Paloma
Tequila, fresh grapefruit, lime, and soda. Bright and bitter, it scrubs the richness between bites of tri tip.
The Paloma is Mexico's everyday tequila highball, and it is a near-perfect match for grilled beef. Grapefruit and lime bring bitterness and acid, the soda keeps it light, and the whole thing scrubs the fat off your palate between bites of tri tip.
Already a pairing favorite on this site, it earns its own glass here. Keep it built on fresh grapefruit and only a whisper of agave, so it stays bright and bitter rather than sweet. That is what makes it cut.
Ingredients
- 2 oz blanco tequila
- 2 oz fresh grapefruit juice
- 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
- 1/2 oz agave syrup, optional
- Soda water, to top
- Salt, grapefruit, and ice, to serve
Instructions
- 1
Rim a glass with salt if you like, then fill with ice.
The salt rim is traditional and it plays well with a salty, charred plate. Skip it if you prefer.
- 2
Add the tequila, grapefruit juice, lime juice, and agave, then top with soda water and stir gently.
Fresh grapefruit, not soda from a bottle. It is the difference between a real Paloma and a sweet one.
- 3
Garnish with a grapefruit wedge.
Scale it up into a pitcher for a crowd: just hold the soda until serving.