You’ve got the invites out, you know what you are going to serve, your margarita machine is on standby – all you need now is the best margarita mix for your machine.
Using a margarita mix helps you to spend less time in the kitchen and more time with your guests. With some culinary ingredients, like lemon slices, there really is no substitute for fresh. Fortunately, the same is not true for margarita mixes.
With the mixes that we will be going over in this post, no one is going to notice that you didn’t make the drinks from scratch – They’ll be too busy enjoying them and complimenting you.
All you need to do is to stock up on ice and tequila and get your mix on.
Quick Comparison Table: Best Margarita Machine Concentrate
| Brand | High Fructose Corn Syrup? | Cost | Different Flavors |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1. Margarita Texas MixOur Best Pick Our Best Pick  Check Price | No | Mid-Range | 1 |
#2. Margarita Frozen Drink Machine Granita Slush Mix Check Price | No | Low cost | 40 |
#3. Dr. Swami & Bone Daddy's Top Shelf Margarita Mix Check Price | Yes | Mid-Range | 1 |
#4. Fat Mama's Knock-You-Naked Margarita Mix Check Price | Yes | Higher Cost | 1 |
Which Flavor to Choose?
Traditionally, according to the Smithsonian Museum, this drink is made in Mexico using tequila, Triple Sec or Cointreau, and lime juice. The margarita must be served in a glass with salt on the rim.
The reason for this blend is to help create the ideal mix of sour, sweet, bitterness and salty flavor. The emphasis here is on the blend, not just on the syrupy sweetness.
A mix offers you a much wider range of taste options. Why stick with a plain old margarita when you can choose from such a wide range of flavors? Consider the theme of the party when choosing the mix to use and consider having a few different options on hands to suit your guests’ tastes.
Where many mixes fall short is that they contain more sugar than anything else. Remember that the whole idea here is to create a blend of flavors so steer clear of mixes that are mainly sugar and not much else. The mixes we are looking at here are a good place to start.
How Does it Work?
It is simple, just add the ice, some water, the mix and your tequila. The machine will do everything else for you. It hardly takes any time at all to whip up a batch.
When adding the water to the mix, it is a good idea to add your ice to the water first. So, if you have to add a glass of water, for example, half-fill the glass with water and then top it up with ice. That way your mix won’t be too diluted and will still be cold.
How Much to Buy?
This is going to depend on the number of guests that you have invited. It is better to order more than you think that you will need. Check on the package how many drinks the mix will make and go from there.
The upside of these mixes is that they usually have a good shelf-life and so can be stored away until you need them again.
Finishing it Off Perfectly
Of course, half the fun of having these cocktails is serving them perfectly.
It doesn’t take long to salt the rim of the glasses. All you need is some plain table salt and lime juice. Place the salt in a saucer and the lime juice in two separate saucers. Each saucer should be big enough for the rim of the glass to fit in.
Dip the glass into the lime juice first and then into the salt and set aside to dry. Cut up slices of fresh lime beforehand to garnish the glasses just before serving.
Should we have a look at the mixes that should be on your shopping list?
1. Frozen Margarita Mix Concentrate: Granita Slush Mix
This comes in forty different flavors, ranging from a neutral base flavor all the way through to some less traditional combinations like Milkshake and Rose.
This mix dissolves easily in water and can be used without tequila for a virgin margarita. The company allows you to choose six different flavors when you order, and each bottle has a year-long shelf life.
This is a high-flavor option that won’t overdose you with sugar. The amount of water that you need to use will depend on the flavor that you choose. Most of the flavors require one part mix to three parts water.
Some, like the Cherry or the Orange, require five parts of water instead.
2. Margarita Texas Mix
This is our top choice. It tastes the most authentic and doesn’t contain corn syrup. It only comes in Lime or Strawberry. It does contain sugar, but not an excessive amount. The Beverage Tasting Institute awarded it a Gold Medal.
It blends in easily and is perfect for those who prefer their mixes to be a little more tart than sweet.
3. Dr. Swami & Bone Daddy’s Top Shelf Margarita Mix
This is another option that tastes authentic. It also looks authentic because it contains grapefruit pulp so if you aim to pretend that you made the drinks from scratch, this is a good option.
4. Fat Mama’s Knock-You-Naked Margarita Mix
This gets our vote for sheer convenience. You just tip the whole bottle into your mixer, add your tequila and ice, and you have your pitcher ready to go. Unlike the other mixes on this list, there is no need to measure out quantities.
Unfortunately, it does work out a fair amount more expensive than the others as well.
Final Verdict
The winner when it comes to value and the authentic taste is the Margarita Texas Mix. It was a bit of a toss-up between this option and the Margarita Frozen Drink Machine Granita Slush Mix.
There is no question that the latter is a pretty good deal and ideal if you plan on making a lot of drinks for your guests. It’s also a good choice if you want your guests to have the maximum variety.
In the end, we went with the Texas Mix because of how much it tasted like a drink mixed from scratch.
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