The 14 Best Fruit Juices To Pair With Tequila

When the weather starts getting warmer, it can feel like the perfect time to bring out the tequila. Then again, tequila can be the star of the show in any weather. This iconic Mexican spirit is to thank for many good times had around the world, something I can personally attest to, having been a bartender in different countries. Still, many of us who love it know that it has so much to offer, even beyond being an effective party starter. If you're only having tequila shots on your nights out, you're greatly missing out on an endless opportunity for flavor pairings. 

Tequila is actually incredibly versatile. It has a complex, layered flavor, which, depending on the type of tequila and how aged it is, ranges from smooth and sweet to smoky and woody. This makes it a dream to pair with all sorts of different drinks. Fruit juices, especially, can bring out that sweetness and earthiness in different ways, and can make for a perfect cocktail, using just two ingredients.

As someone with mixology training, tequila is one of my favorite spirits to use in mixed drinks, as it pairs well with so many flavors. It also doesn't need to be complicated; just a tequila of your choice and a bit of fruit juice is all you need to make a delicious drink that you'll want to keep sipping all night long. Here are some of the best fruit juices to pair with tequila.

If you're a fan of the classic margarita, then you already know that lime juice is a natural winner for tequila. Lime juice and tequila just work so well, especially when you use freshly squeezed lime juice, which really makes a difference, in my opinion. Fresh limes are just so vibrant, and unlike lemons, they're not just straight up acidic. Limes have a fruity, sweet flavor and a mellower acidity that complements the tequila beautifully. Lime juice cuts through the tequila's bitter notes, bringing out its fruitiness and brightening the spirit.

Use both lime juice and zest to amp up the lime flavor in your drink, and garnish it with a lime wedge for extra elegance. You can drink your tequila and lime juice with a bit of simple syrup for a sweeter drink, or opt for agave nectar to keep in line with the agave origins of tequila. Or, take this combo up a notch with some spicy heat, and make yourself a spicy jalapeño margarita.

Keeping it in the citrus family, orange juice is also another great fruit juice to pair with tequila. Orange juice has just enough acidity to add brightness to tequila, while also providing enough sweetness to balance tequila's bitterness without overpowering it. We know that orange and tequila work well because they go together in a tequila sunrise, and considering that most classic margarita recipes use an orange liqueur like Grand Marnier or Cointreau, along with lime juice. You can also easily sub out the lime juice for orange juice, or add both for double the citrus power, like in this orange-centric margarita recipe.

You can also just keep it super simple and chase some tequila with orange juice, and you're going to have a great time. This could even become your new brunch drink instead of mimosas! Still, not all orange juice is made equally. The best kind is obviously freshly squeezed, if you're able to make it yourself. Otherwise, buy a quality brand of 100% orange juice for the best drinking results.

If you don't want to go with a classic fruit juice, there are plenty of other options. In fact, a tropical fruit like lychee might just be the sweet addition your tequila is missing. It's lychee's sweetness that makes it an amazing choice for fruit juice in many cocktails, including lychee martinis and lychee sangrias. With tequila, it's no different. It balances out the strong alcohol level in tequila, making it easier to drink (be careful, this can be a problem since you end up drinking more), while its floral notes complement the grassiness in tequila.

Lychees aren't the easiest fruit to come across in the U.S., but I find that store-bought lychee juice is usually decent and works great in cocktails as is. Of course, you could also get some canned lychees to add some fruit to your drink as a garnish, or just pop them right into your glass for fun. In my opinion, canned lychees are one of the best canned fruit items that exist, as lychees really hold up well through the canning process and taste very close to the fresh fruit. Honestly, I sometimes even prefer to use canned lychees over fresh ones as they're not as labor-intensive and are always plump and sweet.

There's nothing quite as refreshing as some fresh watermelon juice, and when you're drinking alcohol, it can even help you stay hydrated because of its high water content. That's just the added bonus of having it with tequila; the fact that it's a delicious pairing is the main reason it's a good choice. Just sweet and fruity enough to balance the spirit, but light enough not to overpower the tequila, watermelon juice is one of my favorite choices when you want an easy drinking combination, especially in summer weather.

