The 14 Best Fruit Juice Mixers For Tequila

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Tequila, a distilled Mexican spirit made from the blue agave plant, is among the most versatile cocktail bases you can have on your bar. If you're a tequila novice, you might wonder what there is to do with it besides making margaritas. As a long-time cocktail creator, bartender, and bar manager, I'm here to tell you that the options are endless, and it starts with how many unique types of this spirit you can find on the shelves — just make sure whatever tequila bottle you're grabbing is made from 100% blue agave. 

The state of Jalisco, where tequila must be produced, has a variety of climates and altitudes, so the agave plants that grow here take on distinct characteristics based on where they're planted, similar to wine grapes. Additionally, production techniques and aging methods are used to create different styles, from a whiskey-like wood-aged añejo to a bright, herbal-toned blanco. You don't need to be a professional mixologist to create a delicious tequila drink — in fact, all you need is tequila and juice. There are a lot of fruit juices that complement the spirit incredibly well, some basic and easy to find anywhere, and some more niche and unusual. Whether you're making a simple two-part refresher or putting together a complex cocktail, these are the best fruit juices to mix with your tequila.

The margarita is the reigning monarch of tequila cocktails. It's spawned countless riffs and variations, but the classic drink is simple: Tequila, orange liqueur (or agave nectar, or both), and lime juice. The perfect ratio of ingredients for a margarita varies depending on who you ask, but I've most often used two parts tequila, one part lime juice — freshly squeezed only — and one part agave and orange liqueur in combination. One of the reasons this combination of ingredients works so beautifully is the balance of heat, sweet, and sour, with the lime juice enhancing out the herbal intensity of the tequila, while the orange liqueur and agave soften its rough edges. A well-crafted margarita is an example of perfect harmony. It's not the only drink to consider when it comes to tequila and lime juice, however. 

For a boozier yet similar cocktail, try a tequila gimlet. While a gimlet is typically made with gin or vodka, swapping in tequila takes it in a different direction — with lime and simple syrup making up the rest of the recipe, it's got the same sweet-sour flavor profile as a margarita, but with a stronger tequila presence. If you like rich and creamy cocktails, a tequila sour made with lime and egg white might be the drink for you. To really let the lime shine, try a tequila smash by muddling fresh wedges of lime along with mint or other herbs. Lime matches with all styles of tequila, so experiment away.

Second only to the margarita when it comes to popular, and in my opinion, perfect tequila cocktails is the paloma. Citrus and tequila are an ideal match, no matter what kind you use, and there's something synergistic about tequila — particularly fresh, vibrant blanco — and grapefruit juice. The paloma takes that gorgeous combination and throws a little lime in for good measure, along with a sweetener like agave and a sparkling topper. Lots of people use soda water, but the best palomas I've had are made with sparkling grapefruit soda, which takes the grapefruit flavor up a level.

Just as with lime, there's more than one fabulous way to enjoy grapefruit juice and tequila. While I highly recommend the paloma if you haven't had one, a more complex cocktail can be made by using other ingredients in addition to the tequila and juice. Bittersweet liqueurs like Campari and Aperol enhance grapefruit juice's flavors, or you can go the spicy route by using fresh or ground peppers, or a chile pepper liqueur such as Ancho Reyes in your recipe. Grapefruit comes in many varieties, too, which all have unique character, from pink and ruby red to the sweet melogold.

If you've ever treated yourself to a tequila sunrise, the photogenic brunch staple drink, you know how well tequila and orange juice go together. It's a citrus juice, after all, which is an entire category that partners beautifully with the spirit. Orange is sweeter than grapefruit and lime, so if you're not a fan of bracing acidity in your drinks, this is the citrus that you'll probably have the best experience with. You still get that bright zip, but it's balanced with the fruit's natural sugar for a mellower tang.

For the best tequila sunrise, treat yourself to a high-quality grenadine like Small Hand Foods Grenadine Syrup, which is a bartender favorite, and make sure to follow this pouring tip to get the best ombré effect for an Instagram-worthy cocktail. Orange juice is rich and sweet, and too much can overpower the flavors of the spirit, so I like to use a light touch with it to keep a cocktail balanced. Adding a splash of OJ to a classic margarita is an easy way to add a fun little twist to the drink, bringing out the sweeter side of the cocktail without losing its signature tartness.

Tequila's flavors naturally match up to tropical fruits of all kinds, but perhaps the best partnership is tequila and pineapple. While some juices mix better with specific types of tequila, pineapple brings perfection to any and all of them, so it's a great juice to have on hand if you're experimenting with different tequila styles at your home bar. The bright, tangy notes of pineapple juice bring out the vibrancy in blanco tequila. With reposado, which is aged for a few months to a year, the flavorful juice complements the spirit's subtle depth. 

