We Tried 13 Types of Margarita Mix and This Was Our Favorite

With more of us vaccinated and warmer months on the horizon, a reality is steadily approaching in which we can once more enjoy a brunch with friends or family, complete with refreshing, classic citrus-filled drinks like margaritas. But on the off chance that you want a salt-rimmed drink without having to brave public spaces just yet, you can always sate your margarita cravings with an at-home concoction. And while a hand-made margarita is certainly not the hardest drink to make, it does require fresh limes.

Luckily, plenty of companies have created premade margarita mixes that can help speed up your cocktail hour. And even if you don't partake in alcohol, you can still make use of margarita mix to make up a number of delicious mocktails. A bit of margarita mix in tea, for example, makes for a delicious but unusual Arnold Palmer, and margarita mix combined with kombucha can also make for a refreshing drink. Even adding a bit of Sprite or Mountain Dew to margarita mix can make for a delicious, tart-filled punch.

In hopes of enhancing your upcoming cocktails, we've rounded up 13 varieties of premade margarita mix, all of which are available online or in stores. So get your ice and shaker ready as we go through our picks, from best to worst.

Best Margarita Mix at a Glance:

Best Overall: Barsmith Triple Citrus Margarita Mix
Runners-Up: Master of Mixes Margarita Mix, Powell & Mahoney's Classic Margarita Mix
Best Organic Mix: Agalima Organic Margarita Mix
Best Sweet Mix: Tres Agaves Organic Margarita Mix
Best Tart Mix: Lefty O'Doul's Authentic Key Lime Margarita Mix
Most Unusual Mix: Barsmith Hatch Chile Margarita Mix
Best Low Calorie Mix: Dr. Swami & Bone Daddy's Low Calorie Margarita Mix
Best No Sugar Mix: Baja Bob's Original Margarita Mix
Best Budget Mix: Zing Zang Margarita Mix, Mr. & Mrs. T Margarita Mix

What We Looked for When Ranking Margarita Mixes

Taste: As usual, taste reigns supreme as one of our top considerations. For this test, we kept an eye out for tarter varieties of margarita mix along with ones on the sweeter side, since some drinkers may prefer one kind over the other. We also discerned which tasted like they were made from fresh fruit juice from those that tasted more artificial. If you're going to pay for a margarita mix, it might as well taste close to homemade.

Price: No matter how you slice it, buying fresh limes and salt will always be cheaper than buying margarita mix. But if you're going to buy margarita mix, it shouldn't be prohibitively expensive. Most of our mixes were under $10, and a few were $5 or less.

Sugar Content/Type: We don't have much love lost for high-fructose corn syrup. And besides, cane or agave sugar tend to lend better flavors. For this test, we kept an eye out for which brands included a glut of sugar, and which used processed sugar rather than more natural sweeteners.

Additional Features: In addition to considering taste, price, and sugar content, we also kept an eye out for novelty flavors, low-calorie varieties, and organic options.

How We Tested Each Mix

For this test, I poured about an ounce of each margarita mix into a shot glass and drank it. Since I didn't think testing my liver with 13 shots was a wise move, and since I wanted a better idea of what each mix tasted like on its own, I tried the margarita mix plain.