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The Best Margarita Mixes for EVERY Party!

Choosing the best margarita mix comes down to the manufacturer, whether you want a bottled or pre-mixed dry mix, price, additives and artificial flavorings, plus a host of other things you probably didn’t even think about.

And that’s fine, that’s why I created this article, to find you the best pre-made margarita mix for your specific tastes, budget and ingredient requirements.

After all, there are thousands of margarita mixes on the market right now and new brands of mix coming out almost daily it seems. Some of these mixes are even created by tequila brands. Now that’s synergy.

And each brand has their own spin on mixes and what makes their mix better than all the rest. And sometimes they’re right, and sometimes very wrong.

Best Tasting Overall: Powell & Mahoney Classic Margarita

Powell & Mahoney definitely make the best bottled margarita mix available. And this lime based mix isn’t just traditionally flavored, but it’s also completely natural and as close to fresh as you’re ever going to get in a pre-packaged margarita mix. Made with lime juice, cane sugar, and organic agave syrup, this non-GMO product company cares about their own products as well as the world as a whole. They really push their use of non-GMO ingredients and agree it’s important. There are no artificial flavors or colors in their mixes, and everything is certified and all natural. What more could you want from a great tasting mix.

Ingredients: filtered water, cane sugar, lime juice concentrate, organic agave syrup, citric acid, natural flavor, natural orange extract
Servings: almost eight

Runner up: Favorite Day Original Margarita Mix – This is also a great tasting mix that is also extremely inexpensive at less than $8 for a one liter bottle. This is a Target brand and can only be found there which makes it our second choice for the overall best mix. Not too sweet, cheap, this mix has a lot to offer at such a low price point. If you have a Target near you, I’d suggest grabbing a few bottles of this. Be sure you’re buying the “Organic” bottle and not the “Original” one that frankly we found a little too sweet. There is a difference!

Best Spicy: LAVA Premium Spicy Margarita Mix Variety Pack

When it’s time to kick up the heat in your margarita, LAVA delivers in this variety pack. I chose this as the best spicy mix because the heat from these mixers comes from either jalapeno or habanero peppers, so it’s got a kick without overwhelming the drink. And I love the varieties including Spicy Watermelon Habanero, Spicy Jalapeno and a Skinny version. Grabbing this pack ensures there’s a flavor for everyone and it’s an economical way to try a few flavors to get a sense of what you really like. You’d be surprised at these and you may just find a new favorite. Or just grab a single spicy bottle here.

Ingredients: water, sugar, raw blue agave nectar, key lime juice concentrate, lemon pulp, green jalapeno purée, natural flavors, ascorbic acid, citric acid, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate
Servings: 5.5 per instructions

Runner up: Barsmith Hatch Chile Margarita Mix – This spicy mix has both up front heat and a delayed back-of-the-throat heat that is not harsh but warm. Exactly what a spicy drink should be. Barsmith uses high-quality natural ingredients to make it’s mixes with no artificial flavors or colorings.

Best Strawberry: Tres Agaves Strawberry

Tired of the usual lime based margaritas and looking for something a little different? Tres Agaves makes an organic strawberry flavored margarita mix that will satisfy your cravings. This mix doesn’t use any artificial colorings or additives leaving you with a drink that not only tastes great, but is also a healthy alternative to any dry flavor packets you could use. You can even use this with Rum, Tequila or vodka. Organic strawberry purée, organic agave nectar, organic lime juice, pure filtered water, and vitamin C are the only ingredients found in this bottled mix making this the tastiest and healthiest strawberry margarita mix we’ve tasted so far. Seriously, give it a try.

Ingredients: Filtered water, organic agave nectar, organic lime concentrate, organic strawberry puree, natural strawberry flavor, fruit and vegetable juice for color.
Servings: 11.0 servings per container | 3 fl oz (90 ml)

Runner up: Zing Zang Strawberry Margarita Mix

Best Skinny & Sugar Free: Stirrings 5 Calorie Margarita

Looking for the best sugar free margarita mix? Stirrings has you covered with their “skinny” 5 Calorie Margarita mix. They keep his mix sugar free by using sucrose instead of regular sugar like most other products. That does mean this isn’t an “all natural” mix, but it is a super low calorie one. So if calories are what matter most, then this key lime based flavored mix is a solid buy. This is a bit bitter and definitely doesn’t taste as “natural” as other mixers we’ve tried, but that’s due to the artificial sweetener. But it’s still the best tasting low calorie mix we’ve tasted so far. Add a bit of fresh lime to your drink for a more balanced flavor and a decent tequila brand and you’re all set. Or pair it with their own Simple Sugar Mix.

