Review: Cazadores Canned Cocktails – Margarita, Paloma, and Spicy Margarita

By Monica Uhm | June 7, 2021 |

For almost 100 years, Tequila Cazadores has been producing 100% Blue Weber agave tequila from the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico. Naturally, Cazadores recently launched a trio of sparkling, ready-to-drink versions of classic Mexican cocktails made with its tequila blanco and fresh ingredients, all offered at a low abv designed to help them find their place as a refreshing, easygoing summertime drink.

Let’s see where each coctail takes us. Each is canned at 5.9% abv.

Cazadores Margarita – The signature 100% agave tequila blanco, orange liqueur, and lime juice recipe is spruced up with sparkling water, giving it just enough effervescence to make an otherwise heavy-handedly sweet/tart cocktail a bit more refreshing. A couple of atypical characteristics are noticeable: The drink has a bit more body than a typical margarita, and there is a hint of an unexpected but not unpleasant fermented note on the palate, akin to the aftertaste of kombucha. This accent may not be acceptable to the margarita purist, but I found it grew on me over a few sips. B [BUY IT NOW FROM TOTAL WINE]

Cazadores Paloma – In this grapefruit-heavy cocktail, the drink is equally “weighty” but more toned down in both sweetness and tartness and is comparably more balanced. That curious kombucha note is also faintly present underneath, but again, it’s something that can grow in approachability on the palate over a few sips. B+

Cazadores Spicy Margarita – The special guest ingredient in this drink is “jalapeño juice,” and what you would expect from straight-up liquid jalapeño is fully present in this cocktail. This is not a novelty drink with a dash of spice, this is a meaty, savory experience with a decent kick. It’s full-bodied and satisfying, but not for the faint of heart and probably best not consumed on an empty stomach. B

Overall these cocktails are not your corner-bar variety; they have a bit more edginess and character that make them less a pool-side party sipper and closer to something you may linger over during quieter moments in the greater outdoors.

each $15 per four-pack of 12 ounce cans / cazadores.com