All the Best Drink Mixers We’ve Found in Our Taste Tests

Target

Ginger ale is another go-to for cocktail newbies. It pairs well with pretty much any spirit—vodka, gin, rum, whiskey, you name it. So if you’re stocking up on the best drink mixers for a party, make sure you have ginger ale on hand. Specifically, make sure you have Reed’s Real Ginger Ale. Reed’s is known for their ginger beer, which really brings the burn. Their ginger ale is not spicy at all, but it still packs tons of real ginger flavor. —Justine Sterling

Read the full ranking of the best ginger ale

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Rating:

7.5/10

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Best Grapefruit Juice

Uncle Matt’s Grapefruit Juice

If you’re looking for the best juice to use as a mixer, Uncle Matt’s is a safe bet, no matter the juice. Their juices taste fresh and aren’t too sweet. The company’s grapefruit juice, for example, is good on its own, but it’s particularly good as a mixer thanks to its tempered sweetness and crisp finish. You can mix it with plain vodka or gin, but it also would work really well with flavored vodka or even flavored rum. —Justine Sterling

Read the full ranking of the best grapefruit juice

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Rating:

8/10

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Best Cranberry Juice

Simply Cranberry Cocktail

Cranberry juice, with its vibrant tartness and tang, is one of the best alcohol mixers if you’re not a huge fan of the taste of alcohol. It dominates a drink’s flavor profile. As a fledgling dive bar barfly, I often ordered a Vodka Soda with a “splash of cran.” Even a half ounce of cranberry juice is enough to make a sh*tty dive bar cocktail taste better. And the best cranberry juice for the job is Simply. It’s not quite as sweet as some of the other cranberry juices we tried. It’s a bit more refined. So you can feel good using it in a craft cocktail—or just splashing it into a Vodka Soda. —Justine Sterling

Read the full ranking of the best cranberry juice

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Rating:

9/10

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Best Orange Juice

Uncle Matt’s Orange Juice

What’d I say about Uncle Matt’s? He makes good juice to mix with booze! Much like the grapefruit juice, Uncle Matt’s Orange Juice is not too sweet. In fact, it has so much acidity that it practically tastes like there’s a splash of lemon juice in the mix. That extra zing makes it one of the best alcohol mixers. There’s nothing worse than a flabby, acid-free Screwdriver. You might not want that zip when you’re drinking OJ on its own, but, trust me, you need it if you’re mixing a cocktail. —Justine Sterling

Read the full ranking of the best orange juice

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Rating:

9/10

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Best Pineapple Juice

RW Knudsen Family Just Pineapple Juice

If you can’t be bothered to make a real tiki drink or even buy a bottle of Pina Colada mix (more on that later), then pineapple juice is the best mixer for a bootleg tropical cocktail. And this is the best pineapple juice for the job. It’s sweet, it’s bright, and, most importantly, it’s on the thicker end of the spectrum, so it can hold up to a slug of rum. —Justine Sterling

Read the full ranking of the best pineapple juice

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Rating:

9/10

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Best Juice Hybrid

Ocean Spray Cran x Pomegranate

I’m always looking for a new spin on a Marg or Mimosa. This hybrid cranberry and pomegranate fruit juice might be the next best cocktail mixer I use to torture my friends with my questionable bartender skills (I’m learning). The flavor is so vibrant and smooth, thanks mainly to the cane sugar balancing the bitterness. It’s not necessarily sweet, just lush and highly drinkable on its own. That said, if you’re trying to make a true pomegranate cocktail that tastes more like freshly squeezed fruit and less like something dispelled from a frozen Daiquiri machine, definitely check out our full ranking of pomegranate juice, too. —Ariana Losch

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Rating:

7.5/10

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Best Old Fashioned Mix

Strong Water Old Fashioned Mix

Strongwater

Old Fashioned is my drink order, because I’m not like most girls. (It’s actually my drink order because I love warm spices, can’t stand sweet drinks, and have zero tolerance for alcohol; it only takes one to give me the perfect buzz, so I don’t need to keep buying drinks.) Traditional, no-nonsense Old Fashioned lovers—which are most Old Fashioned lovers, let’s be real—will love this mix. It’s made with demerara sugar, orange peel, cinnamon, clove, cardamom, and bitter herbs, and it really enhances rather than overwhelms the whiskey. —Ariana Losch

Read the full ranking of the best Old Fashioned mix

Credit: Liv Averett / Strongwater

Rating:

9.5/10

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Best Hurricane Mix

Pat O’Brien’s Hurricane Mix

There’s not a lot of Hurricane mix out there, but of the two brands we tried, Pat O’Brien’s was the best. It tastes like a night on Bourbon Street in the best way possible. This sweet, red, fruity mixer isn’t for everyday drinking, but if you’re planning a Mardi Gras party, it’s one of the best drink mixers to buy. —Justine Sterling

Read the full ranking of the best Hurricane mix

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Rating:

