which drink guests will prefer.
Tesco lists Fever-Tree Indian tonic and light ginger ale in 8x150ml can packs.
Tesco lists tonic, slimline tonic and Canada Dry Ginger Ale in 12x150ml formats.
Fentimans describes its ginger beer as botanically brewed and fiery; Tesco lists a 4x275ml ginger beer pack.
Tesco No Added Sugar Ginger Beer comes in a 6x330ml can pack and is described as a soft drink with sweetener.
Britvic identifies mixers, juices and cordials in its range and says it is now part of the Carlsberg Group.
These options cover small tonic and ginger-ale cans for individual drinks, plus larger ginger-beer cans for guests who want a fuller serving.
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Twelve 150ml cans provide small tonic portions for individual mixed drinks. If aspartame is a concern for a guest, check the can’s ingredients and phenylalanine wording before serving.
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Eight 150ml cans suit individual tonic drinks when guests want that bitter mixer flavour. Joybuy gives a serving suggestion of 150ml mixer with 50ml spirit; check the pack for sugar and quinine if those ingredients matter to your guests.
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Eight 150ml cans provide individual ginger-ale portions for guests choosing a ginger mixer instead of tonic. The Joybuy product information lists 4.4g sugars per 100ml, so check the nutrition panel rather than interpreting “Light” as sugar-free.
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Twelve 150ml cans provide small ginger-ale portions when several guests want individual drinks. Check the can for its nutrition figures and for sugar and sweeteners before comparing it with another recipe.
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Four 330ml cans suit guests wanting a larger ginger-beer serving rather than a 150ml mixer portion. Check the exact can for alcohol status, ingredients and nutrition information before serving.
No: tonic has a bitter quinine flavour, ginger ale is a gentler ginger mixer, and ginger beer is the route to consider for a more pronounced ginger drink. Ask what guests plan to drink rather than choosing solely from the food menu.
No. Tesco describes its No Added Sugar Ginger Beer 6x330ml as a soft drink, but also lists alcoholic ginger beer separately. Check the exact product description, category and ABV marking before buying it for guests avoiding alcohol.
Compare both the volume of each can and the total pack volume against the drinks you expect to serve. An 8x150ml pack contains 1.2L, while a 6x330ml pack contains 1.98L; the larger cans also give a different individual portion.
Read sugars per 100ml and per can, then look at the ingredients for sweeteners. Tesco’s No Added Sugar Ginger Beer lists 0g sugars per 330ml can and contains sucralose; do not assume another product labelled “light” has the same recipe.
Check the retailer’s order limits and substitution options in advance. Sainsbury’s says orders of 12 or more units of one product line may depend on availability and store discretion, and asks for at least seven days’ notice for larger orders.