Paloma Cocktail Recipe with Fresh Grapefruit

🍊 Ingredients

Grapefruit and tequila are the stars of this cocktail, with lime and simple syrup rounding out the drink. Here is what you will need:

• Blanco tequila
• Fresh grapefruit juice
• Fresh lime juice
• Simple syrup
• Grapefruit or lime peel, for garnish (optional)
• Soda water or club soda (optional)

See the recipe card for quantities.

What kind of tequila should I use?

A good 100% agave blanco tequila is my first choice for a Paloma. Blanco keeps the drink bright and crisp and lets the grapefruit and lime shine, but if another tequila is what you have on hand, you can still make a good cocktail.

We tend to keep a bottle of Espolòn on hand for tequila drinks, and if you are building a home bar, it is a solid staple blanco tequila.

What kind of grapefruit should I use?

Pink or Ruby Red grapefruit are excellent choices for this Paloma cocktail recipe, but any fresh grapefruit can work. Different varieties vary in sweetness, tartness, and color, so use what looks best at the market.

Because the recipe includes simple syrup, you can adjust the sweetness to balance a particularly tart grapefruit.

Making your own simple syrup

Simple syrup is easy to make at home. Combine equal parts white sugar and water, gently heat while stirring until the sugar dissolves, then let the syrup cool before using it in your cocktail. Store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Store-bought simple syrup works just fine too, but making it yourself is inexpensive and takes only a few minutes.

Topping with soda water is optional

The Paloma is strongly associated with tequila and grapefruit soda such as Squirt, although the cocktail’s exact origin remains uncertain. A simple combination of tequila and grapefruit soda is one of the classic ways to make a Paloma.

This version uses fresh grapefruit juice instead. I like it without extra carbonation, but you can top the drink with soda water or club soda if you want the fizz associated with a grapefruit-soda Paloma.

🍲 Instructions

Shake the tequila, grapefruit juice, lime juice, and simple syrup with ice, strain over fresh ice, and top with soda water if desired. There really isn’t much to it.

We previously spent a lot of time covering the Greyhound cocktail, and this close cousin is just as good. I guess I am trying to say that I like grapefruit and booze. If we are kindred spirits and you have the ingredients on hand, this can be yours to make. If you are looking for something a bit spicier, check out this Spicy Margarita with Jalapeno recipe.

🤷 Substitutions and variations

There are a few ways that this can be changed up.

• Type of grapefruit – Different grapefruit varieties can change the flavor and color of the drink.
• Tequila – You can change the style or brand of tequila to make the cocktail your own.
• Simple syrup – Replace the simple syrup with agave nectar or honey syrup and adjust the amount to taste. Store-bought or homemade simple syrup both work well.
• Rim the glass – Try a salt, sugar, or Tajín rim, or combine them to suit your taste.

🎓 History tidbit

I love digging into cocktail history, but the Paloma has a particularly murky story. Alcademics has an excellent deep dive into the Paloma’s history, including multiple sources and references to cocktail historian David Wondrich.

As with a lot of cocktail history, the trail is incomplete. Tequila and grapefruit or Squirt combinations appeared before the drink was consistently called a Paloma, while named printed references to the Paloma began showing up around 2000 and the early 2000s. The exact inventor and origin remain uncertain.

❓ FAQ

📝 Tips and tricks

• Use what you have for grapefruit, but Pink or Ruby Red grapefruit works great!
• Make your own simple syrup to save money. It is very easy.
• Blanco tequila keeps the cocktail bright, crisp, and citrus-forward.

🛠 Products used in this recipe

• Cocktail Shaker
• Highball Glass

😋 Did you make this recipe?

That is awesome, and thank you so much for giving this Paloma Cocktail recipe with fresh grapefruit a try. If you could leave a rating in the comment area below, it would be greatly appreciated. This lets me know how I am doing and also helps others decide if they want to make this recipe. Most of all, thanks for visiting Ramshackle Pantry.