Schweppes Slimline Tonic, 12 x 150ml

Product Information

Unwanted Food or Drink Products - Once supply conditions are broken, there are a number of factors outside of our control that can affect the quality of a product. Therefore perishable goods such as food and drink cannot be returned. The acid-drops fragrance whets the appetite for this sharp, lemon-water flavoured tonic. Not very bubbly or complex, but a clean citrus taste and nice bitter balance, not sweet. According to Dr Chris Van Tulleken, in his new book Ultra-Processed People, artificial sweeteners may also contribute to weight gain. “A sweet taste in the mouth prepares the body for sugar. If that never arrives, it’s a problem,” he writes, adding that there’s evidence that they may actually decrease our insulin response (something seen in Type 2 diabetes) as well as damaging our gut bacteria.

For value, it pays to look for the price per 100ml. Smaller cans and glass bottles are usually more expensive: Schweppes nearly doubles in price when you buy it in cans. But other brands’ cans offer good value: Aldi’s Ridge View works out cheaper in cans than in a large glass bottle. And larger bottles may be a false economy if you end up throwing the last third away when it goes flat in the fridge. From an environmental point of view, aluminium is endlessly and easily recyclable (unlike plastic) and lighter to transport than glass, so it seems like a good bet. Good, instant fizz, almost sherberty. Delivers a nice dry bitterness; sweet without being overwhelming. Flavour is well rounded. Glass bottle looks premium. Flavour is marmalade-y and bittersweet, with no artificial sweeteners. Could do with more fizz but a great workhorse.Not enough fizz, quite citrussy. Can’t make up its mind whether it’s a soft drink or a tonic water. Not sweet, not bitter. Mild. Good for a subtle gin. A flurry of supermarket and branded premium-priced versions followed, along with attention-grabbing flavourings – rhubarb, pomegranate, cucumber. At the other end of the scale, some low-price tonic waters also appear within budget ranges. “Lighter”, “diet” and “low calorie” options abound. Experts mostly agree that lighter premium tonics may be better with lighter, more floral, “modern” gin, while the old-fashioned Schweppes style suits juniper-heavy traditional gins. This has fermented botanical extracts which sounds posh, as well as a huge 7.7g sugar per 100ml. It tastes slightly soapy, almost medicinal, and dries the mouth a bit – all of which works OK with tonic water, but you wouldn’t want to drink this on its own.

Tastes like slimline – I can taste the sweetener. Very dry and pretty citrussy. Sherberty fizz, rather than big bubbles. I’m not so keen on that. Rich flavour but so sweet – almost syrupy – which would be the whopping 8g sugar per 100ml. Nice fine bubble. If you want to have little bottles, like in a bar, this is a great-value option. The only tonic I tried that contains juniper distillate. It’s highly flavoured, but with no depth or length; the taste is muddled and confected. Disappointing. By and large, the “premium” tonic waters want to be seen as natural. That may mean they use “natural” flavourings, although that translates simply as “of natural origin” – they may be far removed from the strip of lemon zest that you might imagine.

The standard version is very citrussy. You’d need a strong gin to stand up to it. No bubbles. I’d like some lemon. Too sweet, almost syrupy. There’s a lingering bitter aftertaste – not in a nice, snappy way – and not enough other flavour. Quite bland, and not fizzy enough. Not cheap, but nothing matches this highly flavoured tonic. With hints of lime, it’s great on its own, but is also enhanced by gin. As for the “standard” tonics (rather than premium or diet), almost all are sweetened with a mixture of sugar and artificial sweetener, generally sucralose, aspartame, acesulfame K or saccharin. Not only are they cheaper than sugar, but they now avoid that sugar levy. On flavour grounds, this is often bad news. Sweeteners, particularly saccharin, can be bitter, and especially disgusting to the one in four of us who is very bitter-sensitive. Secondly, manufacturers tend to put too much in, so artificially sweetened drinks are often much sweeter than their sugar-sweetened counterparts. For reasons of hygiene and safety, personal grooming products, cosmetics or items of intimate clothing cannot be returned.