Paloma Cocktail Recipe | 2foodtrippers

Rate this post

The Paloma tastes like summer in a glass. The refreshing tequila tipple is simultaneously sweet, sour and salty. It’s also easy to craft at home regardless of the season.

Paloma Cocktail with Black Background from Above

The Paloma is a magical cocktail.

You could be in Buffalo during a December blizzard. You could be in Chicago in February. Heck, you could even be in Antarctica in the dead of a July winter.

Whenever or wherever you sip a Paloma, you’ll feel like you’re on a Mexican beach if only for a sweet moment. And, as a bonus, that sweet moment will taste like grapefruit and tequila.

Table of Contents

What Is a Paloma Cocktail?

Paloma Cocktail with Grapefruit and Black Background — Grapefruit takes a starring role in the Paloma cocktail.

The Paloma is suddenly giving the Margarita a run for the title of Mexico’s national drink. Don’t worry – it’s a friendly contest since the word paloma translates to dove. But what is this potent potable with the bird-inspired name?

Although it’s not technically a classic cocktail, the Paloma follows the classic cocktail playbook with a simple recipe and a short ingredient list that includes tequila, grapefruit soda and lime juice. As refreshing as an ice cold lemonade, the Paloma tastes simultaneously sweet, sour and salty. But, unlike lemonade, the Paloma also provides a tequila kick.

History of the Paloma

Paloma Cocktail with Pink Background from Above — We’d thank the Paloma’s inventor but we don’t know who to thank.

Our research reveals that the first Paloma was likely crafted in Mexico during the 1950s. That’s the decade when Squirt, an American grapefruit soda, crossed the border into Mexico and the cocktail icon was born. But who was the first to combine Squirt with tequila?

Some cocktail historians speculate that a Tequila (the city) bar owner named Don Javier Delgado Corona invented the Paloma. It’s a story we’d like to be true since it would be poetic for the popular tequila drink to hail from Tequila (one again, large ‘T’). Then again, it doesn’t matter who created the Paloma recipe. We’re just glad that it happened.

Fun Fact
While we don’t know the Paloma’s exact origin, we do know that Squirt was invented in Phoenix, Arizona in 1938.

Paloma Ingredients

Paloma Cocktail Ingredients — You don’t need a lot of ingredients to craft a Paloma cocktail. You just need tequila, grapefruit soda, a lime, a grapefruit, some coarse salt and ice cubes.

As noted above, the Paloma ingredient is short. These are the only ingredients you need to craft a Paloma cocktail at home:

Blanco Tequila
Grapefruit Soda
Lime Juice
Coarse Salt (for rim)
Lime Wedge (for rim)
Grapefruit Wheel (for garnish)
Ice Cubes

How to Craft a Paloma Cocktail

Paloma Cocktail Mise en Place — Gathering ingredients and tools takes more time than crafting a Paloma.

You don’t need any fancy equipment to craft a Paloma cocktail. In fact, you just need the following two bar tools:

Don’t give up if you’re missing one or both of these basic bar tools. You could use an angled measuring cup instead of a jigger and a teaspoon or tablespoon instead of a cocktail spoon.

Paloma Cocktail - Social IMG — Buckle your seatbelt. It’s time to craft a Paloma cocktail!

Create a salt rim on a highball glass by rubbing a lime edge around the top of the glass and then dipping the glass on to a plate topped with coarse salt. Swirl the glass in a circle and voila! you just created a salt rim.

Squeezing Lime Wedge on Highball Glass — Creating a salt rim adds to the Paloma’s surprisingly complex flavor profile.

Salting Rim of a Highball Glass — Creating a salt rim adds to the Paloma’s surprisingly complex flavor profile.

Measure two ounces of tequila and pour the Mexican liquor into the salt-rimmed tequila glass. We like to use a Japanese jigger to get an accurate measurement and to avoid spilling the tequila on the salt rim.

Measuring Tequila for a Paloma Cocktail — Tequila is the Paloma’s first and most important ingredient.

Pouring Tequila for a Paloma Cocktail — Tequila is the Paloma’s first and most important ingredient.

Buy a Japanese Jigger from Amazon if you don’t have a jigger or want an inexpensive upgrade.

Pour freshly squeezed lime juice into the same glass. You can either use a jigger or an angled measuring cup glass.

Pouring Lime Juice for a Paloma Cocktail — A little bit of lime juice goes a long way when crafting a Paloma cocktail.

Stir the tequila and lime juice with a mixing spoon or a different long utensil.

Topping a Paloma Cocktail with Grapefruit Soda — Grapefruit soda provides the Paloma’s sweet and sour flavors.

Top the glass with grapefruit soda.

Stirring a Paloma Cocktail — Grapefruit soda and tequila come together in the Paloma cocktail.

Pro Tip
Open the bottle just before pouring to maximize the soda’s bubbles.

Garnish with a grapefruit wheel.

Paloma Cocktail from Above — You could hypothetically garnish the Paloma with a lime wheel but a grapefruit wheel looks way cooler.