Watermelon juice is not exactly the type of fruit juice you can find easily in stores, but luckily, it's really easy to make your own if you have a blender. Blend the flesh until it's as liquid as possible, and pass it through a sieve to remove any pulpy bits or seeds. Make sure it's ice-cold for the best experience, then pour it over your tequila. For an added boost of flavor, you can also squeeze a few drops of lime juice into it or add a couple of fresh mint leaves. Is there a more perfect summer cocktail? 

Mango juice isn't living up to its full potential in most bar counters, in my opinion. It's not the first fruit juice people think of when pouring a mixed drink, but it should be if you're having tequila. Mango's intense sweetness is the perfect counterpart to tequila's underlying bitterness. Plus, mangos are also full of fruity fragrance that, when it's good quality mango juice, the scent hits your nose before you even take your first sip. I find that fragrance is an important part of enjoying the drinking experience — and both tequila and mangos have plenty of fragrance.

If you want to absolutely maximize the magic of mango-juice-tequila perfection, make your own mango juice from ripe mangos. A really easy way to know if you're buying tasty mangoes is to smell them first. If they smell good, they'll taste good! Then scoop out the flesh and either juice it in a juicer or process it in a blender, then sieve the pulp from the liquid. The labor will be worth it once you taste it.

We already know that limes and oranges work well, but grapefruit juice is the underrated citrus you should be pairing with tequila. Many people are put off by grapefruit's bitterness, and it's not the most favored of the citrus fruit juices in general. However, I find that if you get past the shock of the first few sips, you'll come to appreciate the bitter notes. Plus, something about doubling down on bitterness, mixing two bitter drinks (grapefruit juice and tequila), really seems to work well. I can't speak on the science of it, but in my experience, instead of being extra bitter, they seem to pull out the sweetness in each other really well.

Tequila and grapefruit juice are the main flavor elements behind the classic paloma, and while it's become trendy to use grapefruit soda rather than juice, I find that I still prefer the clean mouthfeel of grapefruit juice topped with soda water. You get to adjust the level of fizz you want, without compromising on the grapefruit flavor strength. I like most store-bought grapefruit juices and think they're great in cocktails, so don't worry about squeezing your own.

Another tropical fruit that works like a dream with tequila is pineapple juice. With enough sweetness and a hit of tartness, pineapple juice creates a full-bodied flavor when mixed with a bitter and smoky tequila. There's even some resemblance between an agave plant and the top part of a pineapple, so even nature agrees that they belong together! Plus, the almost candy-like notes in a ripe pineapple can mellow out the grassy elements in tequila, while bringing out some of those deeper vanilla or cinnamon aromas.

Store-bought pineapple juice can be disappointing, so it's definitely best when made fresh from the whole fruit. I recommend blending the fruit and then sieving out the pulp for all that freshness. For a quicker solution, though, I like to use frozen pineapple chunks to make a frozen pineapple-and-tequila drink that's like a cheat's frozen margarita. Another little touch is to add some Tajín to the rim of your glass. It goes amazingly with pineapple, and it will feel like a professional bartender whipped it up.

Cucumbers really are fruits, which paves the way for another elite type of fruit juice. Cucumber juice isn't something you hear about often, but the flavor of cucumber is no stranger to mixed drinks. You may already be adding slices of cucumber to your beverages, but why not take it a step further and juice some cucumber, too? They're mostly water anyway, which makes them really refreshing as a tequila chaser, with a mild cucumber flavor that suits tequila's essence beautifully.

Cucumber juice feels cooling while drinking it, and it helps to mellow out some of the tequila's harsher edges, making it a super smooth drink. Plus, cucumber isn't sweet at all, so this makes it perfect for people who don't like sweet drinks. If you do want it sweeter, though, a splash of cucumber syrup can help sweeten your drink while reinforcing the cucumber flavor. Add a few fresh mint leaves, and you've got yourself the most refreshing summer tequila drink on your hands.

You might love the taste of coconut, but don't want a creamy, filling drink like a piña colada. The perfect solution to this is coconut water. Instead of choosing coconut milk, coconut water gives you a super-light coconut drink with a mild nuttiness that pairs well with tequila's woody flavors. It also has only a mild sweetness, meaning your drink won't be sickly sweet, and you can keep sipping on it all night long.

