There are a few things you need for a great margarita: good tequila is important, a nice orange liqueur also goes a long way, and then you need an overwhelming amount of fresh lime juice. Plus, ice. (Salt is a matter of personal preference.)
That insane amount of fresh lime juice sometimes gets in between a margarita lover and his or her cocktail ― lazy people don’t like to squeeze a lot of limes. Luckily, there are pre-made margarita mixes for that. Unfortunately, some of them are downright awful.
In the spirit of public service, HuffPost set out to find the best mixes on store shelves to save all of those lazy margarita lovers who can’t possibly squeeze another lime. We’re happy to report there are some good choices out there. (There are also some very terrible brands for sale that should disappear from stores immediately.)
We tested nine options ― some classic, some fruity, and some ready-to-serve. We gathered 12 enthusiastic margarita imbibers and had them blind taste-test the margs.
The results were interesting. We came away with a clear winner and a definite loser ― but every other option was absolutely average. (A sign that we may have all downed one too many mediocre margaritas in our lives.) We also learned that the ready-to-serve margarita mixes are never a good idea. If you’re too lazy to mix tequila with a pre-made mix, you really shouldn’t be drinking margaritas at all.
Here are the results, in order from absolute worst to absolutely drinkable:
