7 Store-Bought Margarita Mixes, Ranked Worst To Best

There’s nothing like a good homemade margarita (and our tips can help you make one), whether you prefer your margarita on the rocks or frozen. But sometimes, the idea of squeezing lime after lime after lime — especially when you’re making drinks for a crowd — seems overwhelming. That’s when a store-bought margarita mixer can come in handy. It allows you to capture that classic margarita flavor you love (or, almost, anyway), no bartending skills needed.

But if you haven’t tasted a wide variety of store-bought margarita mixes, then you may not know which varieties offer the most promising at-home cocktail. That’s why I tasted my way through seven different margarita mixes to deliver the crucial information you need to get your margarita cravings in check. I evaluated the flavor of these mixes both on their own and with blanco tequila to get a sense of how they performed solo and with alcohol. In this ranking, more complex, less sweet mixes ranked near the top of the list, while sweeter and simpler varieties found their way to the worst-ranked slots. Trying to plan your next cocktail-centered get-together? Check out which margarita mixes you should consider for your home bar.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

Cocktails can be quite high in calories, which is why brands like Stirrings may attempt to offer lower-calorie alternatives to the classics. This is certainly a smart option if you’re focusing on your calorie intake, but if you just care about flavor and flavor alone, Stirrings Simple Margarita Mix is not the best option in the bunch. This mix isn’t too sweet, which is nice, but it’s very, very lightly flavored all around. Even the lime juice, which is supposed to be the most prominent ingredient in this cocktail mixer, is only a whisper of what it should be.

This mix doesn’t taste too bad on its own, but it doesn’t mingle well with the tequila, leaving the latter tasting way too strong. My suggestion? Make sure you’re using a higher-quality, better-tasting tequila if you take this route, or just opt for another brand altogether. Although Stirrings’ margarita mix may be the best choice for some of the more health-conscious consumers out there, it’s not my favorite for a general-purpose margarita mix.

We all have different tastes when it comes to cocktails. Some people, for example, prefer a sweeter cocktail and therefore like their margarita to have a decent amount of sugar in it. For those people, Master of Mixes Handcrafted Margarita is a great option. It’s quite a bit sweeter than what I think of when a margarita comes to mind, with a consistency that’s thicker and more luscious than you may be expecting. For those who order their margarita with a sugar rim, this might not be a bad option.

On the other hand, I tend to prefer a more acidic, lime-forward flavor profile, which is a major reason why this Master of Mixes cocktail mixer just isn’t for me. It’s lacking the brightness that I would expect from a lime juice-heavy cocktail, and it left me with a slightly cloying taste in my mouth.

Sometimes, you just need a standard margarita mix that gets the job done and doesn’t offend anyone in the process, and that’s where Jose Cuervo Classic Margarita Mix comes into play. It’s simple but nicely balanced and does, in fact, taste like a margarita. Whip up some drinks with this stuff at a party, and nobody’s going to complain — although they may not regard it as the best margarita they’ve ever had.

The ingredients list, though, is where this brand loses me. There isn’t any real lime juice in the recipe, which doesn’t seem great when the cocktail is literally based on lime juice. It also contains high-fructose corn syrup, which isn’t ideal either. Of course, considering the lack of more natural ingredients, this stuff isn’t bad when you’re in a pinch. But when I’m trying to recreate that fresh-from-the-bar flavor in my cup, this isn’t the margarita mix I’m going to turn to.

When I’m craving a margarita mix that offers a slightly different flavor profile than I’m used to in a margarita, I may consider seeking out Fever-Tree Classic Margarita Mix. This product isn’t bad, but it’s not exactly what I thought it would be. When I took a sip, I noticed that lime flavor first, of course, followed by a subtle sweetness. When it comes to sweetness and acidity, this is a well-balanced mixer. However, what threw me off here was the flavor of baking spices, particularly what tasted like ginger, in the recipe. Ginger is lovely, and I wouldn’t mind a bit of it in my margarita. In this case, though, that warming, baking spice note was probably the most pronounced flavor I could pick up on in my glass. It arguably even outshone the tequila.

For those who want a margarita that has a warmer flavor profile, this is a mix that’s worth checking out, since it has a nice touch of spice that offers a complexity you won’t get from every brand. But personally, I prefer a margarita without so much of that baking spice, so I believe that there are better brands to check out before choosing this Fever-Tree option.

For a more classic and nicely balanced margarita, try Tres Agaves Classic Lime Margarita Mix. Although this isn’t my favorite in the bunch, it still makes a margarita that’s better than I would expect from a mix. The main appeal here is the really nice balance of tartness and sweetness in the recipe. The acidity in this mix is quite bold, so the main thing I tasted is that bright, fresh lime. Yes, there’s a hint of sweetness there, but it’s far from overpowering.

The ingredients list is also nice: The flavor comes from actual lime juice and agave nectar. That simplicity is what makes this mix a step above so many others on this list. And for those who want to keep track of their calorie intake, Tres Agaves is definitely one of the smarter options listed here, since it comes in at just 68 calories a serving.

For another particularly well-balanced margarita with a bit more of a sweet touch to it, try out Stonewall Kitchen Margarita Mixer. In addition to lime juice and cane sugar, which make up the majority of the recipe, this mixer also contains orange juice. Not only does that orange juice contribute a bit of extra sweetness to the drink, but it also gives it a citrusy touch that you can’t get from lime juice alone. Although yes, it is sweet, it’s such a nicely balanced sweetness that I don’t mind that extra touch of sugar.

Out of all of the margarita mixers I tried for this piece, this is the one that tasted the best all on its own. Therefore, if you’re trying to make a mocktail, this might be a good option if you don’t want to add a ton of other ingredients to the mix. That being said, this stuff still tasted delicious once I spiked it with tequila, as well.

It’s hard to find a drink mixer that’s going to provide the same kind of complexity and interest as you can get from a freshly made drink at a bar, but Dick’s Classic Margarita Mixer comes pretty close. This is not the lightest, freshest mix in the bunch — it has a bold and somewhat bitter flavor that promises a compelling cocktail. There’s lime juice and agave to provide that perfect tart and sweet contrast, but the addition of orange juice adds a nice extra touch of flavor here, too, just like in the Stonewall Kitchen Blend. What makes this mixer stand apart from the rest, though, is cucumber, which offers a cooling, vegetal note to the drink that’s unexpected but nonetheless delicious.

Sweet, fruity margarita drinkers will probably not enjoy this mix, but I like my margaritas a bit savory, a bit funky, and super acidic without a ton of sugar, which makes Dick’s Margarita Mix one of the tastiest pre-made cocktail mixes out there in my book. Give it a try the next time you don’t feel like cutting and squeezing a bunch of limes.

These margarita mixes were chosen based on availability at my local grocery store, along with relevant PR samples. I chose these margarita mixes, tasted them plain, at room temperature, before testing them out cold, with Espolon Blanco tequila. The criteria for this ranking are flavor, first and foremost, with a focus on more complex, less sweet varieties with a bolder acidity. I considered the balance between complexity and simplicity, and differing flavor profiles as well. I also took the ingredient lists into question to determine where each product should rank, generally placing the mixes with more natural ingredients ahead of those that relied more on artificial flavors.