IBA
Paloma – IBA
A citrus and refreshing tequila cocktail ∙ Build ∙ 2 min ∙ 10.8% ABV ∙
A Paloma is a tequila highball of lime juice, salt, and grapefruit soda, often called Mexico's most popular tequila cocktail.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Pour Tequila blanco 50 ml and Lime juice 5 ml into a highball glass
- Add Salt 1 pinch, then ice, and fill up with pink Grapefruit soda 100 ml
- Stir gently
- Garnish with a lime wheel
Tips
- Drop the salt into the tequila and lime before the ice goes in, so it dissolves instead of sitting on the ice.
History
The International Bartenders Association added the Paloma to its official list in 2020, in the New Era Drinks category. The IBA specification fixes exact proportions of tequila, lime juice, and grapefruit soda with a pinch of salt, giving bartenders a single reference for a drink long made informally to individual taste across Mexico.
The Paloma itself has no single documented inventor; it most likely dates to 1955 or shortly after, when Squirt grapefruit soda began selling in Mexico and bartenders already used to cutting tequila with soda mixed the two. Don Javier Delgado Corona, longtime owner of La Capilla bar in the town of Tequila, was credited by many as its creator, though he denied it and claimed only the tequila-and-cola Batanga.
FAQ
What is a Paloma cocktail made of?
Tequila blanco, a small squeeze of fresh lime juice, a pinch of salt, and pink grapefruit soda over ice. The IBA spec is 50 ml tequila, 5 ml lime juice, and 100 ml soda.
What is an IBA cocktail?
One on the official list of the International Bartenders Association, a standard reference used for competitions and bartender training. The Paloma joined that list in 2020 as a New Era Drink.
What's the secret to a perfect Paloma?
Add the salt before the ice, while only the tequila and lime are in the glass, so it dissolves in the liquid instead of sitting on the cubes. The lime and salt are there to cut the soda's sweetness, so don't skip either. Stir gently, just enough to mix without knocking out the fizz.
