Who is this for?

Hosts avoiding added sugar

If the buffet has a strict no-added-sugar requirement, compare ingredient lists as well as sugars per 100ml. ‘Light’ does not tell you whether fructose or sugar has been added.

Hosts offering more than tonic

A diet ginger ale can provide a different mixer alongside tonic. Keep each drink’s ingredients available so guests can choose between them.

Caterers running self-service drinks

Pack size, refrigeration after opening and access to ingredient information matter when drinks are set out for guests to serve themselves.

What to check before you buy

Settle the ingredient requirement first, then choose the mixer types and pack sizes that suit the drinks station.

Priority What to check Your needs
Added sugar Read the current ingredients for sugar, fructose or other ingredients used for sweetening. Compare sugars per 100ml, but do not treat a zero-sugar nutrition figure as proof of a no-added-sugar claim. I need mixers that meet a strict no-added-sugar brief, not simply ones described as ‘light’.
Sweeteners Tesco Low Calorie Indian Tonic Water and Sainsbury’s Diet Indian Tonic Water list acesulfame K and sucralose. ASDA’s listing for Schweppes Slimline Tonic Water 1L lists aspartame and acesulfame K, with a warning that it contains a source of phenylalanine. Guests should be able to see which sweeteners are in each drink rather than having to assume all diet tonics use the same ingredients.
Mixer choice Decide whether tonic alone covers the drinks being served. Sainsbury’s Diet Ginger Ale is a non-tonic option whose listing gives less than 0.5g sugars per 100ml and lists sweeteners. I want a non-tonic choice without treating ginger ale as a substitute for tonic in every drink.
Pack format Compare 1L bottles with individually sealed 150ml cans for your service setup. Sainsbury’s diet tonic and ginger ale labels say to refrigerate after opening and use within three days. For shared service, I can open bottles as needed; for individual portions, cans may make it easier to leave the remaining mixers sealed.

Buffet mixer mistakes to avoid

  • Taking ‘light’ to mean no added sugar

    Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Indian Tonic Water lists fructose, while Fentimans Naturally Light Tonic Water lists sugar. Neither ingredient list fits a strict no-added-sugar brief.

    Check the ingredients on the pack rather than choosing by the front-label description alone.

  • Assuming diet tonics use the same sweeteners

    The Tesco and Sainsbury’s tonic listings name acesulfame K and sucralose; ASDA’s Schweppes Slimline 1L listing names aspartame and acesulfame K and carries a phenylalanine warning.

    Leave the original packaging accessible or provide accurate ingredient information at the drinks station.

  • Opening every bottle at the start

    Opened bottles need the storage stated on their labels. Sainsbury’s diet tonic and diet ginger ale instruct refrigeration after opening and use within three days.

    Keep reserve bottles closed until they are needed and follow each purchased pack’s storage instructions.

    Mixer left open during service may lose carbonation, even if some of the bottle remains unused.

  • Relying on an old online ingredient list

    Ingredient information is most useful to guests when it matches the drinks actually served, particularly if bottles are decanted or mixed by a caterer.

    Check the delivered packs, retain their packaging during service and coordinate ingredient and allergen information with the venue or caterer.

Brand references for mixers

These examples show why the wording on a tonic or ginger ale needs to be checked against its ingredients; a brand name alone does not establish suitability.

Tesco

A 1L own-label tonic option for shared service.

  • Tesco Groceries lists 0g sugars per 100ml for Low Calorie Indian Tonic Water and names acesulfame K and sucralose as sweeteners.
  • Check the ingredients and storage instructions on the bottles purchased for the event.

Schweppes

Slimline tonic appears in both a 1L listing and a separate 12 × 150ml can listing.

  • ASDA’s 1L Slimline listing gives 0g sugars per 100ml.
  • That 1L listing names aspartame and acesulfame K and warns that the drink contains a source of phenylalanine. Check the label of the format you buy.

Sainsbury’s

Its 1L diet tonic and diet ginger ale offer tonic and non-tonic choices.

  • Sainsbury’s listings give less than 0.5g sugars per 100ml for both drinks and list acesulfame K and sucralose.
  • Both listings instruct refrigeration after opening and use within three days; check the purchased labels before service.

Fever-Tree

Refreshingly Light Indian Tonic Water is a different choice from a strict no-added-sugar tonic.

  • Fever-Tree describes this tonic as a lighter option.
  • Its published ingredients include fructose, so do not present it as meeting a no-added-sugar requirement.

Fentimans

Naturally Light Tonic Water is an option to assess by flavour and label, not by ‘light’ wording alone.

  • Fentimans lists botanical infusions in this tonic.
  • Its published ingredients include sugar, and its nutrition information gives 3.4g sugars per 100ml.

Britvic

A brand to assess by the label of the specific tonic pack under consideration.

  • Britvic announced classic and zero-sugar 330ml Indian Tonic Water cans in September 2023.
  • Check the current pack’s ingredients and nutrition before deciding whether a zero-sugar variant fits the buffet.

Joybuy tonic for self-service

This 12 × 150ml tonic pack offers individual portions for a self-service drinks station. Check the delivered cans’ ingredients before using them for a strict no-added-sugar buffet.

Schweppes Slimline Tonic Water, pack of 12 × 150ml cans

Schweppes Slimline Tonic Water, 12 × 150ml

The 12 × 150ml format provides individual tonic portions for self-service. Before serving it as a no-added-sugar option, check the cans’ current ingredients, sweeteners and any phenylalanine warning, and make that information available to guests.

View on Joybuy

Questions about buffet mixers

Does ‘light’ tonic mean no added sugar?

No. Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light lists fructose, while Fentimans Naturally Light lists sugar and 3.4g sugars per 100ml. For a strict no-added-sugar requirement, read the current ingredients rather than relying on ‘light’.

Which tonic and ginger ale listings are worth checking for this buffet?

Tesco Low Calorie Indian Tonic Water, ASDA’s listing for Schweppes Slimline Tonic Water 1L, and Sainsbury’s Diet Indian Tonic Water list sweeteners rather than sugar in their ingredients. Sainsbury’s Diet Ginger Ale provides a non-tonic option on the same basis. Check the purchased packs before describing any of them to guests as no-added-sugar choices.

What should happen to opened 1L bottles?

Follow each bottle’s storage instructions. Sainsbury’s diet tonic and diet ginger ale listings say to refrigerate after opening and use within three days, so keep reserve bottles closed until needed.

How can guests check which sweeteners are in a mixer?

Keep the original packaging accessible or provide ingredient information that matches the drinks being served. This matters for Schweppes Slimline: ASDA’s 1L listing names aspartame and says the drink contains a source of phenylalanine, so check the label of the pack you actually use.

What if a caterer decants or mixes the drinks?

Give the caterer the current packaging and agree how guests will access ingredient and allergen information for the drinks served. GOV.UK’s guidance addresses allergen information for food businesses supplying both prepacked and non-prepacked food and drink.