Ingredients: Water, Key Lime Juice From Concentrate (Water, Key Lime Concentrate), Cane Sugar, Citric Acid (For Flavor), Natural Flavor, Triple Sec Flavor
Servings: 8.0 servings per container | 3 fl oz (90ml)

Runner up: Jordan’s Skinny Margarita Mix

Best Cheap: Master of Mixes Margarita Mix

If you’re on a budget or looking to make a ton of margaritas for a party, this mix keeps cost low while still giving you some great tasting margaritas. You don’t need to sacrifice flavor just because something is affordable. At under $10 a bottle, this bottled mixer has all the traditional taste of a lime based margarita and can even be used as a mocktail. Be warned though, this is a little on the sweet side. The company uses Mexican key lime juice, citrus oils, simple syrup, and agave syrup in this mix to keep things as fresh and tasty as possible while keeping costs low. We like this mix so well we actually have a review of Master of Mixes Margarita Mix here if you want even more information. They also offer a Big Bucket option for a dry mix.

Ingredients: water, sugar, agave syrup, lime juice from concentrate, lemon juice from concentrate, ascorbic acid, citric acid, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate, natural flavors
Servings: 15 – 4 ounce servings per cocktail

Runner up: Mr. & Mrs. T Margarita Mix

Best Organic: Tres Agaves Organic Margarita Mix

Tres Agaves know their mixes. I’ve also chosen them for their amazing strawberry flavored mix, and now again for the best organic margarita mix. That’s because this tequila company makes great products including this mix that is 100% organic and produced with only four organic ingredients including agave nectar, lime juice, filtered water, and vitamin C. This bottled mix is as close as you can get to a homemade margarita with a touch of “fruity” flavors like coconut and pineapple. It’s also the healthiest option on here if you care what you put into your body. And use their Tres Agaves Blanco Tequila to get the complete Agreves experience. It’s a solid tequila to mix these with.

Ingredients: agave nectar, lime juice, filtered water, and vitamin C
Servings: 11.0 servings per container | 3 fl oz (90 ml)

Runner up: Agalima Organic Authenic Margarita Drink Mix

Best Frozen: Lt. Blender’s Margarita in a Bag

When you need something for frozen margaritas, this mix in a bag is a great, low cost choice. And yes, it tastes pretty good too. This gluten-free mix is great for traveling or parties where bottled beverages can cause problems like pool areas. For the health conscious readers, this mix does contain salt, so taste before you salt your glass rim to make sure it’s not too much. This goes for around $13 and packs 21 servings, so it’s cost effective enough for any party making this mix our top pick for the best margarita mix for frozen margaritas.

Ingredients: sugar, lime juice solids (lime oil), maltodextrin, citric acid, lemon juice solids, orange juice solids, natural flavors, salt
Servings: 21 servings

Runner up: Frusheez Margarita Slush and Slushie Mix

Bottled Margarita Mixes vs Dry Mixes

First let’s talk about the two most common margarita mixes you can find today. These are the dry powdered forms, and the pre-bottled margarita mixes.

Both have their own pros and cons and each can save you some time when it comes to making a margarita. They’re all about convenience.

So which is better tasting?

I have never found a dry powdered mix that tastes better than a pre-bottled mix. And I’ve tried many!

The pre-bottled mixers you can get today are often quality products that have very limited amounts of additives, some don’t have any at all.

So for me, and most of my friends, when it comes to taste, pre-bottled mixes win out for taste by a mile!

Which is cheaper?

In almost every situation, the dry mixes are always cheaper. This comes down to most dry mixes contain a lot of additives which are always cheaper than the real deal.

They also often come in paper packets or large plastic tubs. This is a lot cheaper to produce than using glass bottles for a pre-made mix.

Dry mixes are also easier and cheaper to transport, or get mailed to your home if you’re a home shopper.

Dry mixes are always cheaper, but that doesn’t mean they’re always

Which is More Convenient?

