Love grapefruit cocktails? Try the Greyhound, Salty Dog Cocktail, Brown Derby, Hemingway Daiquiri, or Sea Breeze. The Paloma is perfect for happy hour, or you can water it down as a brunch drink, too. The salt rim brings out that sweet tart flavor even more! Our spin on the classic drink uses real grapefruit juice, but you can also make it with grapefruit soda. A classic Paloma is just two ingredients: tequila and grapefruit soda. However, we like to make a homemade soda using fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, lime juice, and soda water. It turns out perfectly balanced: sweet, tart, and with the sharp undertone of tequila. Make whatever version you prefer!
Mezcal: Try it with mezcal! This agave-based liquor goes well with tequila drinks to give them a smoky nuance. Go to Mezcal Paloma. Jalapeño: Slice a jalapeño pepper into 3 thin slices, then shake it in a cocktail shaker with the tequila, grapefruit juice, lime juice and simple syrup before pouring in a glass and topping with soda water. Strawberry: Use strawberry syrup instead of simple syrup. Ginger: Use ginger simple syrup instead of simple syrup.
Variations and related drinks
There are a few drinks that are similar to a Paloma cocktail: 4.9 from 9 reviews **Or, substitute 4 ounces grapefruit soda for the grapefruit juice, simple syrup and soda water.
The Cantarito is similar to a Paloma, but adds a few more citrus juices. A Greyhound uses grapefruit juice and gin, and a Salty Dog adds a salt rim. This Margarita recipe is our favorite, but you can also try it Skinny, Italian, Jalapeno, Cadillac, as Sangria, or Frozen. The Tequila Sunrise is another famous tequila cocktail that looks like the colors of a summer sunrise.
