Uploaded May 2017 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The Paloma or La Paloma is a craft cocktail modern classic made with Tequila, Lime Juice, Grapefruit Soda and Salt. It's a highball that almost works as a long drink version of the Margarita. It's refreshing, complex and boozy.
There are a lot of rumors about the history of the drink and most of them are bogus, but it's hard to expunge the fake history because the actual history is largely unknown.
The two main rumors that are bogus are that it was either created by Don Javier Delgado Corona or that it first appeared in print in "Popular Cocktails of the Rio Grande."
Don Javier is a legendary Mexican bartender from La Capilla in Jalisco. He invented a drink called the Batanga, which is Tequila, Coke, Lime Juice and Salt, so it's more or less a Cuba Libre with Tequila instead of Rum and a salted rim. The rumor most likely came about because of the Batanga's similarity to the Paloma. Just swap out the Coke in the Batanga with some Grapefruit Soda and you've got yourself a Paloma. However, this myth was debunked by Don Javier himself, who denies creating the Paloma.
The rumor about the supposed first printing of the drink is a little more typical by internet standards. In 2012, the Wikipedia entry for the Paloma was changed include the undated, uncited footnote that the first time the recipe was put in print was in a pamphlet by Evan Harrison (which was not registered with the US Copyright office). This entry was cited on a couple blogs in 2013, then the story of Harrison's contribution was changed a dozen times in late 2013 before it was removed. But by then it was too late. Too many blogs and publications had cited it and the rumor stuck.
There are more details on this Wikipedia spam, but they get pretty nitty gritty. Perhaps I'll have to do a longer breakdown of some of the bogus rumors of cocktail history I've stumbled upon on Wikipedia, including the entry for the Long Island Iced Tea. But for the purposes of this drink, the point is that this story was not true.
There is very little known about the actual history of the drink. David Wondrich found it referred to by that name since the 1990's, but believes that it originated several decades earlier. His book, Killer Cocktails, was one of the earliest printings of this recipe, which helped usher it into our current cocktail renaissance, and even he doesn't know the full history of this drink.
But regardless, it's a great drink, that's easy to make and surprisingly complex. Some people, like Jim Meehan, recommend using a Reposado Tequila, but it works just fine with a quality Blanco. If you make a Blanco and Reposado Paloma back-to-back, you'll notice that the flavor of the Reposado stands out a little more. You get a little more of that earthy, agave funk to it. I like it, but that may not be the way everyone wants to get down with their Paloma. Either way, you'll have a tasty, sweet, sour, salty, boozy highball to get your night started off right. Cheers!
Recipe:
2 oz Tequila
0.5 oz Lime Juice
4-6 oz Grapefruit Soda
pinch Kosher Salt
garnish Lime Wheel (optional)
Build in a collins glass over ice. Optionally, garnish with a lime wheel or grapefruit slice.
Music:
Neblina 4 by Anders Göransson
via Epidemic Sound
Follow Us!
facebook.com/DistinguishedSpirits
instagram.com/distinguishedspirits
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Featured in this Episode:
Tequila Cabeza
bit.ly/2qJgC0A
Mixwell Grapefruit Soda
bit.ly/2pLK20R
Mexican Squirt
amzn.to/2pduLTF
Izze Grapefruit Soda
amzn.to/2pLCdZn
Q Grapefruit Soda
amzn.to/2qJu1G6
The PDT Cocktail Book
amzn.to/2p1YC5h
Bar Tools:
Schott Zwiesel Collins Glasses
amzn.to/2q3GUyD
OXO Angled Measuring Cup, Mini
amzn.to/2pazwfR
Citrus Juicer (Lime)
amzn.to/2q3Hhcv
Fine Mesh Strainer
amzn.to/2pdA0Tj
Small Cutting Board
amzn.to/2pLKKLV
Pairing Knife
amzn.to/2q3Y2V1
Spoonstraw
amzn.to/2pLBVS8
Barspoon
amzn.to/2p1Pduy
Paper Straw
amzn.to/2qJsf7P
#Paloma #TequilaDrinks #CincoDeMayo
The Paloma or La Paloma is a craft cocktail modern classic made with Tequila, Lime Juice, Grapefruit Soda and Salt. It's a highball that almost works as a long drink version of the Margarita. It's refreshing, complex and boozy.
