Paloma

Mexico's most drunk cocktail and no relation to the margarita: tequila lengthened with grapefruit soda over ice, with lime and a salted rim that switches the bitterness off

Origin: Jalisco, Mexico

From the journey of Grapefruit.

Outside Mexico the margarita is taken to be the national drink; inside it, the Paloma is drunk in far greater quantity. It is assembled rather than mixed, from two things sold in every shop in the country, which is why nobody can say who invented it or when. Grapefruit soda has been made in Mexico since the interwar decades and is a category rather than a brand, and tequila needs no introduction. The combination is more considered than its simplicity suggests. Tequila from the Jalisco highlands carries a vegetal, faintly peppery agave character that fights most fruit but sits well against citrus bitterness, which is a related kind of flavour rather than a competing one. The carbonation lifts the agave aromatics out of the glass, and the salted rim does the same work it does in a Salty Dog, suppressing the perception of bitterness so the drink reads as refreshing rather than sharp. Salt, tequila, lime, and grapefruit is a four-part structure in which every part is load-bearing. The version below is built from scratch with fresh juice and soda water, which gives a drier and better drink than bottled soda. The authentic version, and the one drunk everywhere in Mexico, is simply tequila poured into a bottle of grapefruit soda with a squeeze of lime, and there is no shame in it whatsoever.

Ingredients

Drink

60 ml blanco tequila, 100 per cent agave
90 ml grapefruit juice, freshly squeezed and strained
15 ml lime juice, freshly squeezed
10 ml agave syrup, or to taste
90 ml soda water, well chilled
1 wedge lime, and a grapefruit wedge, to garnish
1 handful ice cubes

Rim

2 tbsp flaky sea salt, for the rim

Method

Run a lime wedge around the outer edge of a tall glass and roll the outside of the rim in the salt.
Fill the glass with ice, then add the tequila, grapefruit juice, lime juice, and agave syrup.
Stir briefly with a long spoon to combine and chill, then top with the chilled soda water.
Taste and adjust with a little more agave syrup or lime, then garnish with wedges of lime and grapefruit and serve immediately.

Notes

The everyday Mexican version replaces the juice, syrup, and soda with a bottle of grapefruit soda such as Squirt or Jarritos Toronja poured straight over tequila and ice with a squeeze of lime, and it is entirely legitimate. Ruby grapefruit needs little or no agave syrup; white needs more. Reposado tequila makes a rounder, oakier drink that some prefer, though blanco is standard. Mezcal in place of tequila gives a smoky version that is now common in bars and is very good, if no longer a Paloma in the strict sense. Salt the rim of only half the glass if serving people who may not want it.

The Gastrographer

Name: Paloma
Prep time: 8 min
Total time: 8 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: Mexico
Ingredients: 60 ml blanco tequila, 100 per cent agave; 90 ml grapefruit juice, freshly squeezed and strained; 15 ml lime juice, freshly squeezed; 10 ml agave syrup, or to taste; 90 ml soda water, well chilled; 2 tbsp flaky sea salt, for the rim; 1 wedge lime, and a grapefruit wedge, to garnish; 1 handful ice cubes

Mapping Culinary History

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control