The Bartender Trick To Making Store-Bought Margarita Mix Taste Professional

Jackie Ocampo, a bartender who runs a cocktail agency with a corporate clientele called The Office Hour, is no stranger to using bottled margarita mix. It's not her preferred way to mix this cocktail since fresher ingredients taste better, but sometimes expedience dictates that you use a premixed product. "Using just a mixer and tequila won't give you a great margarita. To create a fresher, more complex flavor I like to add fresh or real ingredients like a squeeze of fresh lime and a splash of orange juice," Ocampo told The Takeout.

Ocampo says it matters what type of tequila you use as well, since blanco, reposado, and añejo tequila all differ in their margarita suitability. "If you use a blanco you wont get much depth and it can start to taste more like a lemonade. I don't recommend añejo for this either since they usually have notes of vanilla and oak, which doesn't pair well with citrus. The winner is reposado tequilas, it compliments the sweet-tart profile nicely while giving you that recognizable tequila flavor in your margarita," she opined. She also advises that a well-chosen garnish can make even a cocktail made with margarita mix look and feel more upscale: "For garnishes, a lime wheel is classic and an iconic look for margaritas so I like to keep this tradition but I also like to pair an herbal garnish like a sprig of rosemary or a few mint leaves to give it a more refined, luxurious feel."

Margaritas are sometimes made with sweet and sour mix, something that's also used in the whiskey sour (Ina Garten's favorite cocktail) and the Tom Collins (possibly the best summer cocktail). Ocampo says she's frequently asked how sweet and sour mix differs from margarita mix. As she explained, "They are very similar in that it's used as a base and are a blend of citrus and sweet. Margarita mix is more lime heavy, while sweet and sour is more lemon-forward."

While either one is acceptable for margarita mixing, Ocampo has a definite preference in the matter: "If I had to choose one for margaritas, I prefer to go with the margarita mix because it has more tartness which helps elevate the cocktail. Sweet and sour tends to fall more flat since its main purpose is to act as a general base for a wide range of drinks." If you do need to use bottled sweet and sour mix in your margaritas, though, you can always compensate for the missing elements by adding both lime and orange juice or using a slice of each fruit as a garnish. That way, your margarita will have a more balanced citrus flavor instead of tasting like a tequila sour.