Sip Margs is a new line of ready-to-drink cocktails that are modeled after the classic margarita and delivered in sparkling form. The products are 5% ABV and contain 130 calories per 12 ounce can.

There are presently four SKUs, including Classic Sparkling Margarita, Sparkling Mango Margarita, Sparkling Coconut Margarita, and Sparkling Margarita. The products use spirits — either tequila or mezcal along with triple sec — distinguishing it from the many margarita-flavored, malt-based hard seltzers that are already on the market.

Using a spirit base definitely helps when it comes to flavor and this is most noticeable in the Classic Sparkling Margarita and Sparkling Mezcal Margarita. These two varieties -- made with tequila or mezcal as the base spirit, plus triple sec, lime flavor, and sparkling water -- have the purest flavor profile of the lineup. We particularly liked the Sparkling Mezcal Margarita which has some extra complexity thanks to its naturally smoky flavor.  And in both varieties there’s a subtle orange note from the triple sec, which is also nice.

As for the flavored offerings, they are essentially the Classic Sparkling Margarita with additional flavoring in the form of either mango or coconut. The Sparkling Mango Margarita is pretty subtle while the coconut flavoring in the Sparkling Coconut Margarita is a bit more assertive. However, in both cases what you taste is clearly flavoring and fruit juice/purée would probably taste better.

That being said, the only thing missing between these products and the cocktails that they are modeled after is sweetness. This is something that neither product really has, which, as a result, makes the product taste more like margarita flavored sparkling water than a higher proof cocktail. That’s fine by us — these products are extremely tasty and feel like they skew towards a more discerning customer than your typical hard seltzer.

On the packaging front, these products use a shrink sleeve label (a matte finish for the Sparkling Mezcal Margarita and a glossy finish for the others) that has the Sip Margs logo — the word “MARGS” with a tiny “SIP” sitting above the “M” — placed front and center. The label is rather minimalist, with lots of open space between the logo and the flavor name, which occupies three short lines of text about an inch below the logo.  There’s also some text at the very bottom of the label, which describes the core ingredients.

The final element — and the only one that gives us slight pause — is the brand’s tagline, “The Best Tasting Margarita. Period.”, which sits at the top of the front panel. Given our comments about the flavor and the fact that this is not a straight up margarita but something different, this tagline doesn’t feel like an accurate description and could set the wrong kind of consumer expectations. Figuring out a better tagline that focuses on something that the brand can own in the long run might be challenging to develop but will certainly help.

Overall, Sip Margs is a fun and enjoyable tasting product line that brings a dose of authentic margarita flavor into a format that’s both on-trend and lower in ABV than the original. We definitely feel like there’s some potential for this line, especially as other spirit-based hard seltzer and sparkling RTD cocktails come to market.