The 17 Best Mixers for Tequila

Tequila is the liquor of the moment, both on its own and mixed in cocktails. Tequila flavors range from oaky to floral and fruity to spicy, all depending on where the tequila is made. But, to enjoy tequila to the fullest, what you choose to mix it with is everything.

The best mixers for tequila include:

• Grapefruit juice
• Soda water
• Coconut water
• Lime juice

But these are just a few of our favorites. There are lots of tequila mixers to choose from.

The list of tequila mixers is a long one. What you choose to mix with your tequila depends on the flavor profile you’re looking to achieve and what kind of tequila you’re drinking. To learn more about the 17 best mixers for tequila, keep reading.

The Best Mixers to Use with Tequila

Tequila flavors can go in all kinds of different directions. But if you’re not careful, you can end up drinking tequila that tastes like Spring Break 2002, and you’ll feel that the next day.

Choosing the right mixer for your tequila drink depends on what you’re pairing your tequila cocktail with, what kind of tequila you’re drinking, and the region where the tequila was made. Some of the best mixers for tequila include:

• Tomato juice
• Ginger beer
• Aloe vera
• Agave syrup

Of course, your tequila mixer will also depend on how adventurous your palate is and your mood! Audrey Formisano is a tequilaier, or tequila sommelier, at a Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa. She lives and breathes tequila and believes, “The best way to drink tequila is basically the way you like it.” Although she prefers her tequila neat, she recognizes that there are so many different ways to enjoy it.

So let’s get to it! Next, we’re sharing our 17 best mixers to use with tequila for all of life’s tequila-sipping moments.

1. Soda or Seltzer Water

Yes, soda water is about as basic as it gets when it comes to tequila mixers. It’s so expected, but also a classic. Everything’s better with bubbles, and tequila is no different. Soda water’s grown in popularity as a tequila mixer along with the rise in keto followers.

Tequila and soda are great ways to enjoy an adult beverage while maintaining a low-carb diet. Soda water is also pretty easy to find almost anywhere. Pick up soda water in cans or small bottles- it has a lengthy shelf life, so if it’s unopened, it will still keep its fizz.

Bonus… soda water comes in so many different flavors and varieties that you can essentially create your own craft cocktail flavors with just these two ingredients.

Here are some fantastic bubbly soda and seltzer water flavors that we think you’ll love in your tequila drink:

• Passionfruit
• Pamplemousse (grapefruit)
• Pasteque (watermelon)
• Coconut
• Key Lime
• Cucumber lime
• Limoncello
• Cerise Limon
• Blackberry

While all these flavors are simply fabulous with tequila, you can never go wrong with a simple lemon or lime (or lemon/lime), bubbly water, or just plain.

2. Pomegranate Juice

Pomegranate juice’s sweet, tart flavor is a bright complement to your favorite Blanco or Reposado tequila. Pomegranates are also very high in antioxidants and packed with other nutrients, so it’s a healthy way to mix your tequila, right?

Even Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson likes to add pomegranate flavors to the margaritas he makes with his own tequila brand, Teremana. So clearly, pomegranate juice is a great tequila mixer.

3. Grapefruit Juice

This is another fairly standard mixer for tequila. It’s a key ingredient in Palomas, a popular tequila cocktail. But just grapefruit juice alone is a fantastic addition. Top your tequila with just a splash for a bitter contrast in your tequila.

Go light with your grapefruit juice pour- you can always add more, but if you go in too heavy-handed, the grapefruit juice will go from a lovely complementary flavor to ultra bitter real quick.

4. Coconut Water

Alcohol dehydrates your body… why not stay ahead of the game and replenish as you go? Adding coconut water to tequila can help with that. Coconut water also adds a slightly tropical flare to your tequila, channeling your best “on a beach in Mexico” self, but it’s not overpowering.

5. Aloe Vera

Say what?! You can drink aloe vera? Talk about a multitasker. Aloe vera can help with your vacation sunburn and top off your tequila. On its own, aloe vera juice is a little bit bitter with just a hint of citrus, two flavors that we know pair well with tequila.

Choose your aloe vera juice carefully, though. Some brands have a thick, off-putting consistency that will ruin a good tequila moment. We also don’t recommend rubbing your aloe vera and tequila drink on a sunburn for obvious reasons.

6. Your Favorite Cola

Who says you have to leave the house to find a tequila mixer? Your new favorite tequila add-in might be chilling in your fridge right now.

Tequila and cola is an age-old combo rumored to have originated in the actual town of tequila. If anyone’s going to know what to mix with tequila, it’s the bartenders in the liquor’s namesake town. Cola is inexpensive, accessible, and delicious, three things we love to see in our tequila mixers.

7. Lime Juice

Is there a more classic way to drink tequila? You don’t have to go full margarita here. Just a good squeeze of fresh lime over the top of your tequila or even a splash of whatever lime juice you have in the fridge will do the trick. It brings out flavors similar to a margarita without all the fuss.

Plus, just adding lime juice doesn’t require nearly as many tools as an actual margarita, so that’s a win we will gladly accept.

8. Tomato Juice

Even though tomatoes are technically a fruit and fruits are typically sweet, adding tomato juice to your tequila is a more savory mixer choice. This Bloody Maria cocktail is simple with just two ingredients but surprisingly delicious. And, similar to a Bloody Mary, the garnish options here are endless.

