Cutwater Tequila: Pre-Mixed Cocktails

With the explosion of seltzers in the last half decade, nearly every beer brand has tried to grab a share of the market. What started as White Claws and Truly has turned into Bud Light Seltzer, Corona Seltzer, Michelob Ultra Seltzers, and so on. We’re likely to see something similar happen in the world of spirits.

Pre-mixed or canned cocktails aren’t a new thing. Bacardi has sold ready to serve cocktails for some time now. However, we are starting to see more and more brands come out with their version of the canned cocktails. I mean, you can buy a can of Jack Daniel’s & Cola at the liquor store now. Cutwater Tequila is one of the more recent pre-mixed, canned cocktails to take off due to their large selection of flavors and options.

In this article, we’re going to cover exactly what Cutwater Tequila is, what ready to go cocktails they offer, and finally give a little review of the Cutwater Tequila Margarita.

What is Cutwater Tequila?

Well, first of all, Cutwater is more than just tequila and canned cocktails. Originally, Cutwater started out as a small company and “passion-project” of Yuseff Cherney in 2017. They began by distilling everything – whiskey, rum, vodka, gin, liqueur, and so on. Of course, being located in San Diego meant they couldn’t distill Tequila, but they had some help with that and began tequila under the Cutwater brand. Current day, they are owned by AB-InBev after being purchased in 2019.

Eventually, they began mixing their spirits into cocktails that they would can and sell. Their large selection of different spirits also allowed them to have a large selection of canned cocktails. We’ll cover some of those options next.

Cutwater Canned Cocktail Choices

There are 28 different canned cocktails offered by Cutwater. 9 of them are tequila, 12 are vodka, 5 are rum, and then there is one whiskey and one gin option. We can’t cover all 28 of these in depth, but we’ll at least give you a list of your options.

Cutwater Tequila

• Lime Margarita
• Pineapple Margarita
• Peach Margarita
• Mango Margarita
• Strawberry Margarita
• Lime Ranch Water
• Long Island
• Tequila Soda
• Paloma

Cutwater Vodka

• Vodka Mule
• White Russian
• Long Island
• Huckleberry Vodka Spritz
• Vodka Transfusion
• Orange Vodka Smash
• Grapefruit Vodka Soda
• Lime Vodka Soda
• Watermelon Vodka Soda
• Cucumber Vodka Soda
• Spicy Bloody Mary
• Mild Bloody Mary

Cutwater Rum

• Tiki Rum Mai Tai
• Rum Mojito
• Piña Colada
• Tiki Rum Punch
• Long Island

Cutwater Gin & Whiskey

• Gin & Tonic
• Whiskey Mule

Cutwater Tequila Margarita

As we mentioned, we can’t cover all of these options, but we can give you a break down on Cutwater Tequila Margarita, specifically the mango flavor.

• Owned By: Cutwater Spirits/AB-InBev
• Canned By: Cutwater Spirits
• ABV: 12.5%
• Ingredients: Two shots Cutwater Tequila, lime juice, mango, “other natural flavors”
• Gluten Free?: Yes

Much of Cutwater’s recent growth can likely be attributed to AB-InBev purchasing Cutwater back in 2019. AB-InBev is the owner of other brands such as Budweiser, Busch, Michelob, and many many more, so it’s safe to assume they put a lot of marketing dollars into the canned-cocktails market.

The most important thing, for me at least, is the 12.5% ABV that Cutwater Margarita’s are bottled at. For one, you don’t have to drink a lot of them to get a buzz. This is something that really turns me off a lot of beer and seltzers – a 4% or 5% drink means you have to drink a lot more to achieve the same effect. However, this does bring up some concerns. At 12.5% ABV, is Cutwater Margarita still good? Do they overdue the sugar content to make up for the higher proof? We’ll find out soon when we crack open our first one.

Cutwater Tequila Margarita Nutrition Facts

• Calories: 350
• Carbs: 25g
• Fat: 0g
• Protein: 0g
• Sugar: 25g
• Alcohol (fl oz): 1.5

This nutritional info is taken directly from Cutwater Spirits

Cutwater Tequila isn’t the healthiest option out there, but it’s not the worst for you either. Seltzers such as White Claw are much better with 100 calories, 2g of sugar and 2g of carbs. When you adjust it for alcohol content, you’d multiply those numbers by 2.5x which would still make White Claw a healthier option.

Similarly, it is healthier to drink light beers such as Michelob. However, if you prefer Budweiser, you’re going to be looking at a much higher calorie and carb count when you adjust it on an alcohol intake level.

It should also be noted that the Mango and Lime Margaritas are the two flavors that are offered at 12.5% ABV. The other 3 are available at 10% ABV which will make them slightly healthier per 12 fl oz.

Are Cutwater Tequila Margaritas Gluten-Free?

Yes. In fact, every canned cocktail offered by Cutwater is gluten free except one, which is the whiskey mule. Per the FDA, every distilled liquor is gluten free unless gluten is added to it afterwards. The fruit, lime juice, and other natural flavors don’t contain gluten, so Cutwater Margaritas are all gluten free.

Cutwater Tequila Margarita – Is It Good?

The short answer is yes. My biggest worry was that it wouldn’t be good at such a high ABV, or that there’d be too much sugar. It’s safe to say that the mango flavored margarita is very good at 25 proof; however, the sugar is a bit of a worry. 25g is a lot of sugar, and you can definitely taste it, but it’s not overwhelming either. After drinking two, I am ready to move to something else.

I had a 4-pack of Cutwater Mango Margarita and drank two of them. While that could be considered a downside, I am very okay with it. At 12.5%, two margaritas are equivalent to five 5% beers of 5% seltzers. There’s sugar, but I am a lot less bloated, and got a good buzz much quicker. That’s a win in my book.

Cutwater Canned Cocktails Summary

After Cutwater Spirits was purchased by AB-InBev in 2019, a lot of money and marketing went towards promoting their canned cocktails. Since then, Cutwater has been one of the most popular canned cocktails to buy. Their diversity of tequila, vodka, rum, gin, and whiskey options means they have something for everyone.

I’m a big a fan of Cutwater Tequila Margaritas, they are strong and easy to drink. When it comes to the whole selection of Cutwater Canned Cocktails, you can find anything from 6% ABV to 14% ABV. Personally, drinking 8 beers gets me bloated, it takes a while to drink and get a buzz (usually). Typically, that leaves me drinking 7-10% IPA’s. Cutwater Canned Cocktails are a nice change up from the craft beer, I often drink. Check out my favorite beer to drink, Voodoo Ranger.

The last benefit to these canned cocktails is the ability to drink liquor when you’re out and about. It’s difficult to take a whole handle, mixers, cups, ice to the beach, mountains, the park, or wherever you want to enjoy a cocktail. Cutwater is a simple solution, and I recommend giving them a shot.

If you’re more interested in taking tequila as a shot, you may want to learn about the best chasers for tequila!

FAQ

How Many Shots are in a Cutwater Margarita?

There are two shots of Cutwater Tequila in their canned margaritas.

How Many Calories are in a Cutwater Margarita?

Cutwater Margaritas have anywhere from 284 calories (Pineapple) to 360 calories (Lime).