Margaritas may be popular in the US, but in Mexico the Paloma is king. I read that the tequila-based cocktail is the country’s best-selling and most popular. Very often ordered  in bars as a “refresco de toronja con tequila” or “squirt con tequila“.

And „refreshing“ it is. The combination of tequila, fresh lime juice, grapefruit soda and salt is sweet and easy-to-drink in warm weather. It’s the kind of cocktail that could only be emerged in a climate like Mexico’s.
Not much is known about the origins of the Paloma, story tells that a barman, Don Javier  Corona is said to have created it sometime in the 1950s at his bar, La Capilla, in the small Mexican town of Tequila.

Paloma means “dove” in Spanish, and it’s suspected that Corona named the cocktail after the popular folk song “La Paloma” from the 1850s. The song was composed and written by the Spanish composer  Sebastian Yradier  in the 1850s. In 1859 it was registered at the copyright office in Madrid as a „Cancion Americana con acompanamiento de Piano“.

There is a standard Paloma recipe, but variations abound. Some people call for the addition of agave nectar, some others suggest fresh grapefruit juice and soda water. Again others even allow for subbing in lemon-lime soda and a splash of bottled grapefruit juice. But if you’re deviating that far from the original, then why not order something else.

Ingredients.

60ml , 2 oz tequila (blanco or reposado)
15ml , 1/2 oz lime juice,
380ml , 6 oz grapefruit soda (the traditional Mexican brands can be hard to find, but substitutes will do)
pinch of salt, rimming the glass with salt is a common variation.

How to do.

Combine tequila, lime juice and salt in a long-drink  glass with ice and top off with grapefruit soda. Garnish with a lime or grapefruit wedge.  Enjoy !!