Sparkling Paloma Cocktail

A lighter recipe for a paloma cocktail made with sparkling water and agave nectar. Perfect for New Years Eve or happy hours all winter long!

Sparkling Paloma Cocktail

Happy (almost) new year and also – happy citrus season! If you were thinking “hmm… maybe margaritas for New Years Eve this year?” then you’ve come to the right place. Well almost.

I originally planned to make a version of my go-to pomegranate cocktail when these sweet ruby red grapefruits showed up in my Farmhouse box last week. They were a lovely surprise because, well, I’ve been over-doing it on the pomegranates lately, and I was so excited by the idea of a pink drink instead. While Jack is not a fan of grapefruit in general, he loves a paloma cocktail – essentially a grapefruit margarita.

This is a slightly lighter take on the traditional paloma recipe – I use agave nectar instead of simple syrup, and I add a few splashes of sparkling water to make these bright and bubbly. I also add sprigs of thyme for a festive wintery look.

We usually drink this paloma cocktail in the summertime, but citrus is at its best right now around here so we broke out the tequila, limes, and tortilla chips anyway!

Sparkling Paloma Cocktail


5.0 from 4 reviews

Sparkling Paloma Cocktail

 
A lighter recipe for a paloma cocktail made with sparkling water and agave nectar. Perfect for New Years Eve or happy hours all winter long!
Author:
Recipe type: Beverage
Serves: 4 to 6 drinks
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup fresh grapefruit juice, plus extra wedges for garnish
  • 3 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons agave nectar
  • ¾ cup tequila
  • ¾ cup sparkling water, (I like Topo Chico)
  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme
  • ice
Instructions
  1. Stir together the grapefruit juice, lime juice, agave nectar, tequila, and sparkling water. Adjust sweetness and tartness to your liking.
  2. Pour into glasses filled with ice. Garnish with grapefruit wedges and thyme sprigs.

 

14 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it):  

  1. Claudia
    04.15.2018

    This is a delicious cocktail recipe. I made a double batch for my book club. The fresh squeezed grapefruit balanced out the tequila nicely. I’d make this again.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.20.2018

      Hi Claudia, I’m so glad you loved them!! xoxo

  2. annie from chasethatilove.com
    01.02.2016

    These sound so refreshing! And I’m all for fruity, “summer” drinks in the winter. So much of cold weather food is spicy and heavy, so you need something lighter to wash it down with.

  3. Jessie from intertwinedescondido.com
    01.01.2016

    Another addition to my cocktail recipes! Thanks for this! Happy new Year!

  4. Jessie from intertwinedescondido.com
    01.01.2016

    Another addition to my cocktail recipes! Thanks for this! Happy new Year!

  5. Christine
    12.31.2015

    This recipe was made for me! Thanks L&L!

  6. Now this is 100% my kind of drink! A little summer dreaming in the winter time is just what we need.

  7. I’m typically not a fan of grapefruit either (all other citrus – YES!) – but this sounds amazing! I think I’ll have to give it a try and see if it changes my mind. 😉

  8. Allyson from consideringtheradish.wordpress.com
    12.31.2015

    Oh, I love palomas. These look fantastic, especially with the addition of thyme.

  9. This looks so tasty! I am also very excited for citrus season. Not only are the oranges (etc) delicious, they are tasty just in time for cold season. Anytime my husband starts to feel a little under the weather, I push water and oranges on him hard and that usually helps, haha. Happy New Year! – Charlie, http://www.lemonbutterlove.com

  10. Roxana from roxanashomebaking.com
    12.30.2015

    I’m excited about citrus season as well, and these cocktails look lovely! 🙂 Have a great new year’s!

  11. maria anne
    12.30.2015

    looks so good!!
    I NEED to know where that bottle opener is from. It’s AMAZING.

    xo
    maria

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.