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Best Cocktail Mix 2026

By Readers' Choice On 1/28/26 at 12:00 PM EST

Cocktail mixes play a quiet but essential role in home bartending, offering consistency, convenience and balance without requiring a full bar setup. From classic bloody mary and margarita blends to syrups and nonalcoholic aperitivos, today's options emphasize real ingredients, thoughtful sweetness and versatility. Whether used to build quick cocktails, mocktails or spirit-forward drinks, these products help lower the barrier to mixing well at home. The nominees in this category reflect a wide range of approaches, highlighting quality, accessibility and flavor profiles designed to work across styles and preferences.

Newsweek is proud to recognize this year's 10 standout cocktail mixes—selected by our expert panelists and contributors and voted on by readers for their exceptional quality and distinctive excellence. Each has been officially recognized by Newsweek as one of the Best Cocktail Mixes of 2026.

1. Dirty Sue Premium Olive Juice

Dirty Sue

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Dirty Sue produces premium olive juice created specifically for cocktails like martinis and dirty martinis. Developed behind the bar in collaboration with olive farmers and bartenders, it delivers a clean, briny character without artificial preservatives. Designed for consistency and precision, it enhances spirit forward drinks with exact salinity, making it a gold standard choice for bars and home cocktail enthusiasts alike.

2. Fever-Tree

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Best known for its tonic waters, Fever-Tree also produces a wide range of cocktail mixers. The brand emphasizes high-quality ingredients and natural flavoring, creating mixers designed to highlight rather than mask spirits. Its products are commonly paired with premium liquors in both casual and upscale settings.

3. Zing Zang Bloody Mary Mix

Zing Zang

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Known for its bold, savory profile, Zing Zang Bloody Mary Mix blends tomato juice with vegetable juices and spices for a well balanced base. Born from an award winning recipe that built a loyal following, it works for both classic Bloody Marys and custom variations. Widely available and easy to use, it remains a go to for brunches, tailgates, and game day gatherings.

4. Bittermilk Old Fashioned Mix

Bittermilk

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Bittermilk's Old Fashioned Mix is crafted for refined, spirit forward cocktails using high quality, natural ingredients. Designed for simplicity without sacrificing depth, it delivers balanced citrus, sugar, and bitters with minimal adjustment needed. Sourced with a focus on local and American partners, Bittermilk offers a reliable, elevated shortcut to a classic Old Fashioned with integrity and character.

5. Make & Muddle 7 Syrup Mix

Make and Muddle

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Make & Muddle's 7 Syrup Mixer is inspired by traditional bar syrups used in classic cocktails. Crafted with seven spices and three sugars, it's designed to deliver depth without complexity across a range of drink styles. Built for versatility and ease, the syrup supports quick cocktail builds while helping turn everyday pours into moments of connection and joy.

6. Watershed Distillery Old Fashioned

Watershed

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Watershed Distillery's Old Fashioned mix is designed to pair seamlessly with whiskey. The blend supports classic flavor structure without overpowering the spirit, offering a straightforward way to prepare a well-balanced cocktail at home. It reflects the distillery's broader emphasis on thoughtful, approachable spirits.

7. Q Mixers

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Q Mixers focuses on cocktail mixers designed to complement spirits rather than dominate them. The lineup includes tonic waters, ginger beers and soda mixers made with carefully selected ingredients. Known for clean carbonation and restrained sweetness, Q products are widely used in both home and professional bar settings.

8. Agalima Jalapeno Margarita Mix

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Agalima's Jalapeño Margarita Mix is made with organic ingredients, including agave nectar and cane sugar. The flavor balances brightness and sweetness with a restrained heat that lingers rather than overwhelms. Designed as a shortcut to a near-from-scratch margarita, it works well for quick cocktails without excessive sweetness.

9. Strongwater Old Fashioned

Bourbon 6

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Strongwater Old Fashioned syrup is crafted to support bold, spirit-forward drinks. The mix emphasizes balance and depth, allowing bourbon or rye to remain the focus. Often used for home bartending, it simplifies preparation while preserving the character of a traditional old fashioned.

