Margaritas have long been my favourite cocktail – a timeless classic combining tequila, orange liqueur and lime, preferably with a salted rim. Over the years, I’ve been hunting down the best bar versions of my beloved tipple, and have enjoyed some incredibly fun varieties, from orange sherbet margs in sunny Stoke-on-Trent, to Tograshi margaritas in a sky bar in York. 

Though the cocktail is seemingly growing in popularity and tequila becomes the new gin and mezcal-centric bars pop up around the UK, they’re still somewhat scarce on bar menus across the country – and some are far better than others. I’ve tried my best to recreate some of my favourites at home, but they never taste as good as when I’m sat in a beachside bar in Cornwall, or a blues kitchen in Manchester.

It always seems such a faff – cutting and squeezing your own limes, measuring the spirits, salting the glass – and even after all that effort, the balance never seems right, the kitchen is upside down, and I find myself wishing I’d just gone to the pub instead. That’s until I discovered the beauty that is pre-mixed margarita bottles and cans, which allow for a fuss-free cocktail experience at home without the need for any bartending experience or mixology masterclasses.

I’ve been on a mission to find the best ready-to-drink margarita options that will elevate your cocktail experience without the need for mixing or measuring. With a collection of convenient cans to beautifully balanced bottled creations, from classic recipes to spicy Tommy’s – I’ve got your margarita cravings covered. Here are my top picks of pre-mixed margarita cocktails you can buy online and have delivered to your door:

Cocktail cans and pouches

Whitebox Cocktails Squeezy’s Margarita

• Size: 100ml cans
• ABV: 19%
• Price: £5.80 per can

I thought I’d start off with cocktail cans, kicking off with the small but mighty Squeezy’s Margarita from Whitebox Cocktails, which topped my list. Made with tequila, lime, triple sec and salt, it pays homage to the classic cocktail in an exciting and creative way, served in a 100ml can that resembles a miniature beer keg.

Bright, tangy and slightly sour they have a 19% ABV and are expertly well-rounded, with the zingy lime cutting nicely through the warmth of the tequila with every sip. It’s punchy and powerful, yet incredibly moreish – a little pocket rocket of a marg. Whitebox recommends serving the cans chilled, or alternatively, you can serve it in a nick & nora or a coupe glass with a lime wedge garnish and salted rim.

Whitebox is a brand founded by bartenders, who take pride in their pours and have created a bar-quality cocktail without any of the fuss. The cans are cute and dinky, featuring a little frog squeezing lime into a coupe glass, which is reflected in how fun these little cans are to enjoy. What’s more is that they are much easier to recycle and are more portable than a bottle, making them perfect for parties, picnics and everything in between. It really is a way to bring top-tier mixology into the comfort of your own home – and you don’t even need to do any washing up after. 

My only gripe? I wish the cans were bigger. They’re so delicious I just want more of them. The cans are available as individual serves for £5.80, or you can get six for £33 or 12 for £66  (£5.50 a can). Alternatively, if you fancy trying out their Freezer Martini, Pocket Negroni or Disco Baby, you can curate your own cocktail pick n mix to find your favourite.

MOTH Margarita

• Size: 125ml cans
• ABV: 14.9%
• Price: £3.95 per can

MOTH’s Margarita tipple in a tinnie was the one that sparked this whole post after they caught my eye in Sainsbury’s. I bought one out of sheer curiosity and I must admit, I was seriously impressed. Both vegan and gluten free, their take on the ready-to-serve beverage is one that’s fresh, sharp and self-assured. 

With chic black and green branding, MOTH’s offering certainly looks the part, and is slightly bigger than Whitebox’s, making them slightly more tactile to hold. Not to mention, erm, more liquid, albeit a lower ABV at 14.9%. 

Upon cracking the can open, the fragrance is subtle, there’s no overwhelming assault on the senses. The first sip is somewhat understated. There’s a temptation to add something to give it a bit more bite, going down nearly as easily as a cool glass of water, but it’s just the award-winning Tequila Enemigo that gives it an insanely smooth finish. Paired with citrusy triple sec and a sting of lime, it’s a beautifully balanced marg that’s better than I’ve had served to me in some bars.

MOTH’s cans are £20 for six (£3.33 a can), 12 for £39 (£3.25) or £72 for 24 (£3 each), the latter being ideal for if you’re throwing a barbecue or family get-together. The brand also has a ;stock up and save’ initiative where you can get £5 off a £30 order or £10 off when you spend over £40. That makes 24 cans £2.59 each. But if you’re drinking solo, you can grab singular cans in Sainsbury’s for £3.95.

