Hi Friends!
Today I want to share one of my very favorite cocktails – The Paloma.
The Paloma is a classic cocktail in Mexico, where it’s actually more popular than the Margarita. Surprising, right?
If you’re looking for an alternative to a margarita, or haven’t tried a tequila cocktail in a while, the Paloma is easy to make and deliciously refreshing, especially in the summer.
First, let’s talk tequila.
THE THREE STYLES OF TEQUILA
BLANCO or SILVER – 100% agave tequila that is not aged
REPOSADO – 100% agave tequila that is aged (“rested”) for 2 months to 1 year
ANEJO – 100% agave tequila aged for more than 1 year. There is also an “extra anejo” that is aged more than 3 years.
The other category is Gold Tequila, also called Mixto. It is NOT 100% agave – it’s got added sugar, coloring and flavoring to give it the gold color of reposado and anejo. It’s shit tequila and you should avoid it all costs. The most common brand is probably Cuervo Gold.
I use a reposado for my tequila cocktails because I like the mellow flavor. If you want something a bit crisper, try a silver tequila. Corralejo is a great one for the price, Herradura or Espolon are also fine choices.
There are a lot of variations to the Paloma, but basically, it’s tequila plus grapefruit soda or fresh grapefruit juice. The version I’m sharing is the one we serve at our venue The 443 and it’s a huge hit with our customers.
The first step is to make your rimmer. We make a chili/sugar/salt rim using equal parts chili powder, granulated sugar and kosher salt. I usually do a tablespoon of each.
If you happen to have Tajin seasoning (chili pepper/lime/sea salt) in your house, that works great too.
Cut your limes into quarters and run one of them along the edge of your glass so the rimmer will stick.
Then, rub the glass into your chili/sugar/salt blend until you get a nice rim.
Fill the glass with ice, then add your tequila of choice. It’s important to pay attention to the size of your glass. Because most of the glassware in my house is oversized, I usually pour doubles for my drinks – about 2 oz. You don’t want a giant glass with only 1 oz of alcohol, it makes a very weak drink.
Unless that’s what you’re after… and if you are, that’s fine too!
Fill the glass with grapefruit soda. I use Fresca because I usually have it around, but you can also use Squirt or Jarritos. Grab one of your lime wedges and squeeze the juice into your drink.
The last step is to cut a few slices of fresh jalapeno and toss them in.
You can remove the seeds if they bother you.
Pro-Tip:
If you are making a cocktail and it has any sort of rim on it, you should NOT serve it with a straw – the whole point is to taste the sugar or salt with every sip.
And that’s it! It’s easy enough for anyone to make and it’s really delicious.