Pineapple is one of the few fruit juices that I'd heartily recommend mixing with añejo or even extra añejo tequilas, because it has a deep, honeyed character that matches up well with those styles' woodsy, spicy richness. Añejo tequila and pineapple merge to create flavors reminiscent of pineapple upside-down cake, with aromas and flavors of caramel and vanilla balanced beautifully by the juice's natural freshness. If you fall in love with this flavor combination, do yourself a favor and invest in a specialized tool like a Zulay Kitchen Stainless Steel Pineapple Corer & Slicer. It makes dealing with the spiky fruits a breeze. You can juice the pieces or keep them intact to use as garnishes.

Pomegranate is one of the few non-citrus, non-tropical fruits that sings with tequila. The fresh tartness of pomegranate juice combined with its complex woodsy berry flavor brings a wholly unique character to cocktails, along with a hint of sweetness that softens the spirit without overpowering it. Bringing out the herb and spice notes in tequila is pomegranate juice's superpower, so the combination of these two ingredients practically begs for cocktails that punch up these flavor categories.

To keep it simple, add a few sprigs of your favorite green herb to your mixed drink and notice how the aromatics bring everything together — rosemary is great for this, as well as thyme, sage, and oregano. Dried whole spices can also harmonize with this combination, especially with a reposado or añejo tequila which already has some of those flavors due to wood aging. A winter punch with aged tequila, pomegranate juice, and warm spices such as nutmeg, clove, star anise, and cinnamon makes a vibrant and festive party drink, perfect for the holidays but delicious any time. Pomegranate juice can be bought in stores, but if you have the fruits themselves on hand, follow Padma Lakshmi's tip to extract the juicy seeds without making a mess.

Fleshy, rich, succulently sweet mango creates a beverage that's less of a juice and more of a nectar when processed. When you're in the mood for an opulently textured tropical drink, tequila and mango are a gorgeous match. The juice from this fruit combines the richness and sweetness of orange juice with the fleshy tropicality of pineapple, and while it doesn't have quite the tang of those two fruits, its silkiness lends an elegance to cocktails. It works as a contrast to sharper, younger tequilas, and a complement to richer aged tequilas.

Mangoes are fibrous, so they can be tough to juice yourself, but it's doable if you have a strong blender or food processor. Adding water or other liquid makes them blend better, too. You can then strain some pulp out of the mixture if you want the texture to be thinner. Thankfully mango juice and nectar are readily available at the grocery store, too, if you'd rather save yourself some effort. 

Blood orange juice brings not just its unique citrus flavor to cocktails, but its vibrant and concentrated color as well, which gives drinks a stunning visual appearance. Compared to more common oranges like navel and valencia, blood orange has a bit more tartness along with some intriguing floral notes, a hint of bitterness, and sometimes a candied flavor that's reminiscent of sour gummies. There are multiple variations of blood oranges, each with its own character, but they all share a depth of flavor and complexity along with a sweet-tart balance.

Adding blood orange juice to a margarita gives the drink that vibrant hue as well as deepening its citrus flavor, but don't stop there. To punch up the floral notes of the fruit, consider experimenting with liqueurs that have a floral personality, like St. Germain made from elderflower, or Fruitlab's hibiscus liqueur. Rose water and orange blossom water can also beautifully enhance these notes — you can grab both a Cortas Combo Pack. A little goes a long way with these ingredients, so make sure you add them one drop at a time.

If you've never tasted the combination of prickly pear and tequila, you're truly in for a treat. Both agave and prickly pear are succulent plants, and both are found mainly in the southwestern U.S. and throughout Mexico and South America. Their similar origins make them a natural pair. Prickly pair fruits come in different varieties, ranging from pale yellow to vibrant orange to deep fuchsia, and while they have subtly different flavors, they're the same in many aspects. A tartness similar to that you find in raspberries, along with a melon-like juicy sweetness, and a subtle earthy tone underlying it all.

Prickly pear juice can be harder to find than most of the other juices on this list, and it's typically not cheap, but if you're lucky enough to live where these plants grow, you can usually find them in stores or even harvest them yourself. The seeds of a prickly pear are edible, but you probably don't want them in your cocktail, so when juicing these fruits you should strain them out. The flavors and aromas of prickly pear and tequila, especially blanco, are so similar and complementary that they mix like magic, seemingly becoming one single liquid that's more than the sum of its parts. You can certainly make margaritas and complex cocktails with these two ingredients, but just the two together are so good you don't need to.

When you see a whole guava, you might think it's a lemon or lime, or an underripe avocado. Slice it open, though and the guava flesh is quite different. Its color can vary between white, yellow, green, and pink. This tropical fruit has a delicate pear and melon-like flavor and can be on the sweeter or tarter side, depending on the variety and how ripe it is — the riper, the sweeter, as a general rule. When mixed with tequila, it adds a subtle elegant tropical character and tends to bring out any herbal or floral notes present in the spirit. 