Again, I’d say the dry mixes win out. Like I said, they’re easy to transport, this also means if you’re going camping or sailing, carrying a few dry packets of mix is no big deal. Now have a six pack of glass bottles and just the size and weight become something you don’t want to be dragging along on a muddy trail somewhere.

But if you’re at home and you are just grabbing the half used bottle from the fridge, it’s not such a big deal. But again, unused bottled mix must be refrigerated after they’re opened whereas dry mixes don’t.

It’s really more up to you and how you’ll be using the mix. But basically, dry wins this one too.

Which is Easier to Use?

Here the bottled margarita mixers win the point. That’s because they are by definition, “pre-mixed” so all you need to do is add tequila.

In a pinch, you could literally just drink some straight out of the bottle (treat it like a mocktail) and then replace what’s missing with some tequila, and you’re literally drinking a bottle of margaritas!

But I’m sure that scenario isn’t for everyone, but yes, I’ve done it.

So bottled margarita mixes are definitely easier to use. Grab a glass, add ice, tequila, bottled mix, stir and you’re ready to drink.

Which Has More Flavor Choices?

Actually this is a tie. Bot mixes have a plethora of choices from spicy to strawberry flavored margarita mixes, both have enough flavor choices to keep you creating new concoctions for months at least.

What Do I Personally Use?

I use fresh whenever possible. But that also isn’t always “possible”. So depending on why I am using a mix, I’ll choose based on those factors.

If I am at home and I don’t have any fresh limes or just feeling super lazy, I always reach for a bottled mix first. Very rarely do I use a dry mix unless I need a LOT of margaritas. Then it’s just about being cost effective.

But if I am going fishing and I have to hike to get there, dry is easiest for me.

Personally I really do enjoy of a few of the bottled mixers, especially the different flavored or spicy ones. To go ahead and make a few of these flavors does take a bit of time, so sometimes a pre-made mix is a lot easier to deal with than the real thing.

Margarita Mix Flavors?

This is where these mixes really shine. There are so many flavor profiles for mixes today that you can try a lot of variations and not have to drink the same old everyday. I do like variety.

Some of the different flavors you can find today are…

• Spicy mixes – You can choose from mild to blow your top off heat. Then you can narrow down what type of heat and from what sort of pepper the mix uses. Then their are even further adds to these to make a spicy-licorice or spicy- mix. If you like spicy margaritas, there is definitely no shortage of choices both in bottled or dry mixes. Check out our list of the Best Spicy Margarita Mix here.
• Fruit Flavors – You can get everything from Strawberry flavors to Lime and lemon flavored mixes both bottled or in the dry packages.

Margarita Mix Questions & Answers

What Is in Margarita Mix?

What is in margarita mixes varies a lot between brands and if it’s in powder form or bottled.

The better bottled forms will have fewer ingredients since most contain very few artificial flavors or preservatives. Whereas the dry type of margarita mix will often have hard to say words like sodium benzoate and polysorbate 60 added as stabilizers to keep their shelf life.

For examples I’ve listed three different ingredient lists from three different manufacturers to give you an overview of what you’ll find in most products. The first is a bottled product, the next two are dry powder forms.

• Ficks Bottled Margarita Mix Ingredients: Water, Lime Juice, Agave Syrup, Cane Sugar, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Natural Flavors, Citric Acid, Stevia Rebiana Extract.
• Jose Cuervo Dry Margarita Mix Ingredients: Water, high fructose corn syrup and/or sugar, citric acid, natural flavors, sodium citrate, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (to preserve flavor), cellulose gum, polysorbate 60, gum arabic, glycerol abietate and FD&C Yellow No. 5.
• Sauza Dry Margarita Mix Ingredients: Water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, sodium citrate, natural flavors (contains Sauza Tequila flavor), sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (preservatives), gum Arabic, polysorbate 60, medium chain triglycerides, yellow 5, blue 1.

Can You Drink Margarita Mix by Itself?

Yes, you can drink margarita mix by itself. In fact, if you want to enjoy a Margarita Mocktail that’s alcohol free, drinking a good bottled margarita mix on the rocks straight from the bottle isn’t half bad.

I usually add a little fresh lime and some lemon-lime soda like 7up or Sprite just to notch the sweetness down a bit. After all, these mixes are formulated to go with tequila. So you need something to replace that.

