2019: The Year of the Paloma

Oh 2019 ... I miss you so. Not only were we allowed out of our homes, but the Palomas were flowin'...

Hi there. It's been a long time since my last post, and a lot has change. I moved out of the city, got married, started a family, stopped drinking cocktails and started sipping a lot of wine. Fast-forward six years, and all that wine started giving me headaches. So enter the Paloma. The grapefruit version of a margarita that I discovered during brunch at NYC's Cosme early last year.

When I got back to my lovely little suburban home, I immediately started Googling recipes. This one from Bon Appetit is my go-to, but I have made a couple tweaks -- the first is that I swap Lacroix Pamplemousse for regular club soda. To rim the glass and give my sip a spicy kick, I also use Tajin, a chili-lime seasoning that I discovered pre-quarantine at Papatzul, an old favorite in Soho. And don't even think about using anything other than fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice. No bottled stuff here. The result is a light, fizzy, and refreshing sip that goes down easy -- perfect for the warmer weather that will be arriving soon.

Photo Courtesy of Danny Kim

PALOMA
Courtesy of Bon Appetit Test Kitchen

Kosher salt (or substitute Tajin)
1 grapefruit wedge
¼ cup fresh grapefruit juice
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ cup mescal or tequila
¼ cup club soda (or substitue Lacroix Pamplemousse)

Pour some kosher salt on a plate (I use Tajin). Rub half of rim of a highball glass with grapefruit wedge; dip rim of glass in salt. Combine grapefruit juice, lime juice, and sugar in glass; stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in tequila, add ice, and top off with club soda. Garnish with grapefruit wedge.