Paloma

What is Paloma?

The Paloma - Spanish for "dove" - is the most popular tequila cocktail in Mexico, outselling the Margarita domestically by a considerable margin despite being far less known internationally. Its origins are disputed but the most widely cited account credits Don Javier Delgado Corona, the legendary bartender at La Capilla in the town of Tequila, Jalisco, with popularising the combination of tequila and grapefruit soda in the mid-20th century - the same bartender credited with creating the Batanga. A separate account attributes an early written version to Evan Harrison, who published a recipe in a 1953 pamphlet titled "Popular Cocktails of the Rio Grande." What is clear is that the drink's popularity in Mexico grew in parallel with Squirt, the American grapefruit-flavoured soda that became widely available in Mexico in the 1950s and became the default mixer for the drink. The Paloma's rise in the United States and Europe is relatively recent - it gained significant momentum through the craft cocktail boom of the 2010s and accelerated rapidly as tequila overtook vodka as the best-selling spirit in the US around 2022, bringing renewed interest in Mexican cocktail culture with it.

Don't forget to see what other drinks you can make with the ingredients you already have in your bar.

Taste profile

The Paloma is refreshing, lightly bitter, and considerably more complex than its three-ingredient simplicity suggests. Blanco tequila provides the backbone — clean, peppery agave with citrus and herbal notes that integrate naturally with the grapefruit rather than competing with it. Grapefruit soda contributes the drink's defining character: a bright, slightly bitter citrus sweetness that is softer and more aromatic than lemon or lime, with the carbonation adding a lightness that makes the drink genuinely thirst-quenching rather than merely palate-coating. Fresh lime juice sharpens the citrus profile and adds an acidity that prevents the grapefruit sweetness from becoming too dominant. The salt rim, when used, provides a mineral contrast that amplifies both the tequila's agave character and the grapefruit's bitterness in a way that transforms the drink from pleasant to extraordinary. The overall profile is bright, dry, and effortlessly refreshing — the definition of a sessionable warm-weather cocktail.

Serving suggestions

Build directly in a tall glass over ice — this is not a shaken cocktail, and agitation will flatten the grapefruit soda immediately. A salt rim is traditional and strongly recommended: run a lime wedge around the rim and dip into coarse sea salt or kosher salt before adding ice. For the most authentic Mexican version, use Squirt or Jarritos Toronja grapefruit soda, both of which are made with real grapefruit flavour and produce a noticeably better result than generic grapefruit soda. For a more craft-oriented version, replace the grapefruit soda entirely with fresh grapefruit juice and a splash of sparkling water — this gives you full control over sweetness and produces a drier, more complex drink at the cost of some of the soda's effortless refreshment. A grapefruit wedge or wheel on the rim is the standard garnish. Mezcal can be substituted for the tequila for a smokier, more complex variation that has become genuinely popular in its own right.

Why You'll Love It?

Ingredients for Paloma

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Step‑by‑Step Instructions

1. (Optional) Rim a highball glass with salt by rubbing lime around the edge and dipping into salt.
2. Fill the glass with ice.
3. Add tequila and lime juice to the glass, and top it with grapefruit soda.