While the skin is just as edible as the interior, for juicing purposes, you can peel it off. Like other fibrous fruits, it's easiest to zap it in a powerful blender or food processor with added liquid, after which you can strain out any pulp and seeds for a smoother texture. Guava is often used in savory as well as sweet dishes, so it's right at home with salt and spice in cocktails. If you have a tequila with peppery and vegetal flavors or earthy notes, like olive or mushroom, it'll be a tasty match with guava juice.

Whereas guava can be delicate and subtle, its tropical compatriot, the passionfruit, is all about intensity. This unique tropical delicacy announces itself with its fragrant aroma, following that up with a rich, thick, and glossy interior texture studded with large seeds. Its flavor is perfumey, and somewhat musky, and combines the luscious sweetness of mango with the vibrant tartness of pineapple. Passionfruit and tequila paired together can transport you right to an island beach. The richness of passionfruit juice softens the spirit, and its intoxicating perfume weaves together with tequila's more herbal and savory aromas to create a complex and intriguing melange of scents and flavors.

Dealing with fresh passionfruit can be challenging, as the interior of the fruit is so seed-heavy that it takes a lot of them to get a good amount of purée or juice. If you've got a decent amount of them, you can make juice by slicing them in half, scooping out the flesh — seeds and all — and blending it with water. Once blended, strain out the seeds, or leave them in if you don't mind the texture, as they're perfectly edible. Passionfruit juice can work with aged as well as blanco tequilas, as the honey, spice, and vanilla notes of those spirits bring out the fruit's natural sweetness. 

Is there anything that embodies the spirit of summertime more than watermelon? The juicy, refreshing, brightly colored red-fleshed fruit is practically a requirement for picnics and backyard barbecues. While it's the perfect cool summer treat to eat, it also makes a fantastic juice, and that juice in turn makes a magnificent mixer for tequila. Watermelon's naturally high moisture content means it juices easily and abundantly (especially if you opt for the seedless kind), so unlike some of the more demanding fruits on this list, you can make plenty of it yourself with minimal effort to have on hand anytime you want an invigoratingly fruity summer cocktail.

While watermelon and tequila make a perfectly suitable drink combo already, there are some easy ways to elevate the two ingredients to make an even more delicious cocktail. Fresh herbs, especially bright green summery herbs like mint and basil, complement both the juice and the tequila's flavors. Watermelon and salt are a classic duo, so don't be afraid to salt the rim of your watermelon drinks. The sweet melon juice also takes well to heat, so the next time you've got a craving for a spicy margarita, add watermelon juice to the mix.

The unassuming kiwi may look like a fuzzy paper bag on the outside, but that just makes its vibrant green interior even more appealing, both to eat and to enjoy as a juice. As is the case with other fleshy tropical fruits, making kiwi juice is best in a blender or food processor, followed by straining out any solids. Believe it or not, you don't even need to peel this fruit before juicing it — the kiwi's edible skin contains a lot of nutrition, so it's beneficial to leave it in, although its brown tone will dull the color of your juice somewhat.

Kiwis have a bright tang that enhances tequila's fruity and herbal notes, while not adding too much intensity the way something like passionfruit does. It's a mellower tropical flavor, which makes it a great mixer if you want to still taste the subtleties of the spirit. Kiwis can range in sweetness, but generally aren't too sugary, making kiwi juice a great choice for drinkers who prefer their cocktails less sweet.

Lychees are no strangers to the cocktail world. For a while, every bar had a lychee martini on the menu, and the drink still has its fans. It's no wonder — lychee's delicately perfumed, subtly tropical flavor and melon-like texture add an elegance to mixed drinks which complements many spirits, including tequila. The fruit works particularly well with blanco tequila, as well as some fruitier reposados that have a bit of vanilla flavor from their wood aging.

Fresh lychees may be hard to find as they're only in season for a short while, but thankfully canned lychees are commonplace and a convenient and flavorful alternative. The crisp flesh of the little fruits is quite juicy, even when canned. Premade lychee purée can also be bought and diluted with water to reach any desired consistency, or left thick for a more textured cocktail. Lychee's delicate flavor can be overwhelmed by intense tequilas, so keep that in mind when choosing which variety to mix with.

If you've ever been to an upscale spa, you've likely been treated to cucumber-infused water. This fruit (yes, technically a cucumber is a fruit) makes a refreshing, cooling, and hydrating juice, too, and if you're a fan of less sweet drinks, it might just be the fruit juice you need to make the perfect tequila cocktail. While cucumber juice may lack the zestiness of citrus or the sweetness of a rich tropical juice, it makes up for it with its crisp, fresh, slightly vegetal flavor, which brings out the herbal notes in blanco tequila beautifully.

To punch up those flavors even more, add some fresh herbs to your cocktail — cilantro works particularly well with both the juice and the spirit. Cucumber can sometimes be slightly bitter, but in a cocktail that can be a bonus, adding another layer of flavor to your drink. Try a salt and chili rim with cucumber and tequila, as a little salt really brings out the refreshing nature of cucumber, and a bit of spice brings its coolness to the forefront.