Happy Hour at Home - Paloma

This is one of my all-time favourite cocktails, and it's so simple! Just tequila, grapefruit and soda, or tequila and grapefruit soda, or tequila, grapefruit, lime, sugar and soda.  I've actually had Palomas made many different ways.  

Today I squeezed grapefruit for fresh-squeezed juice, added fresh lime juice and sugar, tequila, ice and soda, with a half-salt rim and a pretty slice of grapefruit to garnish. 

When we were in Mexico last year I had a Paloma that was just tequila and Jarritos grapefruit soda with a Tajín (chili lime spice) rim and a massive grapefruit slice to garnish. 

If you can find grapefruit soda, this method is much easier, but I do love the flavour of fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice.

Here's the recipe!

Paloma Cocktail (makes one drink)

salt or chili-lime seasoning

grapefruit wedge

1/4 cup fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup tequila 

1/4 cup club soda

Sprinkle salt or seasoning on a flat plate.  Run the grapefruit wedge around the rim of a 12oz glass and coat the rim of the glass halfway or completely in salt or seasoning. 

Add grapefruit and lime juice and sugar to the glass and stir until sugar dissolves.  Add the tequila and fill the glass with ice.  Top with club soda. 

Cheers! 

Short & Sweet Sunday - The Paloma

I love tequila, but I don't always love tequila cocktails.  A home made margarita with real lime juice is one of my favourite drinks in the world, but it's a lot of work.  Ordering a margarita in a bar almost always results in an acid-y and overly sweet commercial margarita mix.  So I'm always on the lookout for new ways to enjoy tequila.

I'd read about the Paloma, but the first time I tried it was in San Diego.  There are a few ways to make this cocktail.  You can use grapefruit soda or grapefruit juice.  You can add sugar or club soda.  My perfect recipe is below but as long as its made with tequila and grapefruit, you're good.

I paid a premium for freshly squeezed grapefruit juice and it was delicious.  This is a nice blanco tequila that was reasonably priced.  

First, salt the rim of a tall glass.  Run a lime slice around the rim and roll it in course salt.
Add ice and 1.5 oz tequila
Fill with grapefruit juice
Add a squeeze (about a tablespoon) of lime juice
Garnish with a lime slice if you like.

It's delicious and so refreshing.  If your juice is too tart, dissolve a teaspoon of sugar in the drink.  If you find it too sweet or want to cut calories, use half the juice and top with club soda.  No matter what you'll end up with a tasty drink you don't see every day.  

My Perfect Margarita

I love margaritas.  I love tequila and I'm trying - on a budget - to become enough of a connoisseur to distinguish between the different kinds.  


A really good margarita is a treat for me.  So this holiday season, I decided to do a little research and put some nice tequila and my new blender to use and make a delicious margarita on the rocks.

I started by cutting up some citrus fruit.  I thought I'd use the clementines but didn't end up using them.  I juiced them anyway because I loved the colour.

Even with my brutal photography, how could you resist?  I think these citrus shots are the worst yet!

Here's a blood and guts shot of the juice and rinds. 2 limes gave me about 2/3 cup of juice.

I got this pretty new blender for Christmas after 20 years (!) with a crappy old one. This one had way more ice-crushing power than I expected.  I ended up with sno-cone level ice after just a few pulses, so I had to start over and make cracked/crushed ice for the shaker and the rocks.

These are my booze ingredients.  The clerk at a USA liquor store recommended this tequila.  It is cheaper than Patron and I like it quite a bit. I got anejo because it's for sipping, not just for mixing. A clear tequila would make the drink prettier, but I loved the flavour here.


I read in my research that some people prefer triple sec over Cointreau because it is less complex and lets the tequila flavour shine through. Good thing that's what I had! There was more triple sec in the recipe than I expected, but I liked the balance.  

Here's what you put in the shaker for 2 drinks:

• Cracked ice
• 3oz el Mayor Anejo tequila
• 2 oz triple sec
• 2/3 cup fresh lime juice

Shake with ice and serve over crushed ice. Salt rim if desired.  I like the salt but my husband does not.

This is a very boozy drink, so one was enough for us but it is so delicious you may want another round.

Yum! I found my perfect cocktail!