10. Master of Mixes

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Widely available in grocery stores, Master of Mixes offers a large selection of cocktail blends, including margarita, blood orange, mango and passion fruit. The one-liter bottles are designed for convenience and consistency, making them a practical option for entertaining or stocking a home bar.

FINALISTS Craft Mix Simple Goodness Sisters Syrup Stirrings Wilderton Aperitivo Co With CO Ellis Old Fashioned

About Newsweek Readers' Choice™ Awards

Our nominees are editorially driven with contributions from a panel of travel experts. The final list is determined by Newsweek editors. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions, please see our FAQs or email us at readers.choice@newsweek.com.

Our Featured Panelists

Pamela and Gary Baker

Pam & Gary Baker

Pam and Gary Baker are freelance food, wine, and travel writers living in Northern California. They have written for local, national, and international publications including WineTraveler, BBC Travel, LuxeBeat, Best Wineries, Wander with Wonder, and more. Pam is also the former editor of Sacramento Lifestyle Magazine. They love train travel, small ship sailing, and exploring wine regions throughout the world. Follow their adventures at pamandgarybaker.com.

Chez Chesak headshot

Chez Chesak

Chez Chesak is an award-winning adventure travel writer, 29-year veteran of the outdoor industry, Executive Director of the Outdoor Writers Association of America and President of The Society of American Travel Writers' Central States Chapter. Learn more about him at www.chezconnects.com.

Peggy Cleveland

Marguerite "Peggy" Cleveland is a travel and food writer focusing on cultural experiences, food and wine for travelers over 50. She runs the website Peggy, Where Should I Go? and contributes to Business Insider, SheBuysTravel, TravelAwaits, Northwest Travel and Life, and Food, Wine & Travel. Peggy is the author of 100 Things to Do in Tacoma Before You Die with Reedy Press. Her writing highlights unique destinations and local cuisine, offering practical insights and inspiration for her readers. She is a NATJA and IFWTWA member. Follow her on Instagram.

Laurie Jo Miller Farr headshot

Laurie Jo Miller Farr

An award-winning contributor to luxury lifestyle and travel magazines, Laurie Jo Miller Farr specializes in deluxe hotels and destination marketing. Based in New York City, she is a dual U.S./U.K. citizen, having spent half a lifetime in London. Formerly serving as the tourism promotion director for the city's official tourism boards in both NYC and Boston, she recently relocated from San Francisco, where she edited a weekly travel newsletter and co-hosted a podcast. Follow her @lauriejmfarr.

Mary Jo headshot

Mary Jo Manzanares

Mary Jo Manzanares is a digital travel content creator, author and avid traveler. She's at home in Seattle, with bags packed, ready for the next great adventure. She writes at www.travelingwithmj.com and is a member of SATW.

Jamie Davis Smith - headshot-Newsweek Fans Choice

Jamie Davis Smith

Jamie Davis Smith is a writer and attorney from Philadelphia who now calls Washington, D.C. home. She's traveled to more than 90 countries, often bringing her children along on her adventures. Her work can be found in The Washington Post, National Geographic, Travel + Leisure, Afar, The Huffington Post, USA Today and many other publications. Jamie can be contacted at byjamiesmith@gmail.com, and posts about her travels on Instagram.

Aly Walansky

Aly Walansky writes regularly about food news and trends. She has been a food journalist for over twenty years and has covered everything from budget shopping to recipes to culinary travel content for national publications that include the Food Network, Southern Living, Food & Wine, Travel & Leisure, The Kitchn and more. She was ranked among top 10 journalists of 2023 and top 10 freelance journalists in 2024, as well as #1 food journalist of 2022, by Muck Rack. Follow her at alywalansky.substack.com.

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Nancy Zaffaro

Nancy Zaffaro is a writer, editor and photographer. She covers arts, culture, travel and the outdoors and also writes fiction. She is the Editor of ConfettiTravelCafe.com, and her work has appeared in print and online for numerous publications and media outlets. She travels locally throughout the Pacific Northwest, nationally and to far-flung international locales. When not traveling, she's active in her community and enjoys hiking, kayaking, yoga and spending time with friends and family. Originally from Chicago, she's also lived in Vancouver, British Columbia and Bellingham, Washington. She's currently based in Portland, Oregon.