Sipping straight mezcal on a Tuesday with my boss was one of many extra unconventional workdays I’ve had shortly. However, as is true for a lot of shifts in routine, it sparked a little bit of creativity and impressed the makings of this Spicy Mezcal Paloma recipe.
On our latest group journey to Oaxaca, we spent three days absorbing town’s vibrant artwork, meals, and tradition (get Camille’s favorites checklist right here). In fact, a mezcal tasting was warranted provided that Oaxaca is dwelling to this smoky spirit. The expertise left me itching to infuse extra mezcal moments into my cocktails this summer time. Enter: this Spicy Mezcal Paloma recipe.
I’ll begin by confessing this recipe is breaking a cardinal rule of mezcal ingesting. We discovered that mezcal is supposed to be sipped straight, as a substitute of combined into cocktails. However should you’re like me, you would possibly want somewhat recent juice and soda that will help you ease into your mezcal journey. Plus, it’s exhausting to show down a basic, thirst-quenching Paloma—so let’s get to it.
What’s a Paloma?
A conventional Mexican Paloma is made with tequila blanco and grapefruit soda. This model is a riff on the basic, utilizing a mixture of freshly-squeezed grapefruit juice, lime juice, and glowing water. The result’s a cocktail that’s citrusy with out being overly candy. This recipe additionally requires blanco tequila along with the mezcal to steadiness the flavors and spherical out the drink. Lastly, I’ve discovered that utilizing honey offers my cocktails only a trace of sweetness with out the headache. And don’t overlook your sliced jalapeño and chili salt for that additional kick!
What’s the distinction between tequila and mezcal?
Mezcal has been produced in Mexico for hundreds of years, and consider it or not, tequila is definitely a kind of mezcal. Each tequila and mezcal come from agave vegetation, however the forms of agaves and manufacturing strategies differ for every spirit. At our tasting, we discovered that mezcal manufacturing is deeply rooted in custom and begins by being cooked within the floor in pure ovens. It’s later distilled in copper pots, giving it that distinct, smoky taste. Nevertheless, we discovered that the extra genuine the mezcal, the much less smoky it tastes.
What You’ll Want To Make This Mezcal Paloma Recipe
This Mezcal Paloma combines a singular mixture of flavors: tart, smoky, spicy, and just a bit candy. What extra may you need in a drink? Right here’s what you’ll want to combine up this cocktail in lower than 5 minutes:
- A very good blanco tequila. I choose LALO.
- Your favourite mezcal. I’m a fan of Madre.
- A couple of limes. Recent-squeezed lime juice makes all of the distinction.
- Grapefruit. You possibly can go for store-bought grapefruit juice, however the drink will style essentially the most recent should you juice the grapefruit your self.
- Honey. For a splash of sweetness.
- Glowing water. It’ll give your Paloma that additional fizz. I like Topo chico.
- Jalapeño. Just a little goes a great distance!
- Chili salt. You should buy store-bought chili salt or make your individual (directions under!).
In relation to garnishes, I’ve used recent herbs like rosemary, lime or grapefruit wedges, and even sliced cucumber.
What pairs properly with a Mezcal Paloma?
These Mezcal Palomas have been a crowd-pleaser at my home this summer time. They pair properly with a few of our favourite summer time dinner recipes. Combine up a batch and luxuriate in your cocktails alongside sheet pan rooster fajitas, pistachio crusted halibut, or one in every of our greatest taco recipes of all time. For summer time gatherings, I like to double (or triple!) the recipe and put together it in a giant pitcher for mates to pour over ice after they’re prepared for a cocktail.