4 Best Canned Margaritas for the Laziest Happy Hour

The best canned Margarita doesn’t actually taste like a Margarita you’d get in the bar. But the category of Margaritas in a can has grown so much over the years that it’s become its own drink. Sort of like how hard seltzers started out as canned Vodka Sodas but are now very much their own things. Canned Margaritas, for example, are often fizzy. If you ordered a Margarita in a bar and it came back with bubbles, you’d be pissed. Rightfully so. But when you crack open a Margarita in a can and you’re greeted with some spritz, it’s a welcome sight. 

But a canned Margarita still has to taste like a Margarita. It needs to have some flavors of tequila and lime, at the very least. A lot of the Margarita cans we tried didn’t taste like they’d even heard of a Margarita. That’s not to say they were all bad—I like Cutwater’s Margaritas, especially their new Spicy Pineapple Margarita, but they don’t taste at all like tequila or lime, to be honest. A Margarita needs to taste like tequila! Otherwise it’s just sweet citrus juice. 

So, if you’re just looking for a good canned cocktail, we have you covered on a different page. But if you’re looking for the best canned Margarita (or bottled premade Margarita) that might be fizzy but definitely still tastes like a real Margarita, you’ve come to the right place. Here are the best canned Margaritas you can buy. 

(Looking for the best Margarita mix so you can make your own Margaritas at home? We ranked those, too.) 

Best Chili’s Style Marg

Margaritaville Golden Margarita

Instacart

Okay, okay, it’s not a canned Margarita. But it is premade and ready to drink and chuggable. (But don’t actually chug it; it’s 12.5% ABV.) If you love a Cadillac Margarita from a chain restaurant with lots of flair on the wall, then this is the best pre-made Margarita you can buy. The only thing that’s missing is a salt-rimmed oversized glass.

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Best Sweet

Cazadores Margarita

Instacart

It’s fizzy, it’s zesty, it’s limey—it’s like Margarita soda. Cazadores makes a great canned tequila cocktail—we particularly love their Palomas—and the classic Marg is no exception. This is easy drinking and refreshing. You could stock a cooler full of these if you’re hosting a BBQ and everyone would be totally happy with your decision. It’s not the most tequila-forward flavor, though, so if you’re looking for a Margarita in a can that really tastes like a couple of shots of tequila, this isn’t the best canned Margarita for you—the next one is.

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Best Tequila Flavor

JuneShine Classic Tequila Margarita

Total Wine

I knew JuneShine from our best hard kombucha tasting, in which it took the number four spot. So, I honestly expected this canned Margarita to taste like kombucha—a little funky. But it’s not hard kombucha. It is a Margarita in a can, made simply with two shots of real tequila, real juice, sparkling water, and sea salt. There’s no added sugar. It’s shockingly good—like a Tequila Soda with a touch of sea salt and lime. It tastes clean and zesty and tangy—the best canned Margarita for day drinking. It’s not cloying and it definitely doesn’t feel like you’re drinking a soda. Shockingly, even senior staff writer and sweet cocktail-lover Jordan Myrick likes this!

Credit: Merc / Total Wine

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Best of the Best

Cazadores Spicy Margarita

Instacart

This spicy Margarita in a can already has the honor of being Sporked’s top canned cocktail, and now it’s taking the title of best canned Margarita as well. It has a really wonderful jalapeño flavor that puts it over the top for me, along with great agave flavor, tart lime flavor, and not too much sugar. I just can’t stop drinking it (not in a problematic way…just because it’s so tasty!). And it’s really not that spicy, I promise. Unless you really can’t handle heat at all, you can handle this.

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

9.5/10

Sporks