How to Make Margarita Mix Better?

There are a few things you can do to make margarita mixes taste better. Try adding a fresh lime quarter to your drink, this will really help liven up the lime flavors in the mix as well as some true organic lime.

I you mix is too sweet, try adding some soda water to cut the sweetness without messing with the flavor too much.

Always experiment with the amount of alcohol you put into the drink. This can make a big difference. Also the quality of the tequila matters a LOT! Bad tequila, bad drink.

How to Make a Frozen Margarita With Mix?

A frozen margarita is the same as a regular one other than it being blended with ice in some manner. So if you wanted to use a blender, you would add the Tequila and mix as directed on the mixes’ label and just add it all to the blender. Then blend for a frozen “form” of the drink. The same goes for a Margarita Maker.

Can You Buy Margarita Mix Under 21?

Yes, you can buy margarita mix if you are under 21 or below the legal drinking age. This is because margarita mixers do not contain alcohol. They are everything other than the alcohol. So really all you are doing is buying a packet or bottle of some sort of drink, a non-alcoholic one. And there are no laws forbidding minors to buy mixers that don’t contain alcohol.

Does Margarita Mix Have Alcohol?

No, margarita mix does not contain alcohol. That’s why minors can but mixes and mixes can even be used to make Mocktails and non-alcoholic drinks.

You always need to add the alcohol to a mix, so these mixers never contain alcohol.

Does Margarita Mix Go Bad?

Yes, margarita mix goes bad. Bottled margarita mixes go bad a lot faster than powder forms due to their usually all natural ingredients. Unused bottled margarita mix also needs to be refrigerated after it’s opened and only keeps for about a week.

Dry margarita mixes contain a lot more preservatives than bottled, so they do last longer, but all food items go bad sooner or later. Expect a quality dry margarita mix to go bad after six months if it is in a sealed container. Left unopened and it goes bad as soon as a few days. So seal tightly!

Things like humidity, heat and sunlight all effect how fast a product starts to deteriorate. So always try to keep your products in a dark, dry and cool spot for the maximum shelf life.

How to Tell if Margarita Mix Is Bad?

Dry: For dry mixes, you can tell if it is bad by looking at, smelling and even tasting a tiny bit to see what’s going on.

When dry mixers go bad they often clump up and get rock hard. Or go the other way and get really moist and often show signs of mold.

They also smell off or just plain nasty. So use your nose as well.

Taste a tiny little bit if you have the courage. Does it taste nasty on your tongue? If it is just a tiny bit, it should taste like the flavor on the packet, not like a dead animal that’s been swelling up in the sun.

If you didn’t seal your mix well enough, it doesn’t take much to go bad.

Bottled: For bottled mixes, it’s easier to tell if the margarita mix is bad. The liquid often looks off color and cloudy. This is a definite sign to throw it out.

Smelling an opened bottle is also an easy way to tell. Just take a whiff, if instead of limes and sugar it smells like socks that haven’t been changed in a month, time for the trash.

If the contents of the bottle still look and smell alright, just dab a finger in and taste. If you can still taste a sweet lime flavor, then you should be good. If not, dump it down the drain.

How Long Does Margarita Mix Last Unopened?

Unopened margarita mix lasts from anywhere from 6 months to two years depending on its ingredients and how it’s packaged.

Dry mix has a much longer shelf life due to it having more preservatives and no liquids to ferment or otherwise effect the mix. These mixes can last a year or two if left unopened and kept dry.

Bottled mixes are usually bottled to last up to 6 months to a year if unopened. They will normally go bad much sooner than a dry mix.

How Much Is Margarita Mix?

The prices of margarita mix fluctuate according to bottled and dry mixes. For bottled mixes the prices are usually from $6.99 to close to $30 per bottle. That works out from anywhere between 22 cents to almost a dollar per ounce.

The dry mixers are much cheaper and work out to pennies per fluid ounce once mixed. This is due to their ingredients and packaging which all dramatically bring down their overall price.

What to Mix With Margarita Mix?

Traditionally you mix tequila with margarita mix. But some people even mix them with rum or even vodka. And while you can mix margarita mix with other alcohols, its flavor profiles are created specifically to be paired with Tequila.