paloma sunrise.
fruity, sweet, and ever so slightly smokey; this paloma sunrise tastes as beautiful as it looks.
Makes: 1 cocktail Prep time: 5 minutes Build Time: 02 minutes jump to recipe.
I really like classic cocktails like margaritas, old fashioned’s, and manhattans. Sure, going to a fancy bar that’s prepped flavored syrups and infused liqueurs is amazing, but at home? I stick to the basics.
Seeing recipes for “grapefruit margaritas” kind of makes me laugh. They are different drinks, of course, but a paloma could easily be considered a grapefruit margarita. The difference is that palomas are typically made with grapefruit soda, not just the juice, making them more of a highball. Both drinks involve tequila, lime, and sweetener, though, so they are very close cousins.
This particular recipe takes a paloma and adds orange juice, maraschino juice, and a hint of mezcal for a smokey-sweet tequila sunrise fusion. If you love mezcal, you’ll like this. If you hate it, you won’t like this, but you can also leave it out. It’s just a splash; if you really love mezcal, you can add a little more.
Making this spirit-free
I haven’t tried many spirit-less spirits, mostly because the ones I have tried taste like chemicals to me and aren’t worth adding. If you have a spirit-free tequila base you love, of course, give it a try here. Otherwise, just omit the alcohol from the recipe (and consider doubling everything else). The tequila and mezcal make up almost 2 ounces of the recipe, but also lend to the flavor. To dilute the juices in a similar way, change the ratios a bit to this:
1/4 ounce agave
1 ounce fresh orange juice
2 ounce fresh grapefruit juice
Juice from 1/2 lime
6 ounces sparkling water or club soda
The extra 2 ounces in the water or soda will dilute the sweet juices the way the tequila does. To add smokey flavor, you can always smoke the glass first, and if you’re okay with low-ABV, you can add a splash of Cointreau or a few drops of Angostura bitters to give it that characteristic “spirit” bite.
Mastering the sunrise
If you’ve ever tried and failed to make a tequila sunrise, don’t worry. They aren’t hard, you just need to do it the right way. Mostly that involves pouring the syrup slowly, but one tool will help get it right, everytime: the bar spoon.
Obviously, you can use any small-ish spoon. Hover it over the glass, about 1/2-inch from the liquid. Pour slowly - like, as slowly as possible (you’d be surprised how hard this is) directly over the spoon. The syrup will run off the spoon and into the liquid, then sink right to the bottom. Magic, right?
This helps because it disperses the liquid over a wider surface area (and helps it go in slower, which is what really matters with syrup, which is more dense than all the other ingredients anyway). If you pour it in first, it will just mix with the juices. Pour it in quickly afterwards, same thing. Syrup is more forgiving than, say, wine (in a new york sour, I mean) but once it mixes together, can’t really be undone. The color is still pretty if you mess it up (I did, many times), so don’t worry about it that much.
paloma sunrise ingredients
agave: If you make margaritas and palomas often, you should have agave on hand. Agave is made from the same plant as tequila and mezcal (surprise, right?) so it’s recommended to use it to achieve the best flavor in the tequila. However, if you don’t have agave, honey or simple syrup will also work. Worst case, use maple syrup or a sugar cube.
pink grapefruit: I tried this with both bottled juice and freshly squeezed, and I promise, freshly squeezed is better. I know, I hate squeezing citrus, too, but you truly only need to squeeze half of a large grapefruit for this. It’s just as easy as pouring out of a bottle, cheaper, and takes up less space in the fridge. The bottled stuff will work fine if you need to use it, it’s just a little sweeter and a little more… fake tasting. You know what I mean?
orange: This, too. I’m sorry, I know you likely have OJ in the fridge right now, and if you want to use it, go ahead. But again, the fresh orange will have a brighter, fresher taste that compliments the drink well. For one drink, you’ll only need about half an orange.
lime: I will always tell you to use fresh lime. The packaged lime juice is crazy bitter and super sweet. I use it in a pinch so I won’t blame you if you do, but if you’re making this for friends, use the fresh lime.
tequila: We regularly use Espolon, but lately I’ve been using Lalo Tequila and love it. Beautiful, minimalist bottle, and really smooth tasting tequila. I’m not too snobby about tequila, but I think there’s a lot of value in buying one you could sip on ice. Your drinks will thank you for it.
mezcal: Mezcal is a little harder. The smokiness can be super strong, astringent, sour. Don’t hate me for this, but I actually liked Casamigos’ mezcal. For this recipe, I used a brand called Campante that I’m totally obsessed with — it’s very smokey, so I recommend just a splash. You might have to play around with your mezcal amount if yours isn’t as smokey.
maraschino: Yeah.. the bright red ones. You just need an ounce or so of the juice from the jar. I know, it seems fancier to use those dark, syrupy cherries, but don’t do it. Your drink will look all weird and brown.
sparkling water or club soda: Totally optional. If you don’t want a sparkling cocktail, this one was actually designed to be without it. The sparkling does make it more fun and mutes all the flavors a bit, so if it turns out too sweet or too smokey, top it off with sparkling (You can’t take the sweet and smokey out, after all).
tajin: This isn’t necessary, and you can swap for salt (or even sugar, if you’re wild), but the spice really nicely compliments the sweet, sour, and smokey. Plus it’s really pretty with that sorbet coloring.
paloma sunrise pairing options
Yes, of course I’m going to suggest Mexican foods with a Mexican drink. Palomas are a little too sweet-bitter for mealtime for me, but I think they make a great apertif. Try it with some of these apps and sides:
guacamole and chips
salsa and chips
flautas or taquitos
chili-lime smashed sweet potatoes
jalapeno poppers
cilantro-lime rice
