Paloma grapefruit cocktail pitcher garnished with lime
Mexico

Paloma Cocktail

Build tequila, grapefruit, and lime over ice, then top with sparkling water for a sharp, lightly bitter Mexican highball.

Servings 8
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 0 mins
Difficulty Easy
Print Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups blanco tequila
3 cups fresh pink grapefruit juice
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup agave syrup
2 cups chilled sparkling water
1 1/2 tsp fine salt
1 tbsp coarse salt
5 cups ice
8 thin grapefruit wedges
8 lime wedges
480 ml blanco tequila
720 ml fresh pink grapefruit juice
120 ml fresh lime juice
60 ml agave syrup
480 ml chilled sparkling water
8 g fine salt
16 g coarse salt
600 g ice
8 thin grapefruit wedges
8 lime wedges

Instructions

  1. Mix the fine salt and coarse salt on a small plate. Rub the rim of eight highball glasses with lime wedges and dip lightly into the salt mixture so the rim is evenly coated.
  2. Add the tequila, grapefruit juice, lime juice, and agave syrup to a large pitcher. Stir firmly for about 20 seconds until the sweetener dissolves completely.
  3. Taste the mixture. Adjust sweetness if needed. The balance should be citrusy, slightly bitter, and only lightly sweet.
  4. Add 400 g of the ice directly to the pitcher and stir once to chill the mixture quickly without excessive dilution.
  5. Pour about 180 ml of the mixture into each prepared glass filled with the remaining ice.
  6. Top each drink with about 60 ml sparkling water. Stir gently once to combine while keeping the carbonation lively.
  7. Garnish each glass with a grapefruit wedge and serve immediately while cold and bright.

Cultural Context

The Paloma is one of Mexico’s best-known tequila drinks, and many writers and cooks describe it as more common in everyday drinking than the Margarita. Its standard structure is simple: tequila, lime, and grapefruit, usually lengthened with fizz. That said, there isn’t one single locked formula. Some versions use bottled grapefruit soda, including brands often associated with the drink. Others use fresh grapefruit juice, sparkling water, and a little sweetener. Technique matters more than theatrics. A light salt rim, cold glass, fresh lime, and a gentle stir preserve the drink’s snap and carbonation. In Mexican-style service, it’s usually built as a straightforward highball, not an overly sweet punch. That balance is the point.

Fun Fact

The Spanish word paloma means “dove.” Despite the drink’s popularity across Mexico, historians still debate its origin, and no documented recipe appears in cocktail books before the mid-20th century.

Cook’s Tip

Traditional Mexican Palomas often use grapefruit soda with tequila and lime. Our version uses fresh grapefruit juice plus sparkling water, closer to the citrus-forward taste many prefer. If the grapefruit is sweet, reduce agave to 40 ml. If it’s very tart, increase slightly to 80 ml. Keep the sparkling water very cold to maintain carbonation.

Trivia

Tequila can legally be made in only five Mexican states: Jalisco, Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas, with Jalisco producing more than 90% of the world’s supply.

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