*theme music starts*
La Paloma is a Mexican cocktail where grapefruit is the distinguishing flavor.
It's also a tequila-based cocktail, and as a result it's often referred to as a cousin of the margarita,
but this gringo thinks it deserves to stand on its own,
and I'm happy to see it on more and more cocktail menus these days.
In this video, we're gonna make three different variations of La Paloma, starting with the classic version,
utilizing a Mexican grapefruit soda.
For the next version, we're gonna swap out the grapefruit soda for some fresh grapefruit juice and a little simple syrup.
And finally, for a lighter variant, we're going to ditch the simple syrup and just utilize some mineral water.
We're gonna serve each of these in a Collins glass with ice, and if you prefer a salted rim,
just rub some lime over the rim and dip it in some coarse salt, but this is optional.
Alright, here's the first version.
Add 4 cubes of ice to the Collins glass and then add 1/2 an ounce of lime juice, or about half a lime.
Then add 2 ounces of blanco tequila and try to use tequila that is 100% agave.
And to that, we're gonna add about 5 ounces of our grapefruit soda.
Here we're using Jarritos, which I chose mostly because it's so fun to say.
[R rolling intensifies]
Once you're done rolling your R's, give that drink a stir with a bar spoon, garnish with a lime wedge, and enjoy.
This is an incredibly refreshing cocktail and one that's pretty easy to whip up with grapefruit soda.
Now, to make the next version we need to start by juicing a grapefruit...
[Magic!]
Then add 1 ounce of that juice to a pint glass or shaker tin.
Because grapefruit juice has less acidity, we need to add some lime juice.
Here we're gonna add 3/4 of an ounce,
then 1/2 an ounce of simple syrup,
and then 2 ounces of our blanco tequila.
If you've seen my video on salt, you'll know that it can really brighten up a sour cocktail.
So here I'm gonna add two drops of saline solution, but you can also use just a pinch of salt.
Add ice, and we're gonna shake this for about 15 seconds.
It's this part of the video where I normally talk about the history of the drink...
But the history of La Paloma is just not known for sure.
There's some rumors, but they're believed to be false.
But I gotta give you something here, so...
Oh! "La paloma" means "the dove" in Spanish. This cocktail's called "the dove".
Once finished, double strain into the Collins glass to remove any ice chips or citrus pulp.
Finally, pop open a bottle of mineral water or club soda, and top it with about 1 ounce.
And then like the last cocktail, we're gonna give it a quick stir to incorporate everything,
garnish with a lime wedge, and enjoy.
Even though it's a bit of extra work, I do strongly prefer to use fresh grapefruit juice instead of the grapefruit soda here.
Okay, we have arrived at Act 3 of La Paloma.
Here we're gonna be building it directly in the Collins glass, and it's gonna be juice-heavy and a little less sweet.
So we're gonna start with 4 ounces of our fresh grapefruit juice,
booze it up with 2 ounces of our blanco tequila,
1/2 an ounce of fresh lime juice,
and then top with 3 ounces of mineral water.
Here I'm using Topo Chico, which is almost as fun to say as Jarritos.
Now I think I've used too much ice, 'cause this is about t- Oh, yep, spilled it.
But you know the drill by now: Garnish with a lime wedge, and enjoy this lighter version of La Paloma.
Cheers and Salud!
You can get all three of these recipes on my website, cocktailchemistrylab.com.
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including this comparison of three different grapefruit sodas and which one was my favorite for the Paloma.