Margarita Mix Taste Test

by Sarah De Heer, Posted May 4th 2010 @ 3:00PM

Photo: Sarah De Heer

Cinco de Mayo is upon us and what better way to celebrate than with a margarita in your hand. While homemade margarita -- fresh lime juice and all -- is the preferable way to go, sometimes a lack of time and/or a need for quantity has us reaching for a mix. This past weekend, we sat down with good friends, six mixers and a blender to determine the best one.

All of the margaritas were blended with ice and rated on a scale of one to five for sweetness, sourness and the "syrup" factor (in our experience, the more syrupy the mix, the less authentic the flavor, probably due to sugar/corn syrup). We skipped salting the glass rims so we could taste the mix clearly.

So which one of these mixes can actually pass for the real thing? Our picks after the jump.

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Margarita Mix Taste Test

Winner: Stirrings Simple Margarita
Sweet (1 to 5): 3
Sour (1 to 5): 3
Syrupy (1 to 5): 1
Verdict: "Refreshing, not too sweet or sour." "I could drink this all afternoon." "Would use this mix all year-round."

Margarita Mix Taste Test

Runner-Up: Jose Cuervo Margarita Mix
Sweet (1 to 5): 4
Sour (1 to 5): 3
Syrupy (1 to 5): 3
Verdict: "Sweet and even a little salty, this has a clean taste."

Margarita Mix Taste Test

If the other two aren't available: Mr. & Mrs. T Margarita Mix
Sweet (1 to 5): 4
Sour (1 to 5): 4
Syrupy (1 to 5): 4
Verdict: "Unlike many of the others, this one is more sour, which actually makes the drink taste bitter."

Margarita Mix Taste Test

If you're already drunk: Daily's Margarita Mix
Sweet (1 to 5): 5
Sour (1 to 5): 2
Syrupy (1 to 5): 4
Verdict: "Way too sweet -- can't even taste the lime juice." "Margaritas are supposed to be refreshing, this leaves me even more thirsty."

Margarita Mix Taste Test

Next to worse: Barcardi Margarita
Sweet (1 to 5): 4
Sour (1 to 5): 5
Syrupy (1 to 5): 5
Verdict: "While this one blended the best (from concentrate), it was both overwhelming sweet and sour."

Margarita Mix Taste Test

Worst: T.G.I. Friday's Margarita Blenders
Sweet (1 to 5): 5
Sour (1 to 5): 2
Syrupy (1 to 5): 5
Verdict: "Leaves a film in your mouth." "It's extremely artificial and has an aftertaste similar to bug spray."

Margarita Mix Taste Test

For classic margarita recipes, visit KitchenDaily.

Filed Under: Taste Test
Tags: best margarita mix, cuervo margarita mix, margarita, margarita mix, margarita recipe, margaritas, tequila mix

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

5-04-2010 @4:10PM LaurenOT said... Thanks for doing the footwork on these! It's always a blind hand in the store- now I can go in armed with info.
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5-05-2010 @6:51AM Matt said... Why exclude the salt on the rim? That's essential. This is like judging a food contest without the contestants being able to salt the food to season.
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5-08-2010 @10:30PM AlchemistGeorge said... This is excellent work, and very useful. Personally I would have made a margarita from scratch to use as a standard / reference against which to compare the mixes.

My understanding, which may be wrong, is that the salt dates back to the days of very low quality tequila.

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5-10-2010 @8:48PM Frank said... Does anyone know of a recipe for homemade margarita mix for frozen margaritas? I have tried searching and can find recipes for traditional margaritas but not for frozen margaritas. I would prefer something on the not-too-sweet-but-rather-sour side, but anything would be great!
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