A lightened up skinny Paloma made with freshly juiced grapefruit, tequila, lime juice and sparkling water.

It’s Monday and I could use a pitcher of margaritas big cup of coffee.

Anyone else?

Just me? Okay fine, I’ll have the pitcher to myself. 😉

I do love a good margarita, but rarely order them because they’re usually made with a mix and loaded with calories and sugar.  Not worth it to me, unless I’m on vacay in Mexico or something along those lines. What happens in Mexico stays in Mexico, right?!

Anyhow, given my taste for margaritas and the fact that Cinco de Mayo is next week I thought a tequila cocktail would brighten up your Monday.

For the basic recipe all you need is fresh grapefruit juice, tequila and a splash of lime. It’s really that simple and there’s no need for added sweetener because grapefruit juice from pink or red grapefruit offers plenty of sweetness.

I have to thank Nicole for introducing me to the grapefruit and tequila combo. Last summer we were eating at Nopalito in San Fran and she mentioned that the Paloma was her favorite drink at the moment. I tried it, loved it and it quickly became my favorite drink too.

Until then I had always been a vodka, lime and soda water girl when it comes to cocktails, but only because I knew it was low cal, not because it was delicious. Since we’re on the topic of favorite drinks, I should note that I’m also a wine girl and it’s my go-to drink of choice. Not only do I enjoy the taste, but red wine has the resveratrol and antioxidants going on so there are some additional reasons to enjoy it. 🙂

Back to today’s drinky drank, the Paloma is typically made with grapefruit soda and tequila. I don’t do soda so I went with the real deal, fresh grapefruit juice straight from my juicer. As long as your grapefruit is ripe, there should be no need to add any additional sugar and you end up with a lovely tequila cocktail that’s similar to a margarita only much better for ya.

If you’re feeling fancy you can line the rim of your glass with sea salt, but it’s not necessary. It just looks pretty. 🙂

Skinny Paloma (no sugar added)

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★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Brittany Mullins
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 5 minutes
• Yield: 2

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Description

A lightened up skinny Paloma made with freshly juiced grapefruit, tequila, lime juice and sparkling water.

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Ingredients

• 12 ounces fresh grapefruit juice (2–3 pink or red grapefruits, juiced)
• 3 ounces tequila
• 2 teaspoons lime juice
• ice
• grapefruit flavored sparkling water (optional)
• pink Himalayan sea salt (for the rim)

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Instructions

1. Add 1 shot of tequila, 6 ounces of grapefruit juice, 1 teaspoon of lime juice and ice into each glass. Stir to combine, add of splash of sparkling water (if using) and garnish with a lime wedge.

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Notes

1. Feel free to add a splash splash of sparkling water to the recipe for a little fizz. I had intentions of adding some grapefruit La Croix to this, but forgot. Next time!

• Category: Drink
• Method: Stir
• Cuisine: Cocktail

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1
• Calories: 179
• Sugar: 19g
• Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 19g
• Fiber: 0g
• Protein: 1g

Keywords: paloma

I like to think that I know a thing or two about making a good cocktail, but I was happy to have Alyssa on hand for expert advice and taste-testing. Thankfully she taught me how to salt the rim of the glass using lime juice, otherwise these pictures would not look this pretty.

Plus, drinks are always better when enjoyed with friends.

Will you be celebrating Cinco de Mayo? It’s funny to me how much Americans get into the holiday — the Mexican restaurants are always packed here in Richmond! I don’t know what we’ll be doing to celebrate. Maybe I’ll plan to make these clean eating grilled fish tacos and another batch of these Skinny Palomas.