Jessica Dupuy
Jul 1, 2021
At its core, a paloma is just tequila and Squirt, but you wouldn't know that from the elaborate iterations on Texas bar menus.
The margarita may be one of the most popular cocktails among American tourists visiting Mexican resorts, but it’s not actually the most beloved cocktail in Mexico. Some uninformed cocktail lovers might guess it’s the Tequila Sunrise, if only because of faint memories of that 1973 Eagles song played on soft-rock radio throughout the ’90s. But this would also be wrong. The summery grapefruit-and-tequila drink known as the paloma is widely considered to be our neighbor’s favorite cocktail. Notable drinks writer David Wondrich even deems it the National Drink of Mexico. But while the paloma is indeed a popular refreshment south of the border, the original is not as fancy (or as expensive) as some Texas bar menus might lead you to think.