Again, the can is a convenient vessel, making it more versatile and eco-friendly as the aluminium can be recycled infinitely, but what’s even cooler is that you can chuck one in the freezer for a couple of hours for an ice-cold treat that’s perfect for summer.

If margs aren’t your bag, they also have a range of other cocktails from espresso martinis and mojitos, to pina colada and Aperol spritz.

Niche Cocktails Brazilian Lime Margarita

• Size: 250ml
• ABV: 10%
• Price: £5 per can

For those who like their margaritas juicy, Niche’s Brazilian Lime Margarita is sure to get the party started. Lively and refreshing, it blends Brazilian lime and a hint of salt with a good glug of tequila for a tarty tipple that will make your cheeks pucker in the most satisfying way. That said, the absence of an orange liqueur is felt and would have sweetened the deal – but it’s still a solid pick bursting with zesty flavours.

A longer serve at 250ml, and a lower 10% ABV, makes this the ultimate session drink for day sessions like festivals or camping trips. But at home, you can add it to a shaker with ice, shake and pour for a real treat. Moreover, the Niche Cocktails Brazilian Lime Margarita acts as a foundation for a range of margarita twists, with the brand recommending you use the cans to create strawberry, pineapple jalapeno, mango and watermelon varieties for a slightly more elevated and interesting cocktail that’s still obscenely low-effort.

Price wise, the cans come in at £15 for three (£5), £26 for six (£4.33), £45 for 212(£3.75) or £80 for 24 (£3.33), the latter of which is great for sharing. And whether you’re a rum fan, vodka lover, gin buff or whisky fiend or tequila nut, Niche has something to keep everyone’s tastebuds quenched, from fruity cosmos to the delicate lemon and elderflower gin fizz. 

NIO Margarita 

• Size: 100ml
• ABV: 27.2%
• Price: £6.50 per pouch

I first discovered NIO’s letterbox cocktails last year when I received their 12-day advent calendar last year, filled to the brim with cocktail duos that you simply tear open and pour over ice. That’s what NIO stands for: Needs Ice Only.

Hand crafted with premium Tequila Exotico Blanco, the NIO Cocktails Margarita strikes the perfect balance between sweet agave, crisp lime flavours and a hint of salt to create a strong and sour take on the classic cocktail. At 27.2%, it’s one of the higher ABVs in the list, and it’s definitely one you’ll want to sip slowly rather than slam back.

The NIO Margarita arrives in a sleek box the size of a CD case, which stores really easily in the fridge door until they’re ready to drink. Once your glass is filled with ice, you pinch and tear off the corner and pour over ice, without any need to remove it from the paper sleeve. Oh, and they do cocktail subscriptions so you can choose to have your favourite recipes delivered every one, two or three months, so your cocktail cravings will always be satisfied.

NIO was born when founder Luca Quagliano had his second child, his social life now a revolving door of visitors at home. Since serving bar-quality cocktails was always a bit of a faff and took the focus away from his guests. Luca teamed up with friend Alessandro Palmarin and master mixologist Patrick Pistolesi and started NIO Cocktails. 

Combining convenience and innovation, NIO’s margaritas cost £19.50 for three (£6.50), £39 for six or £55 for nine (£6.11). Or you can build a box from their extensive menu, which features no fewer than four marg varieties alongside a selection of over 30 cocktails including Disaronno Sour, Mai Tai and Old Fashioned.

Margarita Cocktail Bottles

Mirror Margarita 

• Size: 50cl
• ABV: 15%
• Price: £36

The award-winning Mirror Margarita is the brainchild of Hacha Bar and Agaveria, and is one of the best bottled margarita cocktails you can find on the market. Many will throw in overpowering flavours in a bid to mask that the foundation on which their product is built on isn’t all that great, but with Mirror, the ground is solid, giving them the confidence to experiment.

Made with Patrón Silver Tequila, it offers a clean and crisp taste with zesty flavours from a combination of grapefruit essence and Hacha’s own sour mix, made with malic acid – a natural sour that’s also produced by the agave plant – and balanced by the delicate sweetness of cane syrup. It’s a unique alternative to your usual lime and sugar, but the bitterness added by the grapefruit is cut through with the sour mix for a light and delicate tipple. 

Once poured into a  cold glass, Mirror’s tipple is crystal clear – it could easily be mistaken for a glass of water, but when you pick it up, there’s a viscosity to it where sweet and sour flavours come together to transport you straight to the Mexican shores.

With a 15% ABV and five servings per bottle, it’s a fab choice for cocktail night with the girls where you can spend more time catching up rather than slicing limes and rattling shakers. You can simply pour 100ml over ice to enjoy, with 50ml of spirit in every glass. Master of Malt stock it for £36, it works out at £7.20 a cocktail, which is cheaper than most Happy Hours.

