Jose Cuervo Golden Margarita Mix Review

Last weekend we had a Mexican themed party with a whole lot of margaritas, tequila, tacos, cultural decorations and a piñata. The margaritas were, of course, made on the spot with all the proper tools and ingredients, but one of the guests brought over a pre-mixed margarita cocktail which came in handy at the end of the night when we were out of tequila and limes. Fast forward a week later and rummaging through the fridge I came across a half full bottle of Jose Cuervo Golden Margarita. Perfect! After a quick photo I sat down and took some sober to half-sober notes.

The Plain Mix

The first thing I did was pour myself a glass of just the mix with some ice cubes to see what it tastes like. I actually forgot whether or not I liked this last weekend since I had it at the end of a very long night.

Off the bat you get a strong tequila aroma with some sweet and sour notes. The taste is similar with an obvious tequila dominance followed by some lime and sweet citrus notes from the added Grand Marnier. This would have been great had it not been for the meddling artificial taste of citrus added to spice things up. The good thing is that the artificial taste is there for brief moments because the alcohol does overpower it and once you swallow the drink, it all goes away and the only thing left is the strong lime aftertaste with a sweet undertone and a faint tequila taste.

But I was not happy here so I had to kick things up a notch.

The Improved Margarita

I took out the blender and put two handfuls of large ice cubes followed by a decent pour of the pre-mixed cocktail. I turned the blender on and blended everything for a good minute. The resulting slush is a bit more realistic and just a touch better...maybe it was because I was feeling the effects of the 12.7% from the plain glass I had earlier.

I was still not very happy so the only thing I could think of was...well...adding more tequila, ice and fresh lime juice to the mix. I added a nice splash of tequila and squeezed a small lime followed by another handful of ice. Another minute in the blender and things were tasting much better. The added lime kick seemed to almost mask the artificial taste and the extra tequila gave it a nice kick. I added a lime wedge to my glass and squeezed one in for a good measure. Now this was a great tasting cocktail!

So in short, the pre-mix is OK, but adding tequila, some fresh lime juice, ice and blending everything will make you a pretty cheap, yet great tasting margarita. If you cannot afford a large bottle of tequila and all the other ingredients, get a bottle of Jose Cuervo Golden Margarita, a small bottle of tequila and a couple of limes for a total of about $25...maybe much less if you live outside of the province of Ontario.

Scores:
Cost - $16.00
Taste - 7.5/10 for the plain mix, 9.5/10 for the improved cocktail
ABV - 12.7% starting

Overall - 7.5/10 to 9.5/10...depending on which one you go for