Serve with a straw unless you’d rather sip your Paloma straight from the salt-rimmed glass.

Paloma Drink Alternatives

Crafted Paloma Cocktail with Ingredients — The Paloma recipe is easy to craft. It’s also easy to tweak.

Millions of Mexicans can’t be wrong when it comes to crafting a traditional Paloma cocktail. However, nobody will get upset if you tweak the tequila cocktail’s simple recipe. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Replace the grapefruit soda with a mixture of fresh grapefruit juice and club soda if you don’t have access to grapefruit soda.
Replace the grapefruit soda with triple sec to craft a Margarita cocktail.
Replace the tequila with mezcal to craft a smokier Paloma cocktail.
Replace the tequila with either vodka or gin and leave out the lime juice to craft a Greyhound cocktail.
Replace the tequila with vodka to craft a Palomita cocktail.

Paloma Cocktail FAQs

What is a Paloma Cocktail?

The Paloma is a tequila cocktail crafted with grapefruit soda and fresh lime juice.

Where was the Paloma Cocktail invented?

The Paloma Cocktail was invented at an undisclosed location in Mexico. In other words, nobody knows exactly where in Mexico it was invented.

What are the ingredients in a Paloma Cocktail?

Blanco Tequila, Grapefruit Soda, Lime Juice, Coarse Salt (for rim), Lime Wedge (for rim), Grapefruit Wheel (for garnish) and Ice Cubes

Is the Paloma Cocktail shaken or stirred?

The Paloma Cocktail is stirred not shaken.

Paloma Recipe

Ingredients

2 ounces blanco tequila
4 ounces grapefruit soda
1/2 ounce lime juice
coarse salt (for salt rim)
lime wedge (for salt rim)
grapefruit wheel (for garnish)
ice cubes

Instructions

Pour coarse salt on a small round plate.
Rub lime wedge around the rim of a highball glass and then dip the glass into the salt, twirling the glass until the rim is well coated. Set the glass aside.
Pour tequila and lime juice into a highball glass. Stir and add ice.
Top with grapefruit soda.
Garnish with a grapefruit wheel.

Notes

You can use reposado tequila instead of blanco tequila.
You can garnish with a lime wheel instead of a grapefruit wheel.
You can make your own grapefruit soda if you’re an over achiever or if you can’t find grapefruit soda at your local store.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Thirsty for More Cocktails?

Try our Absinthe Frappe, Amaretto Sour, Americano, Aperol Spritz, Aviation, Bee’s Knees, Between the Sheets, Bijou, Black Russian, Boulevardier, Brandy Alexander, Brown Derby, Café Maria Theresia, Caipirinha, Clover Club, Coquito, Corpse Reviver #2, Creamsicle, Cuba Libre, Daiquiri, Dark and Stormy, Diplomat, Dirty Shirley, Eggnog, Emerald, Espresso Martini, French 75, French Connection, G+T, Garibaldi, Gibson, Gimlet, Gold Rush, Grasshopper, Hanky Panky, Hemingway Daiquiri, Hugo Spritz, Hurricane, Irish Coffee, Kir Royale, Last Word, Lemon Drop Martini, Manhattan, Maple Bourbon Smash, Martinez, Mauresque, Milk Punch, Mind Eraser, Mint Julep, Mojito, Moscow Mule, Mudslide, Negroni, Negroni Sbagliato, New York Sour, Old Fashioned, Old Pal, Paper Plane, Pimm’s Cup, Pink Lady, Porto Tonico, Ramos Gin Fizz, Revolver, Sazerac, Sidecar, Spicy Margarita, Tipperary, Tomate, Vesper Martini, Vieux Carré, Whiskey Ginger, Whiskey Sour, White Lady and White Russian cocktail recipes.

About the Authors

Daryl & Mindi Hirsch

Saveur Magazine’s BEST TRAVEL BLOG award winners Daryl and Mindi Hirsch share their culinary travel experiences and recipes on the 2foodtrippers website and YouTube. The married Food and Travel content creators live in Lisbon, Portugal.

Disclosure

We update our articles regularly. Some updates are major while others are minor link changes and spelling corrections. Let us know if you see anything that needs to be updated in this article.

Original Publication Date: December 28, 2022

Collected by Cookingtom

Original Article

Brian Danny Max

I’m Brian Danny Max, a chef and a writer at cookingtom.com. I’m here to talk about food and cooking, and to share some of my favorite recipes with you all! I’ve been interested in food and cooking since I was a child. My parents are both great cooks, and they taught me a lot about the kitchen. I’ve been cooking professionally for about 10 years now, and I’ve loved every minute of it! I specialize in healthy, flavorful recipes that are easy to make at home. I believe that anyone can cook a delicious meal, no matter their skill level. I’m here to help you learn how to cook, and to show you that it’s not as difficult as you might think! I hope you’ll check out my blog and my recipes, and I look forward to hearing from you!