Mirror Margarita x El Rayo

• Size: 50cl
• ABV: 15%
• Price: £36

Mirror’s Margarita was so good, I decided to feature two. This version is a collaboration with tequila brand El Rayo, swapping out the Patron Silver for their smooth and vibrant offering, which has been described as ‘best for tequila sceptics’ by The Independent, while GQ said it’s “perfect for anyone who has bad memories of the spirit and is looking to get reacquainted it”.

But that’s not the only change to this well-founded beverage, they’ve also swapped out the grapefruit essence for the sweeter option of mandarin, giving it a really gorgeously complex flavour profile, the sprinkle of salt bringing out the best of every sip.

The limited edition bottling was originally made to mark Tequila Day, but if you want to get your hands on one, you should move fast because only 500 bottles were made. Each bottle contains five servings, and as is the case with Mirror’s original blend, it’s a 15% ABV for £36 at Master of Malt, and is best served over ice.

Bone Idyll

• Size: 70cl
• ABV: 12%
• Price: £30

Bone Idyll is an innovative distillery, gin school and bar that is a 100 per cent community owned business headed up by husband and wife restaurateurs, mixologists and entrepreneurs Sam and Alex Berry. Launched in 2022, the idea came after the duo were forced to close their four existing restaurants as a result of the pandemic. Fifty loyal members of the community chipped in to raise half a million pounds to launch their new brand creating small batch spirits and cocktails with character and hustle: Bone Idyll. 

As part of their line up, Bone Idyll offer their own vodka, gins and five ready-to-drink cocktails, including a bottle of Margarita for £30, which gets you 70cl of pre-mixed, ready to drink cocktails – or approximately seven servings.

The label designs are as dangerously cool as their creative cocktails, featuring historic art and sculptures with a modern, anarchic twist. And much like everything else, the recipe itself is a little non-traditional too, pairing tequila with kumquat liqueur before adding citric acid and agave. Usually salt your rim, too? No need – there’s already salt in the cocktail for that added sharpness and flavour.

This Margarita cocktail has such a stunning flavour profile, both sweet and savoury, vibrant and fruity, boasting high quality ingredients and a thoughtful, adventurous recipe to create maximum flavour that’s an absolute joy to sip.

The Cocktail Society

• Size: 50cl
• ABV: 18.3%
• Price: £28

Moving on to a Tommy’s Margarita, The Cocktail Society specialise in handcrafted, small batch drinks that are balanced and bold. For those wondering what the difference between a traditional marg and a Tommy’s is, is that while a classic margarita would be made with tequila, triple sec and lime juice, a Tommy’s combines tequila, syrup and lime instead, with the sugar bringing out the flavours in the tequila rather than the citrus.

This particular bottle is built upon a base of 100% agave reposado tequila, which is smooth with a more complex flavour compared to mixtos. It’s paired with zesty lime, with a warm, nutty note that’s sweetened by the agave at the end, offering a more nuanced drinking experience compared to the original citrus-forward cocktail.

With an ABV of 18.3%, it’s a moderately strong cocktail that is easy to enjoy, with well-thought out flavours and stylish branding. Again, there are five servings in this 50cl bottle, and with a salted (or sugared) glass rim, it’s a dreamy and distinctive take on one of my favourite tipples using quality ingredients for a refined taste. You can buy a bottle here at Master of Malt for £28.

Tom Savano Margarita

• Size: 50cl
• ABV: 18.5%
• Price: £27

Then there’s the Tom Savano margarita, which sits somewhere between a traditional marg and a Tommy’s. As previously mentioned, the classic is typically sweeter with dominant orange tones, while a Tommy’s margarita switches out the triple sec for agave syrup, complementing the tequila flavours rather than overpowering them. The brand claims that both versions ‘had merits’ so they decided to opt for ‘a special place in the middle’ with their recipe.

The single estate reposado tequila from Jalisco, Mexico, is made the ‘old-fashioned’ way, by hand from a family-fun distillery. It’s paired with tart lime that arrives straight away, with earthy agave to follow, leaving an almost smokey flavour on the palate after sipping due to the natural roasting process of the aged spirit. 

With an ABV of 18.5%, it’s a fairly potent blend that’s full of flavour. The secret ingredient? Tom Savano’s aromatic herbal bitters, of which the exact contents remain a closely guarded secret.  Again, it’s 50cl like the rest of the bottles, with around five drinks costing £27 from Master of Malt, working out at approximately £5.40 per serving.