9/10

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Best Piña Colada Mix

Daily’s Piña Colada Mix

It’s not craft. The label isn’t something you want to display on your bar. But if you’re looking for the best frozen Piña Coladas, Daily’s is one of the best cocktail mixers out there. There’s tons of coconutty flavor and actual tropical fruit zip (yes, it’s made with real juice!). On its own, it’s way too much. But blended with ice and rum this is a vacation in a glass. —Justine Sterling

Read the full ranking of the best Piña Colada mix

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Rating:

9/10

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Best Club Soda

Q Club Soda

Target

Club soda is one of the OG best alcohol mixers—and a key element of many classic vaudeville gags. But not all club soda tastes the same and the quality of the bubbles changes from brand to brand. In our club soda taste test, we found that Q Club Soda has tongue-tingling bubbles and a flavor that isn’t too acidic. It’s definitely one of the best drink mixers if you want to really taste the booze in your drink, but it’s also one of the best cocktail mixers if you’re making drinks like Mojitos or Tom Collins. —Justine Sterling

Read the full ranking of the best club soda

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Rating:

9.5/10

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Best Seltzer Water

Polar Original

Polar

Original Polar was a staple in my house growing up. My parents hoarded bottles in bulk. They would make their very classy and understated Vodka Crans, and I would just pour a glass over ice to sip and feel very grown up. Polar is so luxuriously bubbly. Ice cold, it’s so crisp, it almost stings your tongue. It is my humble and completely unbiased opinion that if you want your cocktails to taste expensive, Polar is one of the best mixers you can buy. —Ariana Losch

Read the full ranking of the best Polar flavors

Credit: Liv Averett / Polar

Rating:

9/10

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Best Michelada Mix

Twang Reserve Michelada Cocktail Mix

Twang is a brand known for making powdered citrus salts, but their Michelada mixes deserve an equal amount of recognition, in our humble opinion. This stuff isn’t just good, it’s one of the most balanced, authentic, deeply savory Michelada mixes we tried. With layers of flavor from tamari and apple cider vinegar, it somehow tastes both classic and elevated. You can use this for a Bloody Mary, too—but we already have a designated pick for her. —Ariana Losch

Read our full ranking of the best Michelada mix

Rating:

9/10

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Best Margarita Mix

Kirkland Signature Premium Margarita Cocktail Mix

This Costco Margarita mix is one of the best cocktail mixers to stock up on for a party. You get two giant 1.75L bottles in a pack and you’ll need every drop. Because this stuff makes good Margaritas. The lime flavor is bright and vibrant, but also perfectly sweet to keep you coming back for more. —Justine Sterling

Read the full ranking of the best Margarita mix

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Rating:

9.5/10

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Best Lemonade

Newman’s Own Lemonade

There’s a valid debate in our office around whether Newman’s Own or Simply Lemonade makes the best mixer for lemonade-infused cocktails. We’ve (correctly) praised Simply Lemonade as the perfect gin mixer in the past, since its slightly sweeter flavor curbs gin’s herbal bitterness. But I’m here to advocate for Newman’s on the basis that it’s less sweet than most store-bought lemonades. It’s zingy, punchy, and impeccably fresh. From Arnold Palmers to bright-tasting Vodka Lemonades, my vote lies with Newman’s. —Ariana Losch

Read our full ranking of the best store bought lemonade

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Rating:

9/10

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Best Cola

Coca-Cola

Target

Look, I wish we had a more interesting answer, but Coca-Cola really is one of the best mixers for drinks. It’s so sweet, so fizzy, and so refreshing. And it tastes so good with whiskey or rum. Don’t mess around with any of those fancy artisanal colas, they’ll never live up to that classic Coca-Cola flavor. —Justine Sterling

Read the full ranking of the best cola

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Rating:

10/10

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Best Lemon Lime Soda

7UP

This is not a PSA to quit buying Sprite, but if we’re going to get really technical here and compare different lemon lime sodas, everyone should heed the advice of my colleague Gwynedd Stuart: “7UP makes the best mixer because the flavor makes more of an impression and can stand up to even a super-flavorful liquor like whiskey.” Some might prefer the softer flavor of Sprite for more mild, refreshing cocktails, but if you’re going for taste, 7UP will really hold its own. —Ariana Losch

Read our full ranking of the best lemon lime soda

Rating:

10/10

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Best Bloody Mary Mix

Q Spectacular Bloody Mary Mix

This Bloody Mary mix recently snapped up the number one spot on our best Bloody Mary mix list. It’s extremely savory and tomato-y. It’s just spiced enough. And it’s not too horseradish-y. Of course, you can mix it with vodka, but it would also be good with bourbon or mezcal for a twist on a classic Bloody. Want a savory cocktail? Q’s canned Bloody Mary mix is one of the best cocktail mixers out there. —Justine Sterling

Read the full ranking of the best Bloody Mary mix

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Rating:

10/10

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Best Tonic Water

Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic Water