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Mezcal Paloma Cocktail Drink

Mezcal Paloma Recipe

Gavin Wrigley Written by Gavin Wrigley
Either you’re a mezcal aficionado or you’re new to the world of Mezcal drinks, this one may just be the one for you: the blend of citrus fruits and the fizziness of the soda makes this drink approachable while subliming the mezcal unique flavors and character.
Prep time: 1 minute
Mixing time: 1 minute
Servings: 1
Calories: 209

Ingredients
 

  • 2 oz Mezcal
  • 1 oz fresh lime juice
  • ½ oz simple syrup
  • Squirt Grapefruit Soda or another brand - to top
  • 2 dashes grapefruit bitters - optional
  • Salt - for rimming
  • Grapefruit slice - for garnish, optional

Equipment

  • Highball Glass
  • Cocktail Shaker
  • Cocktail Strainer
  • Fine strainer
  • Measuring Jigger
  • Stirrer or Bar Spoon

Instructions

  • Prep Glass: Rim your highball glass with salt: to do so, use a pomelo slice to slightly wet the rim of the glass. Then, delicately press the edge of the glass into the surface of a plate filled with salt. Set it aside.
  • Add Bitters (optional): If using, pour 2 dashes grapefruit bitters into the shaker.
  • Add Simple Syrup: Measure and pour ½ oz simple syrup into the shaker.
  • Add Lime Juice: Add 1 oz fresh lime juice into the shaker.
  • Add Mezcal: Finally, add 2 oz Mezcal to the mix.
  • Shake Well: Fill the shaker with ice, close it, and give it a good shake (10-15 seconds).
  • Add Ice: Fill your highball glass with ice cubes.
  • Strain: Using both the cocktail strainer and the fine strainer, strain the mixture into the highball glass.
  • Fill up: Fill up the glass with Squirt Grapefruit soda.
  • Garnish: Place a grapefruit slice into the glass for garnish (optional).

Notes

Substitutes:

  • Mezcal: If you don't have Mezcal on hand, tequila is an excellent substitute: it's also an agave-based spirit and it’s actually the original main spirit in a Paloma cocktail. However, remember that tequila gives a smoother, less smoky flavor than Mezcal.
  • Fresh Lime Juice: In case you run out of fresh limes, bottled lime juice can work in a pinch, but fresh is always best for cocktails. If you’re out of lime juice altogether, lemon juice can do the trick as well.
  • Grapefruit Soda: A few brands such as Squirt, Thomas Henry, or San Pellegrino make great grapefruit/pomelo soda that you can use in a paloma. However, if you can’t find any or are simply out of it, you can process as follows:
    1. Pour 2 dashes of grapefruit bitters, 0,75 ounces of simple syrup, 1 ounce of fresh lime juice, 2 ounces of mezcal, and 2 ounces of grapefruit juice (preferably fresh) into a shaker. Fill the shaker with ice, close it, and give it a good shake (10-15 seconds).
    2. Using both the cocktail strainer and the fine strainer, strain the mixture into the highball glass, previously filled with ice cubes and rimmed with salt.
    3. Fill up the glass with seltzer water.
    4. Using a bar spoon or a long stirrer, mix gently to combine without breaking the fizziness.
    5. Place a grapefruit slice into the glass for garnish (optional).
  • Simple Syrup: If you're out of simple syrup, agave syrup or honey can be used as a sweetener. Just remember to adjust to taste.
  • Salt: for a fun twist, you can also rim the glass with a mix of salt and chili powder. It brings a bit of heat to the drink and the flavor of chili goes very well with both the mezcal and the pomelo.

Making a Pitcher of Mezcal Paloma:

  • Scale: To make a pitcher that serves 8, multiply all the ingredients by 8. That would be 16 oz of Mezcal, 8 oz of fresh lime juice, and 4 oz of simple syrup.
  • Mix: In a large pitcher, combine the grapefruit bitters (if using), Mezcal, lime juice, and simple syrup. Add ice and stir well.
  • Strain and serve: Strain to remove the ice, serve immediately into highball glasses rimmed with salt and filled with ice cubes. Top-up with grapefruit soda, stir gently, and garnish with a grapefruit slice. 
  • Pour the mixture into ice-filled highball glasses, top with soda water, garnish with a grapefruit slice, and serve immediately.

Making it Non-Alcoholic:

  • Mezcal Substitute: Use a non-alcoholic spirit substitute; these are available and do a reasonable job mimicking the smoky flavor of Mezcal. However, if you can’t find any, you can simply substitute the mezcal with grapefruit or orange juice (preferably fresh). A good way to easily give this drink more complexity is also to add a grapefruit peel into your shaker: gently muddle it before adding the other ingredients, and proceed as usual. The oils in the grapefruit peel will give a nice touch to the final drink, bringing some bitterness and tanginess to the mix.
  • Grapefruit bitters: To get the citrusy touch brought by the Grapefruit bitter, you can slightly muddle a grapefruit zest into the shaker before adding the rest of the ingredients. Also, note that 2 dashes of bitter in an otherwise alcohol-free drink won’t raise the overall ABV of the drink: the drink will indeed chemically contain a drop of alcohol, but won’t make you intoxicated at all. Depending on your reason for not drinking alcohol and your tolerance of the topic, you can choose to keep the dashes of bitters in this recipe or not.
  • Proceed As Usual: Use this non-alcoholic substitute instead of Mezcal, follow the original steps, and enjoy a non-alcoholic version.

Making it Vegan:

This cocktail is already vegan-friendly as it doesn't contain any animal products. Most spirits, including mezcal, are vegan-friendly (just make sure not to use a “Pechuga” type of mezcal, as this kind is not vegan-friendly). However, some brands may use animal products in their production process, especially if a filtration process is involved. Always check the brand's website or contact them directly to ensure their products are vegan.