Want a few suggestions of what to add to your Bloody Maria? We’ve got you covered:

• Cilantro and lime-seasoned shrimp
• Lime and lemon wedges
• Fresh jalapeño slices (not pickled, seeds removed)
• Bell pepper sticks
• Pearl onions

Tomato juice is another easy thing to keep on hand in the pantry, so be sure to pick some up next time you’re out and about. Then you have some to drink for breakfast or add to your tequila… or both at the same time.

9. Ginger Beer

Bubbles and ginger are two remedies for nausea, so combat that day-after-drinking tequila feeling before it even starts. But ginger-based beverages are also a very worthy mixer for tequila. Ginger products are also available in several low or no-sugar options, so this is a mixer option for those watching their sugar intake.

If you don’t have ginger beer, ginger ale is a viable swap here, too.

10. Crème de Violette

If you’re a fully stocked bar kind of household, then it’s possible you might have this rather obscure liqueur in your collection. There are some cocktail recipes that call for Crème de Violette and its very, very sweet and floral flavor.

Crème de Violette has a lovely color, but the flavor by itself is almost too sweet to handle. But when paired with an anejo tequila, the two create a balanced pairing. It’s definitely one of those “wow… I wasn’t expecting that” moments, but still good nonetheless.

This isn’t a mixer you have to go out and grab right away, but if you have some on hand, give it a go, and you might just find your new favorite tequila mixer.

11. Agave Syrup

The agave plant is a versatile one, producing both deliciously sweet agave syrup and, of course, tequila! Actual tequila has to come from a blue agave plant in order to be considered real tequila, but that’s a discussion for another day.

While agave plants produce both syrup and tequila, the flavors are on two opposite sides of the profile spectrum. And that’s exactly what makes these two merry together so nicely. Agave syrup is perfectly sweet, not overpowering but still sweet enough to make a difference, so when it’s paired with tequila, it’s simply delicious.

Here are our favorite tequilas to pair with agave syrup:

• Silver or blanco tequila
• Reposado tequila
• Anejo tequila

12. Tonic Water

Tonic water is similar to soda water in that it’s also a carbonated water beverage. But tonic water contains a different mix of minerals, including quinine, a compound that was once believed to prevent malaria.

Today, the quinine in tonic water is very minimal and doesn’t do much more than provide a hint of bitterness. Tonic water does have calories, unlike soda water. This is because tonic water is often artificially sweetened.

13. Beer

Why not double down on your liquor intake for a beverage or two? Beer’s always been a fairly common mixing partner for tequila, but you can thank a viral TikTok video for making it even more popular. To mix your beer and tequila just right, add a shot of tequila to half a bottle of beer.

You can add any beer to tequila as a mixer, but here are a few of our favorites:

• Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin
• Blue Moon
• Leinenkugel’s Grapefruit Shandy
• Shock Top Belgian White

Each of these has a lovely citrus undertone that plays well with the flavors of tequila. But any beer with fruity notes is great with tequila, as it is just a regular beer.

14. Simple Syrup

If you’re feeling like showing off your skills in the kitchen, a simple syrup is so easy to whip up (the name simple syrup doesn’t lie), but it appears fancy.

To make a simple syrup, you just need a lot of sugar, water, and a pot. Then, follow these directions to make it happen:

• Add equal parts sugar and water to the pot, depending on how much you want to make. Usually, about ½ cup of each is enough to fill a mason jar.
• Heat the saucepan over medium heat and stir continuously.
• Once the sugar has completely dissolved into the water, remove the pot from heat.
• Allow the liquid to cool all the way down to room temperature, then pour it into a jar with a lid.
• Your simple syrup will last at least two weeks as long as it’s stored in the refrigerator with the lid on tight.

15. Vermouth

Just like beer and Crème de Violette, vermouth is another mixer that adds a bit more alcohol to what’s already in tequila, so mix with caution. Vermouth is a key ingredient in martinis, traditionally made with vodka, but it actually goes great with tequila, too.

You can drink your tequila-tini as is or add in other flavors that you have on hand, just like you would with a regular martini. Olive juice is the traditional topper here, but you could add a bit of pickle juice if you’re in a pinch and still achieve a similar flavor.

Related Vodka vs. Tequila | Side-by-Side Comparison.

16. Pineapple Juice

If you have canned pineapples at home, then you have yourself a mighty tasty tequila mixer. Pineapple juice in any form brings a delicious sweetness to tequila, although fresh pineapple juice tastes the best. But hey, if it’s in a can or jar, it’ll still do the trick.

Pineapple is often canned with syrup, which will seem thick if it’s just poured right into your tequila. You can thin it out by stirring in just a bit of warm water before adding it to the tequila. Using a little lemon or lime to thin out the syrup will also make it easier to mix in with your tequila.

17. Iced Tea

Iced tea is an inexpensive mixer for tequila that can also bring a ton of flavor. Whether you’re brewing a whole pitcher or just a glass to use as a mixer, it’s important not to let the tea steep for too long. This will bring out an unpleasant bitter flavor that just makes the bitterness in the tequila overpowering and so not delicious.

I hope this list has been helpful.

Thanks for stoppin’ by!

Jelly Grandma

For more, don’t miss The 4 Best Substitutes for Tequila in Cooking.