Blackberry Paloma Mocktail

If you're a fan of smoky spirits like mezcal, here's a mocktail for you! Palomas are one of my very favorite cocktails to enjoy year round, and since being pregnant, I've been looking for ways to mimic the flavor of that classic agave and grapefruit cocktail.

Blackberry Paloma mocktail ingredients

For this mocktail, you'll need a handful of fresh blackberries, a lime, grapefruit soda, some crushed ice, and most importantly, smoked chili bitters!

Smoked chili bitters

I discovered that adding a few dashes of my Hella Bitters Smoked Chili Bitters gives the perfect smoky flavor, with the perk of adding a little heat as well. Yes, these bitters do contain alcohol, however, the alcohol content of a few dashes of bitters is negligible. That being said, this recipe isn't for you if you can't have any alcohol. The smoky, chili flavor with fresh blackberries, lime, and grapefruit soda is a winning combination, and one I'd make again even when I'm back to making boozier mezcal Palomas.

Other bitters alternatives

If you don't have Hella Bitters Smoke Chili Bitters, you could try substituting with another brand of smoky or spicy cocktail bitters. I have not tried these in this exact recipe - so no guarantees that it will be the same. But I do know that these other bitters are excellent so it will make for an interesting drink nonetheless!

• Scrappy's Firewater
• Bittermen's Hellfire Habanero Shrub
• Strongwater Bonfire Bitters

Blackberries

This mocktail is one you'll want to make when blackberries are at their best. Sweet, juicy berries will make the best drink. You'll need 3 berries so choose the best looking ones you've got. If you don't have blackberries, yes, you can easily substitute with any berry of your choice. Strawberry Palomas are fantastic. Try raspberry or blueberry, too!

Lime juice

Fresh lime juice is crucial to the balance of sweet and sour in this recipe. You'll need ½ oz of juice, which is approximately how much juice is in ½ a smallish lime. 

Grapefruit soda

I used the grapefruit soda from Q Drinks. It's got a really intense sweet-sour grapefruit flavor that stands up to bold spirits like mezcal (or chili bitters, in our case). Other great options are Fever-Tree's Sparkling Pink Grapefruit or Betty Buzz Sparkling Grapefruit.

Pro tip: you can make your own grapefruit soda on the fly with fresh grapefruit juice, simple syrup, and sparkling water. Per drink, use: 1 oz grapefruit juice, 1 oz simple syrup, and 4-6 oz sparkling water.

Butterfly pea tea (optional, but fun!)

For this mocktail, I've added an ounce of butterfly pea tea, which adds gorgeous color and also dilution. I find that a touch of dilution is necessary with this grapefruit soda when I'm not mixing it with liquor, but feel free to skip the butterfly pea tea if you're using a different soda, or if you don't have any BFP on hand.

It's a fun cocktail ingredient that adds significantly more color than flavor. You can find it on Amazon. I really like the ease of individual tea sachets (rather than loose dried flowers) from Wild Hibiscus Co.

Crushed ice vs. cubed ice

Like in my Earl Grey Cobbler Mocktail, crushed ice is important in this recipe. Whenever you muddle an ingredient directly in the glass, plenty of crushed (or pebble) ice is helpful to keep the seeds and solids at the bottom of the drink. Unless, of course, you enjoy a chunky mocktail.

Another way to avoid the chunks is to muddle your ingredients in a cocktail shaker and then double strain into your glass of (cubed) ice. If using this method, muddle the berries with the lime juice and bitters, then add 1 oz of butterfly pea tea (or water). Add ice, shake until chilled, then pour through a fine mesh strainer (to catch the blackberry particles) into your glass filled with ice. Top with grapefruit soda and garnish.

You may also enjoy these other mocktail recipes:

• Blackberry Jamble Mocktail
• Spicy Jalapeno Mule Mocktail
• Earl Grey Cobbler Mocktail
• Hot Honey Grapefruit Soda
• Winter Sun (Grapefruit and Pomegranate) Mocktail