Cutwater Lime Margarita
San Diego, California
A full-strength tequila margarita in a 12oz can at 12.5% ABV. Sits on the same shelf as the seltzers and is roughly three cans of one.
- Congeners
- Moderate
- Histamines
- Low
- Polyphenols
- Low
- Sulfites
- Low
- Tannins
- Very Low
- Sugar
- High
- Additives
- Moderate
In its favor
- ✓Real tequila base
- ✓Gluten-free
What to watch
- !12.5% ABV, nearly three times the seltzers beside it
- !Real added sugar, unlike everything else in this category
- !Residual sugar is not published, so the calorie count cannot be pinned
Factor by factor
Congeners Moderate ▾
Byproducts of fermentation (methanol, acetaldehyde, fusel alcohols). Strongly linked to hangover severity; darker, less-distilled spirits carry more.
Histamines Low ▾
Produced by bacteria during fermentation/aging. Trigger flushing, headaches, congestion in sensitive drinkers. High in red wine, beer, aged spirits.
Polyphenols Low ▾
Plant compounds with antioxidant activity. Slightly protective at low doses but at high concentrations may worsen hangover via tannin/quercetin reactions.
Sulfites Low ▾
Preservatives (SO₂) added to wine and some beers. Common trigger of headaches, asthma, and allergic-type reactions.
Tannins Very Low ▾
Astringent polyphenols from skins, seeds, barrels. Bind proteins, slow alcohol clearance, and aggravate dehydration-style symptoms.
Sugar High ▾
Residual sugar amplifies hangover via blood-sugar swings and dehydration. Liqueurs and cocktails are the main offenders.
Additives Moderate ▾
Colorants, flavorings, glycerin, propylene glycol, sorbates. Cheap spirits and ready-to-drinks often hide these in trade-secret formulas.
Cutwater is on this page to stop the category reading as uniformly light. It is a genuine margarita: tequila, lime, sweetener, canned at 12.5%. A 12oz can delivers about 35 grams of ethanol, which is roughly what three cans of a 4.5% vodka seltzer deliver, and about 245 calories before any sugar is counted.
The sugar is the part nobody publishes. A margarita needs sweetening to work and this one tastes like it has been sweetened properly, but Cutwater does not print a residual sugar figure, so the calorie column here is left empty rather than guessed at. What can be said with confidence is that it is the only drink in this category with meaningful sugar in it, and the only one that is not a session-strength can.
Two things get sold as the same convenience format. They are not the same drink, and the cans are close enough in size and styling that it is easy to reach for the wrong one.