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.
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.
I love the grapefruit soda from Q Drinks. It’s got a really intense sweet-sour grapefruit flavor that stands up to bold spirits like mezcal. 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.
Blackberry ‘Paloma’ Mocktail
Ingredients
- 3 Blackberries
- 5 dashes Hella Bitters Smoked Chili Bitters
- 1/2 oz Freshly squeezed lime juice
- 4-6 oz Grapefruit soda (I like Q Drinks)
- 1 oz Butterfly pea tea, cooled to room temp (optional, for color)
Instructions
- In a heavy-bottomed rocks glass, muddle blackberries. Add bitters and a squeeze of lime juice.
- Top berries and bitters with a layer of crushed ice. This will keep the berry seeds from floating around in the drink.
- Fill the glass with ice and top with chilled grapefruit soda.
- Add an ounce of cooled butterfly pea for color, if desired. Garnish with lime and blackberries.
