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“When I opened my restaurant more than thirty years ago, people were looking for a worm at the bottom of the bottle. “Tequila is a misunderstood spirit,” says David Suro-Piñera, a restaurateur, importer of tequila from his native Mexico, and president of Siembra Azul tequila. The good stuff, true tequila made from 100% blue agave, has gained momentum over the past several decades. Instead, the cheaper “mixto” version of tequila, which contains at least 51% agave spirit mixed with cane sugar or high-fructose corn syrup, had gained popularity in college frat houses and seedy bars. Grapefruit came some time later.) By the 1980s, tequila hadn’t quite won over the American consumer as a fashionable spirit. (Those who prefer Jarritos grapefruit soda should note that Jarritos wasn’t invented until 1950, with coffee as its first flavor. Squirt began advertising its appeal as a mixer with tequila as early as 1950, although Mexico didn’t begin importing the soda until 1955. Unlike many classic cocktails, which predate Prohibition, the paloma didn’t arrive on the scene until after 1938, when Squirt was first invented in Phoenix, Arizona. The details of the paloma’s origin are a little murky. It’s the equivalent of a basic rum and Coke.” There was nothing precious about pouring up a Squirt and tequila. “It was like a condiment you would always have on hand, like ketchup or mustard. We rarely drank sodas in our house, but when friends would come over, there was always Squirt around for a quick paloma,” he says. “When I want a paloma, I like that exact bracing taste and the sugar rush to go with the bold taste of tequila. “Many people say any grapefruit soda will work, and in a pinch, Jarritos is a close substitute, but I would never buy anything other than Squirt,” says De Loera. In its original form, the paloma is less of a composed beverage found on a glitzy bar menu and more of a casual, two-ingredient sipper more commonly enjoyed at home.

Just as pre-Prohibition libations such as the Manhattan, the sidecar, the Sazerac, and the old-fashioned have all risen in fame, each with its own history and lore, the paloma has also found a seat at the craft cocktail table.īut this cocktail is more laid-back than its artisanal brethren.

They represent the cocktail renaissance in American culture over the past decade. These creative iterations, seen at Texas spots like Austin’s Suerté and Marathon’s White Buffalo Bar at the Gage Hotel, are indeed beautiful and delicious. The citrusy refreshment has shown up on myriad cocktail lists across the state in recent years, boasting everything from fresh Rio Red grapefruit juice and tamarind-laced Himalayan salt to chile-infused tinctures and simple syrup made with lime peels. But while the paloma is indeed a popular refreshment south of the border, the original is not as fancy (or as expensive) as some Texas bar menus might lead you to think. Notable drinks writer David Wondrich even deems it the National Drink of Mexico. The summery grapefruit-and-tequila drink known as the paloma is widely considered to be our neighbor’s favorite cocktail. Some uninformed cocktail lovers might guess it’s the Tequila Sunrise, if only because of faint memories of that 1973 Eagles song played on soft-rock radio throughout the ’90s. The margarita may be one of the most popular cocktails among American tourists visiting Mexican resorts, but it’s not actually the most beloved cocktail in Mexico. This story originally published online on May 17, 2021.