classic · built
Paloma recipe
Mexico's favourite highball. Tequila and grapefruit, over ice.
A Paloma is 60 ml (56.4 g) Tequila, 90 ml (93.6 g) Fresh Grapefruit Juice, 15 ml (15.5 g) Fresh Lime Juice, 10 ml (11.1 g) Simple Syrup and 30 ml (30 g) Soda Water, built and served in a highball glass. It pours to about 205 ml before ice, at roughly 11.7% ABV. Weighing the ingredients instead of measuring them is what keeps the balance identical from one round to the next.
- Glasshighball glass
- Methodbuilt
- Pour volume205 ml
- Strength (est.)11.7% ABV
- Time4 min
Paloma ingredients — in millilitres and grams
Grams are what the PourPilot coaster actually targets. They are not the same as the millilitres: a spirit is lighter than water, a syrup is heavier, so 30 ml of one is never 30 g. The right-hand column is the density we use, in grams per millilitre.
| Ingredient | Volume | Weight | g/ml | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tequila (blanco) | 60 ml | 56.4 g | 0.94 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Fresh Grapefruit Juice | 90 ml | 93.6 g | 1.04 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Fresh Lime Juice | 15 ml | 15.5 g | 1.03 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Simple Syrup (1:1) | 10 ml | 11.1 g | 1.11 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Soda Water | 30 ml | — | 1.00 | Splash to top |
How to make a Paloma
- Set your highball glass on the scale (or on the PourPilot coaster) and zero it. Every measurement below is given in millilitres and in grams, so you can use either.
- Fill the highball glass with fresh ice.
- Build Tequila, Fresh Grapefruit Juice, Fresh Lime Juice and Simple Syrup straight into the glass, weighing each pour.
- Top with Soda Water and stir once, gently, from the bottom up.
Paloma: the questions people actually ask
How strong is a Paloma?
Roughly 11.7% ABV as poured, before the ice dilutes it — typically another 15–25% water by the time you finish stirring or shaking. Sessionable. Comparable to a glass of wine by volume.
What glass should a Paloma be served in?
A highball glass. Fill it with fresh ice, not the ice you mixed with.
Can I make a Paloma without a jigger?
Yes — that is what the gram column is for. Put the glass or tin on a kitchen scale, zero it, and pour to the weight. It is more accurate than a jigger because nothing is left clinging to the inside of the measure. The PourPilot coaster does the same thing without you having to watch a display: it lights up as you approach the target and tells you when to stop.
Why are some ingredients not weighed?
Dashes of bitters and rinses are too small to weigh reliably — a dash is roughly 0.8 ml, well inside the noise of any bar scale. Count them instead. Everything else in this Paloma is weighed.
If you like the Paloma
Margarita
Tequila, lime, triple sec. Shake hard, salt the rim.
Tommy's Margarita
Julio Bermejo's two-ingredient riff — agave nectar instead of orange liqueur.
Tequila Sunrise
Tequila and orange juice with a grenadine sunrise.
Grand Margarita
A Margarita built up with Grand Marnier and a touch of agave.
Mojito
White rum, lime and mint, topped with soda over ice. Cuban classic.
John Collins
The whiskey Collins — bourbon, lemon and sugar, topped with soda.