Chef Lupita
Agua de Alfalfa
Ciudad de México's highland market agua fresca, fresh alfalfa blended with pineapple and lime until bright green, strained clean, and poured cold from the vitrolero.
Culinary Explorer
A cooking platform built around craft, culture, and the stories behind what we eat.
Paloma Jalisciense
Created by
Jalisco's Paloma is tequila blanco, grapefruit soda, lime, salt, and ice, built in the glass without ceremony because the point is refreshment, not performance.
Beverages
Mexican
Weeknight
Outdoor Dining
BBQ
5 min
Active Time
0 min cook•5 min total
Yield1 cocktail
Jalisco owns the Paloma because Jalisco owns tequila. From Guadalajara to Los Altos, this is the drink people actually pour when the afternoon is hot, the carne is on the grill, and nobody wants to stand there shaking a cocktail like they work in a hotel bar.
The ingredient that matters is tequila blanco made from 100 percent agave, preferably from Jalisco. Do not bring mixto tequila into this glass. The grapefruit soda should be cold enough to bead condensation on the bottle before you open it. Squirt is the common choice in Mexico. Jarritos toronja works too, sweeter and brighter. Lime gives the edge. Salt wakes the whole thing up.
I have seen more Palomas built on plastic tables outside Guadalajara than margaritas in my whole 32-state life. That tells you something. The margarita became famous outside Mexico. The Paloma stayed useful inside it. Cada estado, su propia cocina, and in Jalisco, the agave drink does not need a blender, a neon color, or a story. It needs balance. Así se hace y punto.
The Paloma's exact inventor is not documented, though it is often, without proof, attributed to Don Javier Delgado Corona of La Capilla in Tequila, Jalisco. The drink became practical in the mid-20th century after grapefruit sodas such as Squirt, first introduced in 1938, became widely available in Mexico and paired naturally with Jalisco's tequila industry. Unlike the margarita, whose origin stories are heavily tied to tourism and border bars, the Paloma developed as a home and cantina drink built directly in the glass.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
lime wedge
Quantity
1
for rimming the glass
coarse sea salt or sal de Colima
Quantity
1 teaspoon
for the rim
tequila blanco
Quantity
2 ounces
100 percent agave, preferably from Jalisco
fresh lime juice
Quantity
1/2 ounce
cold grapefruit soda
Quantity
4 to 5 ounces
preferably Squirt or Jarritos toronja
ice cubes
Quantity
enough to fill the glass
lime wedge
Quantity
1
for serving
thin grapefruit wedge (optional)
Quantity
1
for serving
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| lime wedgefor rimming the glass | 1 |
| coarse sea salt or sal de Colimafor the rim | 1 teaspoon |
| tequila blanco100 percent agave, preferably from Jalisco | 2 ounces |
| fresh lime juice | 1/2 ounce |
| cold grapefruit sodapreferably Squirt or Jarritos toronja | 4 to 5 ounces |
| ice cubes | enough to fill the glass |
| lime wedgefor serving | 1 |
| thin grapefruit wedge (optional)for serving | 1 |
Equipment Needed
- •Tall highball glass or jarrito de barro from Tonala
- •Jigger or small measuring cup
- •Citrus press
- •Bar spoon
Instructions
- 1
Salt the rim
Run a lime wedge around half the rim of a tall glass or a cold jarrito de barro. Dip only that half into coarse salt. Half, not the whole thing. The drink should taste seasoned, not like you fell into the sea.
- 2
Add the tequila
Fill the glass with ice. Pour in the tequila blanco. Use 100 percent agave tequila from Jalisco if you can. If the label does not say 100 percent agave, leave it on the shelf. Si no conoces el mercado, no conoces la cocina, and yes, that applies to the liquor store too.
- 3
Add lime
Add the fresh lime juice directly over the ice. Bottled lime juice has no place here. It tastes tired before it touches the glass. Fresh lime gives the Paloma its clean edge.
- 4
Top with soda
Pour in the cold grapefruit soda slowly so it keeps its bubbles. The glass should look pale pink to golden, depending on the soda, with small bubbles moving through the ice. Stir once or twice with a bar spoon. Do not beat the carbonation out of it.
If you are using Jarritos toronja, expect a sweeter Paloma. Squirt is drier and more common in many Jalisco homes and cantinas. Both are legitimate. A flat soda is not. - 5
Garnish and serve
Add the lime wedge and the grapefruit wedge if using. Serve immediately while the glass is cold and the soda still snaps under your tongue. This is not a drink to make ahead. Build it, hand it over, drink it.
Chef Tips
- •Use tequila blanco for the cleanest Paloma. Reposado can work, but it brings oak sweetness that starts arguing with the grapefruit. Blanco keeps the agave clear.
- •Squirt is not fancy. That is exactly the point. The Paloma is a Jalisco working drink, not a performance. No me vengas con atajos, but also do not complicate what is already correct.
- •If grapefruit soda is unavailable, mix 3 ounces fresh grapefruit juice, 1/2 ounce simple syrup, and 2 ounces cold mineral water. That is a compromise, not an upgrade. The soda version is what many tapatios recognize.
- •Salt only part of the rim so the drinker controls each sip. A fully salted rim can bully the tequila and grapefruit.
Advance Preparation
- •Chill the grapefruit soda, tequila, and glasses before serving. A Paloma depends on cold bubbles and firm ice.
- •Cut lime wedges and grapefruit wedges up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerate them in a covered container.
- •Do not mix Palomas ahead. The soda goes flat and the drink loses the reason it exists.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 275g)
Calories
190 calories
Total Fat
0 g
Saturated Fat
0 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
0 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
800 mg
Total Carbohydrates
16 g
Dietary Fiber
0 g
Sugars
15 g
Protein
0 g
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