Black Lines Spicy Tommy’s Margarita 

• Size: 50cl
• ABV: 12.7%
• Proce: £20.95

Now let’s add a bit of *spice* to that with some spicy Tommy’s margaritas, with The Black Lines cocktail folks infusing their classic tequila, lime and agave recipe with a hint of chilli to ramp up the heat. Upon first sip, you’d consider it to be like any other Tommy’s – bright, citrusy and fresh, with plenty of earthy flavours to cut through. But moments later, the peppery notes arrive – it’s not overpoweringly hot, but it’s certainly enough to make your eyes pop. 

The bottle has been designed by Brooklyn-based illustrator Spencer Gabor, with a cool character that is as fun as the cocktail itself. The bottle is 50cl, with an ABV of 12.7%, with five cocktails coming in at £20.95, making this one of the more affordable cocktails at £4.19 each – albeit with a lower alcohol content than some of the others.

To make for a really special drinking experience, I’d recommend adding chilli salt to the edge of the glass – not the rim, but a portion of the side of the glass – you can make it stick with either lime juice or something sweet like honey or syrup. Then pour the cocktail over ice and serve with a chunky lime wedge or a chilli top. It makes it incredibly aromatic and is sure to make you the hostess with the mostest.

The Drinks Bureau 

• Size: 1.5L
• ABV: 10%
• Price: £30

Consider this your session marg. Much like how a session IPA may have a lower ABV, this party-prepped cocktail bag comes in at 10 per cent and serves 10 spicy-licious margaritas, which is perfect for when the girls come round.

Made with Tequila, lime, chilli and agave syrup, the vegan and allergen-free tipple is made with being made with premium quality ingredients and tastes like a bar-made drink. The packaging is fun, vibrant and practical, with the box designed so you can have your cocktails ‘on tap’. 

This is probably my favourite take on the spicy margarita, because while it definitely has a kick, it’s not overpowering or peppery, making for a refreshing and enjoyable bev that really brings the fiesta vibes.

Founder Frankie Snobel said: “Our cans and Party Boxes celebrate what cocktails are all about – enjoyment, festivities and fun. Our brand really resonates with this – with its colourful and playful packaging and popular cocktail serves. We’re all about good times and great drinks and we don’t take ourselves too seriously. Except for the yumminess of our cocktails – they are seriously tasty.”

Sassy, sour and with a hint of spice, garnish with a salt rim and lime wedge – or the top of a chilli pepper. Cute glass not necessary but definitely preferred.

Buy a party box here on Amazon for £30.

Pimentae Tommy’s Chilli Margarita

• Size: 50cl
• ABV: 15%
• Price: £29.95

Spicier still is the Pimentae Chilli Tommy’s Margarita, which has been enjoyed by a host of celebrity fans including Michelle Keegan, Maya Jama and Jessie Ware. The female-owned tequila brand was born in lockdown 2021, with the Tommy’s Chilli Margarita being one of their trademark recipes.

The award-winning tipple blends tequila, lime, chilli and agave for a sweet yet fiery finish perfect for picante fans. Pour over ice with chilli and/or lime with a seasoned glass and it’s guaranteed to knock your socks off.

The bottle will look great on your bar cart too, boasting a tropical design that represents all things Mexicana, from Frida Khalo to lime-pinching parrots. Plus it’s 100% recyclable, making for a more sustainable choice, too.

Priced at £29.95 on Master of Malt, this 15% ABV bottle serves five at £5.99 each, making it cheaper than the bar. Not to mention that spicy Tommy’s are pretty scarce on bar menus up and down the UK, so it’s a great way to get a premium members-club-style cocktail at home without needing to hunt one down and pay London prices.

Pergola Sunset Margarita 

• Size: 50cl
• ABV: 18.4%
• Price: £28

And finally, finishing on a fruitier option, we have the Pergola Sunset Margarita, which is what you’d get if a tequila sunrise and margarita had a baby. The recipe combines tequila, carefully chosen Cognac and orange liqueur with orange, lime and pomegranate juices, for a fruity and fresh flavour that was made for sitting poolside at an all-inclusive resort. 

The bottle needs a good shake before pouring, because as the recipe uses natural fruit, the sediment can settle at the bottom, but once stirred up, it creates a beautiful sunset effect in the bottle, giving it its name, of course.

Preservative free, allergen free and vegan friendly, this margarita twist is well suited to drinkers who prefer a bit of sweet with the tart. It’s also incredibly versatile, and can be drank as shots, which is great for house parties, or as a longer drink by adding soda or more fresh orange for a more laid back experience.

You can keep it simple with a traditional cocktail, enjoyed as served with an 18.4% ABV, or blended with ice on a hot day for a frozen alternative. Bag yours here for £28.