What does a Paloma taste like?
A Paloma tastes like a tangy, fizzy grapefruit soda with tequila in it: juicy and a little sweet, a faint bitter edge from the grapefruit, and a salty rim.
Paloma
grapefruit soda with tequila
A Paloma is tequila and grapefruit, topped with soda and lime and served tall over ice, often with a salted rim. In Mexico it's usually made with grapefruit soda like Jarritos or Squirt. Bars in the US often use fresh grapefruit juice and soda water. Either way it tastes like a grapefruit that went to a party: juicy, tangy, a little bitter from the pith, with tequila's peppery agave underneath. It's longer and lighter than a margarita, so it's easy to drink a lot of on a hot day.
Where you’ll see it
On most Mexican restaurant and cocktail bar menus, in a tall glass with a grapefruit or lime wedge. You'll see mezcal Palomas, spicy ones and Paloma spritzes too.
Order it if you want something tall, fizzy and refreshing that is lighter than a margarita.
Quick questions
- What's the difference between a Paloma and a margarita?
- A Paloma is grapefruit and soda, served tall, so it is lighter and fizzier. A margarita is lime and orange liqueur, shaken, so it is stronger and tangier.
- Is a Paloma bitter?
- Just a touch. Grapefruit has a little natural bitterness, but most Palomas taste more juicy and tangy than bitter.