I love a Paloma. Summer, winter – no matter what time of year, I can sit down and enjoy that blissful combination of grapefruit and tequila (or mezcal). Is it any wonder it’s Mexico’s favorite cocktail?
Now that we’re getting into solid winter citrus season, I thought I’d share a fun Paloma variation to make with all those juicy pink grapefruits.
The jasmine green tea syrup adds depth and a gentle floral and grassy flavor that pairs beautifully with agave-based spirits. The muddled raspberries add a lovely pink color and emphasize the delicious sweet-tart flavor of the grapefruit juice.
If you prefer mezcal, you can substitute it for tequila, but the smokiness may overpower the subtle jasmine green tea flavors. I’d recommend going with a split base of 1.5 oz tequila to .5 oz mezcal to maintain balance.
I made a rose petal + Himalayan salt rim because I always have a bag of organic dried rose buds on hand (you can get them here), but it’s an optional addition. If you decide to skip the rim, add a tiny dash of salt to the shaker when you’re making the cocktail to brighten up and enhance all the flavors!
Raspberry Jasmine Green Tea Paloma
Ingredients:
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2 oz tequila blanco
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2 oz freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice
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1 oz jasmine green tea syrup*
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1/2 oz lime juice
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3 raspberries
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Club soda
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Pink rose salt** (optional, for rim)
Instructions:
*Jasmine Green Tea Syrup: combine 1/2 cup of sugar with 1/2 cup of water in a small sauce pan over medium heat, stirring frequently until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once dissolved, reduce heat to low and add two jasmine green tea bags. Allow tea to steep in the syrup for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Remove tea bags and pour syrup into a clean glass jar for storage in the fridge.
**Pink Rose Salt: Grind 6 organic dried rose buds (petals only) in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle. You can actually just crumble them with your fingers if you don’t mind it containing larger pieces. Add 2 tbsp of coarse Himalayan pink salt and mix well.
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Slice two wedges of grapefruit and reserve one for garnish. Use the other to coat the exterior rim of a double rocks glass and then roll the rim in the Pink Rose Salt mixture (optional). Fill glass with ice.
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Muddle raspberries in the bottle of a cocktail shaker. Add remaining ingredients and ice and shake until chilled.
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Fine strain into double rocks glass and top with club soda (you could also use a grapefruit flavored seltzer water!) Garnish with a grapefruit wedge.
