One of my favorite restaurants, Main Street Meats, used to serve a very yummy Paloma in a grapefruit Jarritos bottle and it was so good. Tequila isn’t usually my beverage of choice but this Paloma, is pretty delicious. Typically, Palomas are made with grapefruit juice and it’s pretty refreshing. It’s not quite a margarita but it’s like the cousin of the margarita. Does that make sense? Today, I’m taking a traditional Paloma and making it over for a tropical Paloma that will be a crowd favorite.
I’m always looking for easy cocktails to recreate. I like to create my own but I also love to experiment with classic cocktails. So here’s how a traditional Paloma works: tequila or mezcal, lime juice, grapefruit juice, salt, club soda. That’s it. There aren’t a lot of bells and whistles that go into it.
For this tropical Paloma, I made a thyme simple syrup to sweeten it up a bit. Simple syrups are so easy, I can’t stress this enough. I’m always preaching the ease and necessity of making your own syrups. Right now, I have a few simple syrups in our refrigerator because they’re so much fun. Currently we have: chai, honey, thyme and probably a few others I can’t think of. I just think simple syrups are great for teas, coffees and cocktails and you can experiment with all kinds of herbs and spices.
So back to this tropical Paloma. Even though I only made a couple of these, this would be the perfect large batch drink for a party or dinner. Put it in a large pitcher and let your guests serve themselves. You could even set up a little bar to allow guests to add in their own garnishes.
Drink up: Tropical Paloma
Ingredients
Thyme Orange Simple Syrup
- 1/4 cup raw sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- Thyme
- Orange zest (about half of an orange)
Tropical Paloma
- 1 oz pineapple juice
- 1 oz orange juice
- 1 tsp thyme & orange simple syrup
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice (about 1/2 a lime)
- 1/4 cup tequila
- ice
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1-2 oz club soda
Instructions
To make the simple syrup
- Add the sugar and water to a small pot and set over low heat. Stir frequently until the sugar has dissolved. Add thyme sprigs and orange zest and remove from the heat. Allow to cool and steep for 15 minutes. Strain the syrup into a small jar until ready to use. Can be stored in the fridge for a week.
To make the cocktail
- In a cocktail shaker add in the pineapple juice, orange juice, simple syrup, lime juice, tequila and salt. Shake.
- Pour into your serving glass, top with ice and club soda.
- Top up with garnishes of your choice: orange slice, thyme, lime slices, etc.
