Quick Answer
No, margarita mix sold in stores does not contain alcohol. Margarita mix is a non-alcoholic concentrate that is meant to be combined with tequila or other spirits to make a margarita cocktail. While some premixed cocktails do contain alcohol, margarita mix on its own is just a flavored syrup or powder without any liquor.
What is Margarita Mix?
Margarita mix is a pre-made concentrate designed to flavor and sweeten margaritas. It typically contains lime juice or lime flavoring, sweeteners, salt, and sometimes additional fruit flavors. Popular brands of margarita mix include Jose Cuervo, Margaritaville, Chi-Chi’s, and Margarita Madness.
Margarita mix allows you to quickly prepare margarita cocktails at home without needing to squeeze fresh limes and measure out ingredients each time. To make margaritas, you simply combine the margarita mix with tequila or other spirits in the proportions specified on the label. Some mixes may also require the addition of water or ice.
The main ingredients in margarita mix are:
- Lime juice or lime flavoring – Provides the characteristic lime taste of margaritas.
- Sweeteners – Sugar, corn syrup or other sweeteners give margaritas their sweetness to balance the tartness.
- Salt – A touch of salt enhances the flavors and is used to rim margarita glasses.
- Natural flavors – Fruit purees like mango, strawberry or peach may be added for flavor.
- Preservatives – Potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate and citric acid help extend shelf life.
- Coloring agents – FD&C colors like Yellow #5 and Blue #1 provide vibrant hues.
What margarita mix does not contain is any type of alcohol or spirits. It is a non-alcoholic drink component intended to be mixed with liquors of your choice.
Why Doesn’t Margarita Mix Contain Alcohol?
There are a few reasons why margarita mix is not sold with alcohol:
- Legal restrictions – In the United States, regulations prohibiting the sale of liquor without a liquor license prevent stores from selling alcoholic margarita mix.
- Safety concerns – Pre-mixed alcoholic drinks can encourage binge drinking and make it difficult to monitor alcohol intake.
- Versatility – Non-alcoholic mixes allow consumers to control the strength and adjust the spirits to their taste.
- Shelf life – Liquor would reduce the shelf life of the mix. Refrigeration requirements for pres-mixed margaritas would also make them harder to stock in stores.
While you can find some ready-to-drink margarita products that do contain alcohol, these specialty items require special labeling, packaging, and selling procedures and may only be available in liquor stores rather than supermarkets. Standard margarita mixes are formulated without liquor so that they can be marketed as regular non-alcoholic drink products.
Where Can You Buy Margarita Mix?
Because it does not have alcohol, margarita mix can be purchased in grocery stores, convenience stores, wholesale clubs, and many other locations where food and soft drinks are sold. You can find it in the juice, soda, drink mix, or cocktail mix section. Common retail locations where you can buy margarita mix include:
- Grocery stores – Brands like Jose Cuervo mix can be found in the ethnic food or drink aisle.
- Convenience stores – Look on the shelf with other chilled or refrigerated juices and mixes.
- Big box stores – Walmart, Target, and Costco often carry margarita mix seasonally.
- Liquor stores – May carry a wider selection of premium mixes and flavors.
- Online – Amazon, Walmart.com and other sites sell margarita mix which can be shipped directly to your home.
You do not need to be a certain age to purchase margarita mix. Since it contains no spirits, there are no age restrictions on buying margarita mix. However, you would need to be over 21 years old to purchase the tequila or other alcoholic ingredients to make margaritas with the mix.
Margarita Mix Product Options
There are many brand, formula, and flavor options for margarita mixes:
| Type | Examples | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Powdered Mix | Margaritaville, Chi-Chi’s | Dehydrated powder mixes reconstituted with water and liquor. Shelf-stable. |
| Liquid Concentrate | Jose Cuervo, Margarita Madness | Concentrated syrups mixed with spirits and water or ice. Require refrigeration after opening. |
| Frozen Pouch Mix | Margaritaville, | Premixed concentrates with added sugar simply thawed and blended with alcohol and ice. |
| Natural Mixes | Real Lime, Simply Limes | Made with fresh juices and natural ingredients. No artificial sweeteners or preservatives. |
You can also find varieties made with different spirits such as tequila, rum, vodka, or whisky. Popular flavors include mango, strawberry, peach, coconut, and pomegranate margarita mixes. With so many options, you can easily find a margarita mix to suit your tastes and needs when mixing up drinks.
Premixed Margarita Products with Alcohol
While standard margarita mixes cannot contain alcohol, there are some ready-to-drink alcoholic products available:
Frozen Margarita Machine Mixes
Commercial frozen margarita machines use premixed alcohol bases along with added ice and blending to produce frozen margaritas on demand. These mixes contain tequila or neutral grain spirits and are only sold for use in special margarita dispensing equipment. Bars and restaurants with these machines can serve freshly made frozen margaritas without labor-intensive blending required with regular mixes.
Canned or Bottled Margaritas
Some companies produce premade canned or bottled margarita products, such as Jose Cuervo margarita cans available in Original Lime and Strawberry Lime flavors. These ready-to-drink margaritas contain roughly 13.9% alcohol by volume, comparable to a standard mixed drink. As these are alcoholic beverages, they can only be sold by liquor retailers and you would need to be over 21 to purchase them.
Pouches
Margarita pouches like Barefoot Refresh Spritzers come in single-serving sizes. You simply unzip the pouch and pour into a glass over ice when ready to serve. The pouches have about 12% alcohol by volume. Being sealed, they allow long shelf life for stored drinks. However, they are only available through alcohol retailers.
Making Your Own Margaritas
While buying pre-mixed alcoholic margaritas is convenient, you can easily mix up great margaritas at home with a good non-alcoholic margarita mix and your choice of spirits and ingredients:
Simple Mix Recipe
- 2 parts margarita mix
- 1 part silver (blanco) tequila
- Lime wedge for garnish
Add desired amounts of mix and tequila to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a salt-rimmed glass filled with fresh ice. Adjust the proportions to your preferred sweetness and strength.
Frozen Margarita
- 1 part margarita mix
- 1 part tequila
- 1-2 parts water
- Ice
- Lime wedge
Blend together the mix, tequila, water and ice in a blender. Pour into a glass and garnish with lime. Vary the water amount to achieve your desired frozen consistency.
Flavored Margaritas
Use fruit purees or other mixers to create flavored margaritas:
- Strawberry – Add 1 part strawberry puree
- Mango – Add 1 part mango puree
- Peach – Add 1 part peach nectar
- Pomegranate – Add 1 part pomegranate juice
Get creative with your own fruit, juice and spice combinations!
Conclusion
In summary, standard margarita mixes purchased in stores do not contain any type of alcohol. They are non-alcoholic drink mixes made with lime juice, sweeteners and flavorings. Margarita mixes allow you to conveniently make great margaritas at home by adding your preferred spirits like tequila, triple sec and ice. While ready-to-drink margarita products with alcohol can be found in some areas, the common margarita mixes are alcohol-free so that they can be sold without liquor licensing restrictions. With a good margarita mix on hand, you can quickly whip up both simple and creative margarita cocktails without needing to stock all the ingredients. So pick up a bottle of your favorite margarita mix and enjoy tantalizing margaritas at home. Just be sure to add your own tequila or spirits since the non-alcoholic mix alone makes a tasty but alcohol-free beverage!