If you're serious about hydration, you probably already know that coconut water is packed with electrolytes. This means that sipping on some tequila and coconut water could even help you lessen your hangover the next day. Thankfully, you don't need to be in a tropical destination to get your hands on some coconut water, as it's more accessible than it used to be. Nowadays, you can find some at any grocery store. Make sure you're getting 100% coconut water so you get all the benefits coconut water promises.

Tomatoes are another fruit that many people consider a vegetable. It doesn't really matter what you think of them at the end of the day, as long as thinking of it as a vegetable isn't preventing you from enjoying the glorious thing that is tomato juice. Tomato juice is a truly satisfying drink that gives a pleasant savory note to cocktails like a Bloody Mary. It's also really good with some tequila. In fact, you can simply substitute the vodka with tequila and make yourself what's known as a Bloody Maria.

I may even go as far as to say that a Bloody Maria is even better than a Bloody Mary, because the pepperiness of tequila really shines through, and plays well in a savory drink. If you don't like adding seasonings to your drink, however, a simple tequila and tomato juice is good all on its own. It's a bold drink that will surprise you. Don't knock it till you try it.

Tequila is a flavor bomb on its own, so when you're pairing it with a juice, you can either go for something that mellows it out or something that can rise to the occasion. Pomegranate juice does the latter. It's more than just a beautiful ruby color. It's bold, bright, and tart, and matches tequila's fierce energy. Its sourness helps balance out its own sweetness, while providing the perfect counterpart to a smoky and bitter tequila. Mixed together, you have a well-rounded drink that hits the spot.

If you happen to have an old-school juice press, placing a cut-open pomegranate in it can get you some delicious juice. Otherwise, store-bought pomegranate juice is often pretty good. I also recommend adding a little lime juice, too, as it gives pomegranate juice and tequila even more brightness.

Mixing passion fruit juice with tequila will instantly transport you to a beach vacation, even if you're just in your living room. It tastes like sunsets and will give you summer vibes, even in the heart of winter. Passion fruit juice is intense and flavorful, and when mixed with tequila, it makes a delightfully tangy, sweet drink with enough tartness to keep it from being too sweet.

It's also a good juice to pair with tequila if you're not tequila's biggest fan. Passion fruit juice is so full of tropical fruitiness that it uplifts anything you add it to. You can use passion fruit juice from a carton, but it's definitely worth getting some of the real fruits and scooping out the flesh from inside to take your drink to new heights. The little black seeds in your drink will also look really enticing. 

Guava juice is another underrated fruit juice, in my opinion. It's sweet and fragrant, making it a dream pairing for tequila and other strong spirits. It's a fruit with layered flavor, and you get different notes of earthiness and fruitiness with each sip of its juice. With tequila, it actually highlights the grassy notes in the best way possible, making you feel like you're drinking a really sophisticated drink, when it's just two ingredients.

In my experience, guava juice is surprisingly not as popular in the U.S. as it is in places like Latin America, Asia, and Africa. So, if you can't find it in your local grocery store, you'll definitely have more of a selection in any Asian or Latin American specialty foods store. Once you try it and taste its goodness, it may become a part of your weekly grocery shop. Before you pour it over your tequila, make sure it's ice cold for the best possible experience. For even more deliciousness, a little lime juice can make this drink even more fragrant. 

While we've seen just how many fruit juices work with tequila, you also can't go wrong with the classic taste of apple juice. Sometimes, with a juice that you consider to be an old faithful, it doesn't come to mind when you want to make something exciting. In truth, it's a classic for a reason, though, and definitely deserves a spot on your bar cart. Apple juice is an undeniably crisp fruit juice that plays well with all sorts of alcoholic beverages. With tequila, it brings sweetness and a straightforward cleanness that cuts right through tequila's bitterness. The result is refreshing and balanced.

I always prefer to use clear, rather than cloudy, apple juice when mixing with tequila, to really get the best of the crispness. I also like to infuse apple juice with spices like cinnamon and cloves to give my tequila drink a fall coziness, anytime of the year.