The Spicy Paloma muddles fresh chilli into the drink — usually jalapeño — for a slow, building heat that plays against the grapefruit's bitterness and the lime's acidity. It is the Paloma with its volume turned up.
Sweet, sour, bitter, salty — and now hot, for good measure.
Heat as a Fifth Note
A good Paloma already balances sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. Chilli adds a fifth dimension — heat — that the grapefruit and salt are unusually well equipped to carry. The result is a drink that stays refreshing even as it warms.
Controlling the Burn
Muddle a few thin slices of jalapeño into the base, taste, and adjust — the seeds and membrane carry most of the heat, so leave them out for a gentler drink. Fresh chilli gives a cleaner, brighter heat than hot sauce.
Fresh Grapefruit, If You Can
Grapefruit soda is traditional and easy, but a Spicy Paloma is even better built with fresh grapefruit juice, a little sugar, and soda — the fresh juice gives the chilli something brighter and more bitter to work against.
The Paloma Family
Mexico's everyday favourite — tequila, lime, and grapefruit soda over ice, with a salted rim.
- 2 ozTequila
- 1/2 ozLime juice
- TopGrapefruit soda
The Paloma gone smoky — mezcal for the tequila, woodsmoke through the grapefruit.
- 2 ozMezcal
- 1/2 ozLime juice
- TopGrapefruit soda
Jalisco's clay-cup Paloma — tequila with orange, lime, and grapefruit, in terracotta.
- 2 ozTequila
- 1/2 ozOrange juice
- 1/2 ozGrapefruit juice