There are a lot of rumors about the history of the drink and most of them are bogus, but it's hard to expunge the fake history because the actual history is largely unknown.
The two main rumors that are bogus are that it was either created by Don Javier Delgado Corona or that it first appeared in print in "Popular Cocktails of the Rio Grande."
Don Javier is a legendary Mexican bartender from La Capilla in Jalisco. He invented a drink called the Batanga, which is Tequila, Coke, Lime Juice and Salt, so it's more or less a Cuba Libre with Tequila instead of Rum and a salted rim. The rumor most likely came about because of the Batanga's similarity to the Paloma. Just swap out the Coke in the Batanga with some Grapefruit Soda and you've got yourself a Paloma. However, this myth was debunked by Don Javier himself, who denies creating the Paloma.
The rumor about the supposed first printing of the drink is a little more typical by internet standards. In 2012, the Wikipedia entry for the Paloma was changed include the undated, uncited footnote that the first time the recipe was put in print was in a pamphlet by Evan Harrison (which was not registered with the US Copyright office). This entry was cited on a couple blogs in 2013, then the story of Harrison's contribution was changed a dozen times in late 2013 before it was removed. But by then it was too late. Too many blogs and publications had cited it and the rumor stuck.
There are more details on this Wikipedia spam, but they get pretty nitty gritty. Perhaps I'll have to do a longer breakdown of some of the bogus rumors of cocktail history I've stumbled upon on Wikipedia, including the entry for the Long Island Iced Tea. But for the purposes of this drink, the point is that this story was not true.
There is very little known about the actual history of the drink. David Wondrich found it referred to by that name since the 1990's, but believes that it originated several decades earlier. His book, Killer Cocktails, was one of the earliest printings of this recipe, which helped usher it into our current cocktail renaissance, and even he doesn't know the full history of this drink.
But regardless, it's a great drink, that's easy to make and surprisingly complex. Some people, like Jim Meehan, recommend using a Reposado Tequila, but it works just fine with a quality Blanco. If you make a Blanco and Reposado Paloma back-to-back, you'll notice that the flavor of the Reposado stands out a little more. You get a little more of that earthy, agave funk to it. I like it, but that may not be the way everyone wants to get down with their Paloma. Either way, you'll have a tasty, sweet, sour, salty, boozy highball to get your night started off right. Cheers!
Recipe:
2 oz Tequila
0.5 oz Lime Juice
4-6 oz Grapefruit Soda
pinch Kosher Salt
garnish Lime Wheel (optional)
Build in a collins glass over ice. Optionally, garnish with a lime wheel or grapefruit slice.
Music:
Neblina 4 by Anders Göransson
via Epidemic Sound
Follow Us!
facebook.com/DistinguishedSpirits
instagram.com/distinguishedspirits
twitter.com/DistinguishedSp
pinterest.com/DistinguishedSp
Featured in this Episode:
Tequila Cabeza
bit.ly/2qJgC0A
Mixwell Grapefruit Soda
bit.ly/2pLK20R
Mexican Squirt
amzn.to/2pduLTF
Izze Grapefruit Soda
amzn.to/2pLCdZn
Q Grapefruit Soda
amzn.to/2qJu1G6
The PDT Cocktail Book
amzn.to/2p1YC5h
Bar Tools:
Schott Zwiesel Collins Glasses
amzn.to/2q3GUyD
OXO Angled Measuring Cup, Mini
amzn.to/2pazwfR
Citrus Juicer (Lime)
amzn.to/2q3Hhcv
Fine Mesh Strainer
amzn.to/2pdA0Tj
Small Cutting Board
amzn.to/2pLKKLV
Pairing Knife
amzn.to/2q3Y2V1
Spoonstraw
amzn.to/2pLBVS8
Barspoon
amzn.to/2p1Pduy
Paper Straw
amzn.to/2qJsf7P
#Paloma #TequilaDrinks #CincoDeMayo
