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The Best Paloma Cocktail Recipe

Congratulations – you’ve landed on the Best Paloma Cocktail Recipe. With just 5 ingredients, this easy and refreshing Paloma recipe is about to become your next go-to cocktail. 

paloma cocktail in glass with lime

Sparkly Paloma Drink

Hot summer months beg for refreshing drinks and backyard cookouts.  Flip flops on feet + cocktail in hand = Power Couple 💞

When hosting casual outdoor gatherings, easy yet delicious cocktails are a staple. Usually there’s Big Batch Pineapple Margaritas or 3-Ingredient Lemonade Margaritas on the ready. For a delightful change of pace, add this sparkly Paloma Cocktail to the drink menu. (Fun fact: paloma is known as Mexico’s most popular cocktail…now we know why.)

On the food front, we love serving up these super-easy Hawaiian Grilled Steak Tacos that are 100% crowd-pleaser. Anything that can be marinated ahead of time and allows you to sit back and enjoy the party is a big YES.

This Paloma cocktail can also be prepared ahead of time. It’s is a supremely refreshing combination of citrus sweetness, a bit of lime tartness, and cheerful sparkly-ness. Not to mention, it looks gorgeous.

paloma drinks with grapefruit

How to make the best paloma cocktail

For the best ever Paloma recipe, get your hands on the freshest ingredients.

For starters, use freshly squeezed grapefruit juice from the sweetest and most ripe grapefruits you can find. Freshly squeezed juice is by far the best tasting, most rewarding way to go. A simple, budget-friendly citrus juicer makes this task extremely easy.

If absolutely necessary, bottled 100% grapefruit juice can be used…but you’ll definitely be able to tell the difference between freshly squeezed and bottled. Some recipes make use of grapefruit soda or orange juice, but we’ve found that pure fresh grapefruit juice offers unparalleled flavor.

Freshly squeezed lime juice is next. That hand held juice squeezer will come in handy once again.

Lastly, a nice quality tequila will work wonders for your Paloma recipe.  Be sure it’s a good Blanco (silver) tequila, as that is the standard for Paloma cocktails.

Because there are so few ingredients in a great Paloma recipe, every ingredient counts: freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, freshly squeezed lime juice, and a great Blanco tequila.

grapefruit paloma in stemless glasses

When ready to serve, simply top off with some sparkly club soda and garnish as you wish.Don those flip flops, savor those tacos, and happy cheers-ing 🥂

grapefruit paloma

The Best Paloma Cocktail Recipe

4.78 from 18 ratings
Congratulations - you've landed on the Best Paloma Cocktail Recipe. With just 5 ingredients, this easy and refreshing Paloma recipe is about to become your next go-to cocktail.
Prep Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 10 mins
Servings: 4

Ingredients  

  • 1 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
  • ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 2 TB simple syrup*
  • 1 cup good quality blanco, silver tequila
  • 1 cup club soda
  • Optional Garnishes: kosher salt, grapefruit slices, lime slices

Instructions

  • In a small pourable container, combine the fresh grapefruit juice, fresh lime juice, simple syrup, and tequila. Stir to incorporate well. Keep chilled until ready to serve.
  • When ready to serve: fill 4 glasses with desired amount of ice. Divide Paloma cocktail into the glasses. Top off with club soda and garnish as desired. Serve immediately.

Notes

*Make-Ahead Simple Syrup: Bring 1 part water and 1 part granulated sugar to a low boil, stirring until fully dissolved. Immediately remove from heat and let fully cool before using. Keep a jar of simple syrup in the fridge to use any time.
*Alternatively, you can use lemon-lime soda in lieu of the simple syrup and club soda.
*If you want salt-rimmed glasses, pour kosher salt into a small plate. Moisten rims of glasses with water, lime juice, or grapefruit juice. Dip rims into plate of kosher salt before filling with Paloma.

Nutrition

Calories: 32kcal | Carbohydrates: 7.2g | Protein: 0.1g | Sodium: 7mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 5.2g
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Mexican
Diet: Vegetarian
Method: Stir

Did you make this?

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Recipe Rating




55 comments

    • Lathiya
    • 5 stars

    Such a gorgeous looking drink. I can’t deny how refreshing it will be. Can I skip alcohol and just use soda?

      • chewoutloud

      Of course! 🙂

    • Kari Alana
    • 5 stars

    This is the perfect drink for these hot day and thanks for all those other ones you shared in this post.

    • Diana
    • 5 stars

    Loving this refreshing cocktail! My drinks need to have freshly squeezed jucies. This is my to-go poolside cocktail recipe, cheers!

    • Jen | Jen’s Food Lab

    5 ingredients and sparkly?? Sign me up! This looks super refreshing for the summer.

    • Ramona
    • 5 stars

    I love making cocktails, but i havent made a paloma one before. I am tempted to try this out on a nice day so I can enjoy it even more! It looks so refreshing, thank you for sharing this recipe!

    • Jacqueline Debono
    • 5 stars

    I think I have been missing out because I’ve never had a Paloma cocktail but am going to change that very soon! This drink looks and sounds super! Love that yours has fresh grapefruit in it!

    • sapana

    Such a refrshing cocoktail I would love to try it with my flip flops and walking on a beach or in a garden.

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