Happy Hour Cocktail: La Paloma

We bought a new bottle of Patrón, and I wanted to try out a new cocktail. I did a quick survey of some friends, and this cocktail was the one that won my vote. I used Izze Sparkling Grapefruit. I love that stuff because they don’t use any high fructose corn syrup or other unnatural ingredients. We aren’t big soda drinkers in my house, so when we do, we get the good stuff. Anyway, this cocktail is really crisp and refreshing – perfect for the end of summer. I found this recipe on Esquire’s site – if you check it out there, they have a great commentary on the drink from their resident cocktail historian. Pretty funny stuff! La Paloma is Spanish for “The Dove” – not sure why, maybe because it makes you feel nice and peaceful at the end of a long summer day…

La Paloma
Esquire

2 ounces tequila
1/2 ounce lime juice
pinch of salt
grapefruit soda

Combine the tequila (reposado, preferably), lime juice, and salt in a tall glass. Add ice, top off with grapefruit soda, and stir. The soda can be hard to find; we prefer the Mexican Jarritos brand, but anything will do, even, at last resort, lemon-lime soda with a splash of grapefruit juice. Some prefer the salt on the rim of the glass, but we say just throw it in. Others omit it entirely. Don’t.

Big Flavors Rating: 4 Stars