Ingredients
Drink
- 60 mlblanco tequila
- juice of half a lime
- a pinch of salt
- 150 mlgrapefruit soda, well chilled
For a fresh version
- 60 mlblanco tequila
- 90 mlfresh pink grapefruit juice
- 15 mllime juice
- 10 mlsugar syrup
- soda water, to top
To serve
- plenty of ice
- a grapefruit or lime wedge
- coarse salt, for the rim, if wanted
Equipment
- a tall glass
- a long spoon
Directions
- Use a blanco tequila, which is unaged and clear. It should say one hundred per cent agave on the label. Rub a lime wedge around the rim if you want a salted edge. Dip the rim in coarse salt on a plate.
- Salt only half the rim, so the drinker can choose. Fill the glass to the top with ice. Use plenty, since this is meant to be very cold. Making the soda version takes about a minute.
- Squeeze the lime juice over the ice. Add the pinch of salt directly to the glass. Pour the tequila in over the ice. Stir it briefly with a long spoon. Adding the soda is done gently. Top the glass up with well-chilled grapefruit soda.
- Pour it slowly down the side of the glass. Pouring gently keeps the carbonation in the drink. Stir it once only, very briefly. Making the fresh version takes a little more.
- Squeeze fresh pink grapefruit juice and strain it. Put the tequila, grapefruit juice, lime and syrup in the glass. Add the pinch of salt to the glass. Stir it with the ice until cold. Top it up with soda water for the length and the fizz.
- Adjust the syrup to the sweetness of your fruit. It should be tart and slightly bitter rather than sweet. Add more lime if it tastes flat. Add a little syrup if the grapefruit is very sharp. Serving it is done immediately.
- Add a grapefruit or lime wedge to the glass. Serve it with a straw if you want. It is drunk long and cold, over an afternoon.
Technique
- Use a hundred per cent agave blanco tequila, since a mixto gives a harsher drink.
- The pinch of salt in the glass suppresses the grapefruit bitterness and is not decorative.
- Pour the soda gently and stir only once, or you flatten it.
Substitutions
- Fresh pink grapefruit juice and soda water in place of bottled soda.
- Any hundred per cent agave blanco tequila.
Variations
- Made with fresh grapefruit juice, as bars do.
- With mezcal in place of tequila, for a smoky version.
- With a chilli salt rim.
History
Squirt grapefruit soda reached Mexico in the 1950s, and the highball built on it became the country’s most-drunk tequila cocktail.
Frequently asked questions
What is Paloma?
Paloma is a cocktail from Mexico: tequila lengthened with grapefruit soda and lime over ice with salt. Squirt grapefruit soda reached Mexico in the 1950s, and the highball built on it became the country’s most-drunk tequila cocktail.
How long does Paloma take to make?
Paloma takes 5 min of preparation and none of cooking. The recipe makes 1 glass. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Paloma?
Yes, within limits. Fresh pink grapefruit juice and soda water in place of bottled soda. Any hundred per cent agave blanco tequila.
What is the most important thing to get right in Paloma?
Adjust the syrup to the sweetness of your fruit. It should be tart and slightly bitter rather than sweet. Add more lime if it tastes flat. Add a little syrup if the grapefruit is very sharp. Serving it is done immediately.
