Spicy Paloma

If you ask me, I think the Paloma is the best tall drink out there. It’s fresh, citrusy, slightly bitter and last but not least, it’s tequila-based! I LOVE agave spirits. Tequila, Sotol, Mezcal … all of them! And I like the unaged better than the aged ones. It’s crisp, it’s green, it’s when you really get to taste the spirit of it (do you get it? Spirit like in the soul, not the alcohol… Bad joke LOL)

I like to say that agave spirits is the category where you have the most of terroir expressions. With all the wild agave, you can really taste where they come from and when they aren’t aged, the oaky, woody, smoky taste from the barrels don’t get in the way. That’s why I like my tequila better when it’s crystal clear!

Back to the Paloma now. There’s a lot of recipes out there. Many of them include grapefruit soda. Personally, I find most of them too sweet. That’s why I prefer to use fresh juice and an ISI canister to make it sparkling and control the balance of sugar. Yep! I’m a control freak HA-HA! But if you don’t have that in your kitchen artillery, don’t worry, soda does the trick pretty well too. And if you like a little kick like I do, spice it up with a few slices of jalapeno peppers.

Here are both ways for my Spicy Paloma.

With the ISI canister

INGREDIENTS :

• 2 oz Fortaleza Blanco Tequila
• 1,5 oz Freshly squeezed grapefruit juice. Using a fine mesh strainer, filter the juice to get rid of any pulp. That way you get a more sparkling result.
• 0,75 oz Freshly squeezed lime juice. Repeat the same process to get rid of the pulp.
• 0,5 oz Agave syrup (2 for 1 ratio)
• 2 thins slices of jalapeno peppers

METHOD :

1. In a shaker, muddle the jalapeno with Tequila.
2. Add all other ingredients.
3. Fill the shaker with ice and shake for about 10 seconds.
4. Fine strain in the ISI canister.
5. Close the ISI and insert a CO2 cartridge.
6. Shake 10 seconds to incorporate the gaz in the liquid.
7. Pointing the canister up, press the trigger to release the gaz, leaving the liquid inside.
8. Open the ISI and pour the liquid over ice in a highball glass.
9. Garnish with a grapefruit wedge.

With Soda water

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 oz Fortaleza Blanco Tequila
• 1 oz Fresh grapefruit juice
• ¾ oz Fresh lime juice
• ½ oz Agave Syrup (2 for 1 ratio)
• 1 ½ oz Soda water
• 2 thin slices of jalapeno peppers

METHOD:

1. In a shaker, muddle the jalapeno with the Tequila.
2. Pour all the other ingredients except the soda water.
3. Fill with ice and shake for about 10 seconds.
4. Fine strain over ice in a highball glass.
5. Top with soda water.
6. Garnish with a grapefruit wedge

Hope you’ll like it and don’t worry, if you’re not a big fan of hot spices, just skip the jalapeno and make the original Paloma. It will quench your thirst 1000%.

Cheers!

Jean-Felix

You will need some tools to make this cocktail. Here’s a selection of very cool items I found for you.