Grapefruit Paloma with Chili-Salt Rim
Tequila, lime, and grapefruit soda over ice, rimmed with chili salt so the first sip turns from hot to bitter to sweet before it's gone.
- Serves
- 1
- Prep
- 5 min
- Written
Method
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Run the lime wedge around the rim of a rocks glass, then press the rim into the chili salt until it’s coated on one side.
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Fill the glass with ice, taking care not to knock the salted rim loose.
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Pour in the tequila and lime juice.
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Top with the grapefruit soda and give it one short stir, just enough to combine without beating the fizz out of it.
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Garnish with a lime wheel and drink it while the soda’s still lively.
Notes
Grapefruit soda is doing more work here than fresh juice ever could — it’s already sweetened and carbonated, so the drink stays balanced without a syrup and keeps its fizz through the last sip instead of going flat and sour like a fresh-squeezed version would. The chili salt is the other half of the drink: hit it first and the sip reads hot, then bitter, then sweet, in that order, every time.
No chili salt on hand, mix flaky salt with a pinch of cayenne or chili powder — the ratio isn’t precise, just enough red to see. For a pitcher version, batch the tequila and lime juice ahead in the fridge and add the soda and ice glass by glass, since the fizz doesn’t hold once it’s mixed.