The Paloma Is Summer 2026's Cocktail of the Season: How to Make It (and the 8 Best Blanco Tequilas for It) — National Tequila Day, July 24
The margarita has ruled American bars for decades, but this summer it has a serious rival — and in Mexico, the Paloma has quietly been the more popular drink all along. Ahead of National Tequila Day on July 24, the grapefruit highball is finally having its global moment: bartenders and drinks writers keep calling it the cocktail of summer 2026, and the reasons are obvious once you make one. It is a three-ingredient drink you can build in the glass, it is long, bubbly and thirst-quenching in a way a margarita never is, and it rides the same bittersweet-grapefruit wave that made the Aperol Spritz a phenomenon. Here is exactly how to make a great Paloma, the one choice that matters most, and the eight blanco tequilas we would reach for — every one in stock and ready to ship.
The 8 blanco tequilas in this guide
What a Paloma actually is (and why it is beating the margarita)
A Paloma is blanco tequila, lime, and grapefruit soda over ice, with a pinch of salt — that is the whole thing. Where a margarita is a tart, boozy, shaken sour that hits hard and asks to be sipped, the Paloma is a long, effervescent highball that stays refreshing from first sip to last. The grapefruit does the heavy lifting: sweet, tart and pleasantly bitter all at once, it makes the drink taste grown-up without being difficult. Its rise tracks two of the biggest trends in drinking right now — the tequila boom and the shift toward bitter, sessionable, grapefruit-forward drinks that the spritz craze kicked off. If you like the idea of a lower-effort margarita you can drink all afternoon, the Paloma is it. For the shaken side of Tequila Day, our five-ways margarita guide covers the classic and its best variations.
The recipe: a perfect Paloma in one glass
You do not need a shaker. Fill a tall glass with ice, add 2 oz blanco tequila and ½ to ¾ oz fresh lime juice, then top with 4 oz grapefruit soda and a small pinch of salt. Give it one gentle stir to combine, garnish with a grapefruit wedge or a lime, and drink it cold. The salt is not optional — a tiny pinch does for the Paloma what it does for grapefruit itself, taming the bitterness and making every other flavor pop. If you want a salted rim, run a lime around the edge and dip it in coarse salt before you build. That five-to-one ratio of soda to lime is the sweet spot; adjust to taste, and use more lime if your soda runs sweet.
The one choice that matters: blanco tequila
A Paloma lives and dies on the tequila, and for this drink you want blanco — unaged, crisp, full of bright agave and pepper that cuts through the sweet soda. Aged reposado and añejo are wonderful sipped, but their oak and vanilla get muddled under grapefruit; save those for a Tequila Sunrise instead. Start with the values that punch above their price: El Jimador Blanco ($27.99) is the workhorse cantina pour, clean and peppery and built for exactly this, and 818 Blanco ($27.99) is smooth, softly sweet and endlessly mixable. In the middle, Partida Blanco ($36.99) is a beautifully clean estate tequila, Teremana Blanco ($39.09) brings roasted-agave richness that holds up in a long drink, and Tequila 512 Blanco ($47.09) is a bright, citrus-forward Texan favorite. When you want to pour something special, Código 1530 Blanco ($49.09) is silky and elegant, Casamigos Blanco ($49.99) is the crowd-pleasing smooth one, and Don Julio Blanco ($57.09) is the benchmark — peppery, citrusy and impeccably clean. For a richer, more mineral pour, Volcán de Mi Tierra Blanco ($64.09) is worth the splurge. Every one of these is broken down in our complete blanco tequila buying guide.
Grapefruit soda: what to reach for
The traditional Mexican Paloma uses a grapefruit soda like Squirt, Jarritos or Fresca, and there is nothing wrong with keeping it that simple — that is how it is made in its home country, and it is delicious. For a fresher, less sweet drink, use 2 oz fresh grapefruit juice plus a splash of simple syrup and top with club soda or a plain sparkling water; you get the same bittersweet lift with more real fruit and less sugar. Pink or ruby grapefruit gives the prettiest color and the roundest flavor. Whichever route you take, cold ingredients and plenty of ice are non-negotiable: a warm Paloma is a sad Paloma.
Four variations worth knowing
The Paloma is a canvas. For a smoky version, swap a half-ounce of the tequila for mezcal, or float it on top — the smoke against the grapefruit is a revelation, and our mezcal vs. tequila guide explains why. For a spicy Paloma, muddle a slice of jalapeño in the glass or rim it with chili-lime salt. For a brighter, drier take, go all fresh grapefruit juice and lean on the soda water. And to batch for a crowd, mix the tequila, lime and grapefruit juice ahead in a pitcher and add the soda only when you pour, so it stays fizzy. If Ranch Water is more your speed — the leaner Texan cousin of the Paloma — our Ranch Water and summer highball guide has that one covered, and the original margarita, Paloma and Ranch Water cocktail guide lays all three side by side.
Where to start for Tequila Day
If you are stocking one bottle for July 24, make it a versatile blanco — it pours a Paloma, a margarita and a Ranch Water without missing a beat. Browse the full blanco tequila collection for the complete shelf, or step back to the broader tequila collection for reposados and añejos too. Our National Tequila Day bottle guide rounds up the best across every style, and if you want a soda-free option, the cordials & liqueurs shelf has the orange liqueur a margarita needs. However you pour it, the Paloma is the easy, refreshing, crowd-winning move this July — salud.
