My Paloma recipe is the perfect delicious cocktail with a great low calorie option. If you like margaritas you will love this great drink.
My favorite foods are Mexican inspired – I love it all – tacos, salsa, guacamole, chips, and of course the drinks. This Paloma fits right in there. Made with tequila and grapefruit soda, this is the perfect cocktail to pair with your tacos.
Love the idea of this cocktail but want it a little lighter? Read below about my low-calorie spin on this great cocktail.
Paloma Ingredients
Made with just a handful of ingredients, this is the perfect easy cocktail to make at home, especially if you are hosting. See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the measurements.
- Silver Tequila: Read more on our tequila recommendations below.
- Lime Juice: Fresh lime juice is always best when it comes to making cocktails. That being said, I have used bottled in a pinch and still loved my drink.
- Grapefruit Juice: When buying grapefruit juice, I like to make sure that I’m buying 100% grapefruit juice. Alternatively you could buy grapefruits and juice them for fresh grapefruit juice.
- Grapefruit Soda: Squirt is the easy option here, but my preference will always be Jarritos’s (pictured here). You can often find it in the international aisle of the grocery store.
How to Make a Paloma
This is a brief overview of how to make this delicious cocktail. For the full recipe with all of the measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Prepare the glass. Rim the glass (or part of the glass as you see here) with lime juice and dip it in kosher salt or Tajin.
- Combine the ingredients in a shaker filled with ice. I like using a metal cocktail shaker because it gets things so nice and cold. Combine the tequila, lime juice, and grapefruit juice. Shake until you can feel the coldness through the shaker.
- Pour the cocktail. Strain the drink into the prepared glasses.
- Top it off. Add a little grapefruit soda to the tumbler to top it off. Garnish with a grapefruit wedge or slice.
Tequila for Paloma Recipe
The most important thing to remember when you are buying tequila is to look for a bottle labeled “100% de agave.” Agave is what tequila is made from, so this ensures that your tequila is actually all tequila and not supplemented with a lower quality alcohol.
Since we are using tequila in a mixed drink here and not drinking it straight, we don’t need to break the bank. Sauza is a great budget friendly option for this drink. If you are looking to splurge, I love Patron.
Low Calorie Paloma Recipe
Love the idea of this cocktail but want to make it lower in calories? I have you covered! Simply replace the grapefruit juice with grapefruit sparkling water. I love LaCroix’s pamplemousse! That quick swap makes this just 160 calories per cocktail.
Make it a Pitcher
To make this recipe into a pitcher of 8 cocktails, use the following measurements. You can either mix the grapefruit soda in right away if you will be serving soon, or you can set it out and let guests top off their own cocktails with either soda or sparkling water.
- 2 cups tequila (16 ounces)
- 1/2 cup lime juice (4 ounces)
- 2 cups grapefruit juice (16 ounces)
- 2 cups grapefruit soda (16 ounces)
What to Serve with this Paloma Recipe
As mentioned above, if you love Mexican inspired food, you have come to the right place. I have so many great recipes you can find here, but these are a few of my very favorites.
- Steak Fajitas: My kids know the exact smell of this recipe and come running into the kitchen when they smell it cooking. A family favorite for sure.
- Pork Tacos: This is my absolute favorite. I could have it once a week without getting tired of it.
- Chicken Street Tacos: The marinade for this recipe is spot on. This is another recipe that my family can’t get enough of.
- Pico de Gallo: I always love this on top of tacos, but give me a quiet room, this recipe, and a bag of chips and I’m good too.
If you make this cocktail, or any of my other recipes, I’d love to know what you think! Leave me a comment below!
Paloma Cocktail
Ingredients
- 2 ounces silver tequila (read here about our tequila recommendations)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 ounces grapefruit juice
- 2 ounces grapefruit soda
Instructions
did you make this
Paloma Cocktail
Jennifer says
Very fresh & light. I used grapefruit flavored sparkling water & added one Splenda to get a bit of sweetness with a lower carb option! Very good
I’m so glad you liked it!
Sarah says
I used your LaCrouix option to keep this drink light (since l’m trying to drop a few pounds) and found it very refreshing! It’s no lime coconut margarita (my fav!) but still very enjoyable. Always appreciate a lower calorie cocktail option. Thank you.
I’m so glad you liked it!
Faye Downs says
I’ve put on my shoes and with car keys in hand now for a quick shopping trip to the NEAREST liquor and grocery stores after seeing the beautifully photographed frosty glass containing your Paloma cocktail with simple ingredients used and easy recipe! Can hardly wait and here are five ***** in advance! Thank you!
I hope you love it, Faye!