Tonic water vs Soda water vs Sparkling water vs Mineral water – which is healthier?

Fizzy water: whether you call it tonic, sparkling or soda or mineral, it’s all the same, right?

As it turns out, not so much.

Yes, they’re all bubbly forms of water, but they’re also all completely different drinks. Each has its own different flavour and qualities. So, before you start using sparkling water to make that G&T (or pour yourself a big, refreshing glass of tonic water), read on.

Tonic water vs Soda water vs Sparkling water vs Mineral water

Let’s start by laying out the basic similarities and differences between ‘the four fizzy amigos’ before we go into each fizz type in detail.

First, the similarities – all three are made from carbonated water, which is created by injecting bubbles of carbon dioxide (CO2) into water to make it fizz.

What is tonic water?

Tonic water is a sweet-yet-bitter, bubbly little number that’s mainly used as a mixer for cocktails. It’s the fizz that gave its name to the popular ‘gin and tonic’ enjoyed all over the world.

What is tonic water made of?

Traditional tonic water generally contains four ingredients:

• Carbonated water
• Sugar
• Quinine and other flavours
• Preservatives

The key to tonic water’s unique bitter taste is quinine: a drug that was actually developed to treat malaria and other diseases! Of course, doctors use it in much bigger doses than you’ll find in store-bought tonic waters.

What is sparkling water?

Sparkling water has a clean, neutral taste that makes it great for cooking – not to mention a refreshing alternative to plain old tap water. If you’ve ever had a waiter ask whether you wanted, “still or sparkling?”, you’ve met sparkling water before. It’s the option that sparkles with bubbles.

What about ‘sparkling mineral water’?

Sometimes, you’ll see sparkling water advertised as sparkling mineral water. In fact, many people think the two interchangeable, but there IS a big difference.

Genuine sparkling mineral waters come from underground water sources that are rich in natural minerals and salts. They get their bubbles from the natural gasses in these mineral springs (although manufacturers often add more CO2 afterwards to up the bubble-factor).

Sparkling mineral water’s taste is still subtle, but the minerals it contains often add a bit of flavour. That means it can taste a little bitter and salty.

What is sparkling water made of?

Plain sparkling water generally contains just one ingredient – carbonated water.

Flavoured sparkling waters typically also contain:

• Added flavours
• Sugar and/or artificial sweeteners
• Preservatives

What is soda water?

Soda water is sometimes known as ‘club soda’. It’s a slightly salty drink that most commonly gets used as a cocktail mixer, although some folks enjoy it on its own.

Fun factoid: soda water was originally created as a cheaper version of sparkling mineral water. To mimic the taste, manufacturers add minerals like:

• Sodium bicarbonate
• Sodium citrate
• Disodium phosphate
• (and occasionally) sodium chloride, aka table salt.

What is soda water made of?

Soda water contains:

• Carbonated water
• Added salts and minerals

Sparkling water, tonic water, soda water or mineral water – which one is healthiest?

Some people believe that tonic water is bad for you. And, based purely on sugar content, plain sparkling water, mineral water or soda water is certainly healthier than most tonic waters out there.

That’s because neither plain sparkling water, mineral water or soda water have sugar in them. Meanwhile, traditional tonic water has, on average, 6.5 teaspoons of sugar per 300mL serve!

That said, watch out for flavoured sparkling waters too. They may appear healthy, but they sometimes come loaded with a stack of sugar and artificial additives. 

Thankfully Nexba’s Tonic Waters, Nexba Sparkling Waters, Nexba Sparkling Mineral Waters aren’t like that at all. They’re naturally sugar free and are actually just as healthy as soda water or sparkling water!

Your favourite bubbly beverages with none of the nasty stuff

Look, we don’t want to knock plain sparkling water if that’s what you’re in the mood for. But we also know that sometimes, you just crave a bit more FLAVOUR in your life.

That’s why, at Nexba, we’ve made it our mission to take the traditional drinks we all already know and love and make them healthier (and just as delicious). 

We knew we had to give traditional tonic water and sparkling water a makeover. So we added our top-secret Nexba Naturally Sugar Free sweetener blend, along with 100% natural flavours.

And unlike most bubblies on the market, Nexba’s have: