Brian Nagele
My post explores the world of the greatest canned margaritas, quenching your hunger for flavor and convenience while adding a zesty touch to your experiences while you’re on the road. No more sacrificing flavor for travel with these ready-to-drink blends that put the fiesta right at your fingertips. Find the best options that perfectly blend fine tequila, zesty citrus, and a touch of sweetness, whether you’re lounging on the beach or trekking through the mountains. Bid farewell to the laborious process of blending and welcome to the liberating sensation of just pouring. Whether you’re a connoisseur of margaritas or just a casual drinker, join us as we uncover the flavors and mysteries of these indulgences that can make any occasion a fiesta worth toasting.
Cutwater Lime Margarita
Cutwater is an artisanal small-batch distillery in San Diego, owned and operated by master distiller Yuseff Cherney. San Diego is a west coast town that shares a border with Tijuana, a city often compared to Las Vegas. Cutwater’s repertoire of high-end small-batch tequilas lives up to the best tequilas Tijuana has to offer. They use their tequila to create a line of canned margaritas and tequila cocktails, the best of which is the Lime Margarita, an ode to the original cocktail. Winner of over 40 spirit awards, the Lime Margarita combines, margarita, fresh lime, cane sugar, and triple sec into a powerful 12.5% abv can. I applaud the quality of the tequila and enjoy the extra sweetness from the cane sugar.
Buzzbox Margarita
Winner of the Sip Awards Gold and Double Gold Awards, Buzzbox Margarita is a classic margarita at its best. As the name suggests, Buzzbox’s cocktails come in juice boxes, not cans, and are made with the highest-quality, all-natural ingredients. Their boxes are recyclable and, unlike aluminum cans, do not taint their contents with a metallic flavor. Buzzbox margarita uses authentic Mexican tequila from the West Coast state of Jalisco, combining it with fresh lime and orange juice, and homemade triple sec. I love the use of orange juice in addition to triple sec. It provided just the right sweetness without using added sugar.
Jose Cuervo Sparkling Margarita
Jose Cuervo is a household name and the gold standard for premium tequila. Any self-respecting tequila bar or Mexican food restaurant uses Jose Cuervo as their house spirit. You can find Jose Cuervo at any liquor store or grocery store in North America. Luckily, the company started making canned margaritas.Jose Cuervo Sparkling Margarita is a lower-calorie cocktail as well as a less alcoholic beverage. Using a mix of their proprietary tequila, triple sec, and lime juice, the Sparkling Margarita also adds carbonated water. I find the sparkling margarita more refreshing, and the sodium from the sparkling water adds that “salted rim” balance that most canned margaritas lack.
Two Chicks Sparkling Citrus Margarita
Two Chicks is a popular canned cocktail company owned and operated by women. Their elegant and feminine design makes these cans a beautiful addition to any aesthetic spread. Many cans are an eyesore that I’d rather pour into a glass, but Two Chicks cans are the exception. Their dainty sparkling citrus margarita is a crowd pleaser, winning multiple awards from Proof, Spirits Awards, and The Beverage Testing Institute. It combines a sweet variation of tequila with sparkling water, lemon, and lime. It has a 5% abv per can, so you can enjoy the taste of a few without overdoing it.
JuneShine Tequila Margarita
JuneShine prides itself on creating all-natural cocktails using whole ingredients with no chemicals or preservatives. They’re known for their kombucha canned cocktails, but they have multiple lines of festive tropical cocktails, like their delicious Tequila Margarita. Consisting of fresh lime juice and orange juice, tequila, sparkling water, and sea salt, JuneShine Tequila Margarita is the purest and cleanest tasting on my list. Despite the addition of sparkling water, JuneShine Tequila Margarita still has a 10% ABV per can. I love how balanced this cocktail tastes. I was skeptical because there’s no triple sec, but the orange juice was more than enough to create that classic sweet citrus flavor without added sugar.
Post Meridiem Spirits Margarita
I’m embarrassed to admit that I had no idea that Post Meridiem is what PM stands for, which is the Latin term for after-noon and a great name to refer to post-morning beverages. Post Meridiem is an award-winning small-batch canned cocktail producer, praised by dozens of notable publications, from Forbes to Country Living. They serve each cocktail in miniature full-proof cans that may be half the size of a regular canned cocktail, but they pack twice the flavor. The PM Margarita’s mini-can has a simple list of ingredients and their proportions. It contains silver tequila, orange, curacao, and real lime juice. I love the intense and concentrated taste of this powerful canned cocktail. It’s hard to not down it in one gulp!
Ranch Rider Spirits Margarita
A Texas-born seltzer cocktail company, Ranch Rider Spirits originated out of the back of a food truck in the college-town capital city of Austin. Their fun wild-west style cans are a festive aesthetic to brighten any party. I especially enjoyed their playful motto for their line of margarita seltzers: bringing the “Tex to Mex.” The Ranch Rider Spirits margaritas have various flavors, from classic to Jalapeno infused. The classic margarita consists of reposado tequila, sea salt, fresh-squeezed lime and orange, and sparkling water. It’s the lowest-calorie canned margarita on my list at 129 calories. They taste great, and I can make up for the calorie shortage with an extra helping of chips and queso.
