Paloma Cocktail Recipe

Light and refreshing, the paloma cocktail is perfect for sipping on any time of year. While the original uses grapefruit soda, our recipe uses grapefruit juice for a fresh, made-from-scratch version of this delightful drink. Follow along with our simple directions and step-by-step photos and you’ll have a fresh paloma mixed up in no time!

My husband and I have been playing around with home bartending for over 15 years. Not only is mixing up cocktail recipes fun, in our 20s we figured out making your own drinks at home was cheaper than going out. And now that we’re in our 30s, we’re happy to mix up what we want in the comfort of our own home more often than not.

While I love a classic margarita, I find myself gravitating to palomas more and more. And I’ve learned that you can mix up an excellent paloma at home too, hence this recipe post.

Ingredients for this Tequila and Grapefruit Cocktail

• Grapefruit Juice. Used to flavor our drink, you can use store bought 100% grapefruit juice or fresh squeeze a grapefruit.
• Blanco Tequila. Blanco tequila is perfect for mixing into drinks, and comes at an affordable price point too!
• Lime Juice. Fresh squeezed is best, but store-bought will work in a pinch. Adds another layer of flavor and zing to our drink.
• Agave Syrup. Used to balance out the tartness of our grapefruit and lime juices. Agave is a natural choice for this drink because tequila is made from the agave plant!
• Club Soda. Tops off our drink with some bubbles.

See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for ingredient measurements and full instructions.

Helpful Equipment

A jigger is helpful for measuring out your cocktail ingredients, and you’ll need a cocktail shaker (or upcycled jar with a tight fitting lid) to make this drink.

What’s the Best Tequila For Palomas?

Tequila blanco, sometimes called white tequila or silver tequila, is the best tequila for making a paloma cocktail. This type of tequila is unaged, clear in color, and is made from 100% blue agave making a tequila that highlights the natural sweetness of the agave plant. This type of tequila is often considered one of the best types mixed drinks because of it’s neutral flavor and its price-point (it’s affordable!).

An alternative to blanco tequila would be reposado tequila. Aged from 2 months to 1 year, reposado tequilas still have that agave sweetness to them with a mellow flavor (often showcasing notes of caramel and vanilla). This type of tequila is often used in premium mixed drinks.

How to Make a Paloma

If rimming your glass, add a swipe of agave syrup (or lime juice) around the rim of your glass and gently roll it in salt. Set aside.

Fill a cocktail shaker (or mason jar with tight fitting lid) half full with ice.

Add the grapefruit juice, lime juice, tequila, and agave syrup to the shaker.

Tightly seal your shaker, and shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is very cold (about 15 seconds).

Strain the contents of the shaker into a rocks glass filled with ice.

Top with club soda.

Garnish if desired and enjoy!

Paloma Recipe Variations

Use simple syrup or honey simple syrup instead of agave. Just switch them out one-for-one, adjusting to your liking. These are both easy to make at home if you don’t happen to have agave in your pantry.

Add a smoky twist by using mezcal tequila. Replace the blanco tequila one-for-one. You may also need to increase the amount of sweetener used to balance out the smokiness.

Turn this into a spicy paloma recipe. Simply add a round of fresh jalapeño or serrano pepper to your cocktail shaker before shaking up your cocktail to release their juices and spice.

Replace the grapefruit juice and club soda with grapefruit soda. If preferred, you can use grapefruit soda to bring the flavor and bubbles to your cocktail. Squirt or Jarritos are both great choices.

How to Serve a Paloma Cocktail

Serve your drink over ice in a rocks glass or highball glass.

Paloma cocktails pair nicely with your favorite Mexican or Tex-Mex dishes; we especially love these with our Crispy Fish Tacos! They also pair nicely with grilled meats like grilled chicken or steak.

For an at-home happy hour, pair this drink with easy dips like guacamole, queso, salsa, or Cowboy Caviar and tortilla chips.

Can You Make a Pitcher for a Crowd?

Yes! This is a great drink to pre-mix for a get together. The amount of ingredients needed will depend on the size pitcher or drink server you have. I recommend mixing together the grapefruit juice, lime juice, tequila, and agave together without the ice and chilling it in the fridge prior to serving. When your guests arrive, you can set out plain sparkling water or club soda next to the mix for people to top their own drinks with.