The 7 Best Sweet and Sour Mixes

Best Overall

Collins Sweet & Sour Cocktail Mix

$13 at Amazon View on Walmart

When it comes to budget and quality, Collins’ sweet and sour mix checks all the boxes. Not only does it come in a generous 32-ounce container, but it also features expertly balanced sweet and sour flavors for an easy-drinking, low-effort mix. 

Keeping this mix on hand is the secret to having cocktails in a snap. Pour it over ice and tequila for a quick margarita or grab egg whites and bourbon to make a whiskey sour. Instead of limes, each mixer is made with orange and lemon juice with real sugar to sweeten the mixture. 

Size: 32 ounces | Servings: 6 | Ingredients: Water, sugar, orange juice concentrate, lemon juice concentrate, citric acid, natural flavors, sodium benzoate (preservatives), xanthan gum, beta carotene, sodium metabisulfite (preservatives)

Best for Gifting

Morris Kitchen Citrus Agave

$25 at Amazon $55 at Walmart View on Drizly

When giving a cocktail mixer as a gift, several key aspects are important to consider: is the mixer high-quality? Does it feel like a special item? And is it versatile enough for numerous cocktail applications? The Citrus Agave mix from Morris Kitchen aptly checks all three boxes.

Packaged in a handsome apothecary-style bottle, and made from straightforward and recognizable ingredients—including agave nectar, lime, sea salt, orange extract, and a subtle dash of cayenne—the Morris Kitchen mix is a versatile spirit companion that pairs beautifully with agave spirits like tequila and mezcal, but also gin, rum, and vodka. Your recipient will enjoy subbing into any and all sour variations, from a daiquiri to a Tom Collins.

Size: 16 ounces | Servings: 8 | Ingredients: Filtered water, organic agave nectar, lime juice concentrate, sea salt, orange extract, cayenne

Best for Whiskey Sours

Zing Zang Sweet & Sour Mix, 32 Oz

$10 at Amazon

Zing Zang’s Sweet & Sour Mix has a bit of a cult following. It pairs well with whiskey, tastes fresh and natural, and doesn't have a ton of ingredients. The flavors come from ingredients like real lime and lemon juice, orange bitters, and pure cane sugar. The natural sweetness is a draw, but it’s the flavor of Zing Zang’s sweet and sour mix that makes it appealing. The bold citrus flavors lend well to everything from a whiskey sour to a simple vodka over ice.

This 32-ounce bottle is lightweight and unbreakable, perfect for taking on the go for outdoor adventures. Zing Zang also makes single-serving cans for an even more convenient mixing experience.

Size: 32 ounces | Servings: 8 | Ingredients: Filtered water, cane sugar, natural flavors, blend of lemon and lime juice from concentrate, citric acid, natural orange bitters flavor, beta carotene (for color)

Best for Margaritas

Filthy Margarita Mix

$15 at Amazon View on Filthyfood.com

This all-natural mix from Filthy Foods is made from a combination of real Florida lime juice and organic agave nectar from Jalisco, Mexico. Filthy Foods, based in Miami, Florida is known for making top-quality craft mixers and garnishes in sustainable packaging.

This margarita mixer has the bright tang and sunshine-filled sweetness of your favorite sour cocktail, just add tequila. Each of these party pouches serves about 10 people and has a convenient screw-top cap. Because this is crafted specifically for margaritas, it may not pair as easily with other spirits, like whiskey, which tends to do better with lemon citrus. But if you're looking for a margarita party without too much packaging and an all-natural flavor, this is your new jam.

Size: 32 ounces | Servings: 10 | Ingredients: Filtered water, fresh lime juice, organic blue agave nectar, ascorbic acid (Vitamin C)

Best Artisanal

Morris Kitchen Preserved Lemon Syrup

$24 at Amazon $52 at Walmart

Each one of Morris Kitchen’s hand-batched syrups is carefully crafted in Brooklyn, New York. The ingredients are simple, but don’t expect the flavors to be basic. This bright citrus syrup isn’t your traditional sweet and sour mix. Instead, the concentrated syrup combines lemon puree, cane syrup, and lemon juice with filtered water, sea salt, cardamom, and pink peppercorn for a floral, slightly saline flavor. The taste is similar to preserved lemons: funky and salty. 

Use a spoonful in Prosecco at your next at-home brunch or drop some into a Tom Collins or whiskey highball. This preserved lemon syrup even shines in edible applications, like a lemon mousse. Expect the product to be slightly separated when it arrives, so shake well before opening. It has a shelf life of two years.

Size: 8 ounces | Servings: 8 | Ingredients: Cane sugar, lemon juice, lemon puree, filtered water, sea salt, cardamom, pink peppercorn

Best for Daiquiris

LAVA Sweet and Sour Mix

View on Amazon

LAVA’s sweet and sour mix is made without the addition of artificial sweeteners, colorings, or flavorings, and each batch is made in small doses by way of fresh lemons and limes, raw blue agave, and pure cane sugar.

Try this mix in daiquiris, lemon drop shots, and whiskey sours. The perfect balance of sweet and sour makes it a great addition to a mai tai or tropical cocktail as well. Just add your spirit of choice and ice to a shaker, shake until frosty, pour, and enjoy.

Size: 33.8 ounces | Servings: 11 | Ingredients: Purified water, sugar, raw blue agave nectar, lemon juice, lemon oil, lime juice, lime oil, lemon juice concentrate, lemon pulp, citric acid, natural flavor, 0.01 percent sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (to protect color), turmeric (for color)

Best Budget

Mr & Mrs T Sweet & Sour Mix

$27 at Amazon $5 at Walmart $10 at Drizly

A big draw of this mix is that it’s pre-sweetened, so drink makers need not add sugar or agave syrup to balance out the spirit. It's also very concentrated compared to other options, so build your cocktails with care to balance out the sweetness and tartness. Adding a splash to tequila will go a long way. In the case of a tequila sour, add a hint of triple sec, too. 

If you need recipe suggestions for leveraging this sweet and sour mix, which comes in a 1.75-liter bottle, the brand offers an array of quirky recipes on the bottle, including a California lemonade with grenadine, orange juice, vodka, gin, and brandy.

Size: 1.75 liters | Servings: 11 | Ingredients: Water, cane sugar, citric acid, sodium citrate, sodium hexametaphosphate, acacia Gum, potassium sorbate (preservative), natural flavors, polysorbate 60, ester gum, sodium metabisulfite (preservative), yellow 5, yellow 6, blue 1