Cocktail Atlas

Paloma

Agave tequila, a squeeze of lime and a pinch of salt, topped with pink grapefruit soda. Built in the glass in under a minute.

Cocktail Atlas · Updated

Spirit
Tequila
Glass
Highball glass
Method
Built
Difficulty
Beginner

Spec source: IBA official cocktail list

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Paloma

Ingredients

Ingredients for Paloma. Tick each one as you add it.
AddedMeasureIngredient
1⅔ oz
1 tsp
1 pinch
3⅓ oz

Steps

  1. Pour the tequila into a highball glass and squeeze in the lime juice.
  2. Add ice and the salt, then fill up with pink grapefruit soda.
  3. Stir gently and garnish with a lime slice.

Garnish Lime slice

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Batch it For a party of 4–20

Makes 8 drinks, about 14¾ oz · 440 ml before ice.

Paloma batch
AmountIngredient
13⅓ oz · 400 ml100% agave tequila
1⅓ oz · 40 mlFresh lime juice
8 pinchesSalt

No added water: this drink takes its dilution from the ice in the glass. Chill the batch and build each glass over ice.

Fits one 750 ml bottle; a funnel helps.

Add at serving: 3⅓ oz pink grapefruit soda per glass. Bubbles go flat in a batch, so they stay out of it.

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Why it works

The Paloma is a highball, so the work is done by the soda: pink grapefruit brings sweetness, bitterness and fizz in one pour. A small squeeze of lime sharpens it, and the pinch of salt brightens the grapefruit and softens its bitter edge, the same way salt works on a Margarita rim. Built over ice and stirred gently, it keeps its bubbles.

Substitutions

  • No grapefruit soda? Use 1½ oz fresh grapefruit juice, ¼ oz simple syrup and top with soda water.
  • Mezcal in place of some or all of the tequila adds smoke.
  • A salt rim works instead of salt in the drink.

Variations

  • Pomegranate Paloma: pomegranate juice for a deeper, fruitier drink.
  • Zero-proof: the same build with no tequila; see the non-alcoholic section.

Questions

What is the best grapefruit soda for a Paloma?
One with real grapefruit flavor and some bitterness. Very sweet sodas make a flabby drink; add a little more lime if that’s all that’s on hand.
Why salt in a Paloma?
A pinch of salt makes the grapefruit taste brighter and less bitter. It shouldn’t taste salty.
Should a Paloma be shaken?
No. It’s built in the glass, which keeps the soda fizzy.

Making it: Paloma

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