Pitcher Paloma Remix
E
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
Grapefruit juice melds with tequila and lime in a chilled pitcher cocktail. Salt and simple syrup balance tartness while soda adds fizz. A twist swaps lime for yuzu, brightening sharp edges. Chill an hour or when cold enough to dull your fingertips. Prep glasses with salted rims using grapefruit wedge. Pour partly, top with grapefruit soda, garnish mint and wedge. Perfect for crowd, 8-10 servings. Watch ice amount—too much waters down, too little kills chill.
Prep:
15 min
Cook:
0 min
Total:
1h 15min
Servings:
8-10 servings
#cocktail
#pitcher drinks
#yuzu
#grapefruit
#tequila
#summer drinks
Juice bright citrus, tequila sharp in mix. Yuzu switches up lime’s zip—a twist borrowed from Japanese bars I frequent. Salt rounds harshness; simple syrup tempers tart punch but watch the sweetness balance. Chilling the mix lets flavors mingle, ice too early waters down. The tactile step of rimming glasses isn’t just fancy; that salt bite counts. Soda fizz finishing the drink like a whisper after the chorus of juicy strength. Mint sprig adds scent, and on pouring watch your bubbles carefully. This pitcher style lets party hosting flow smooth but mind the ice amount—too much drowns the punch. Learned from bitter watery errors in first tries. Patience pays off.
Ingredients
- 32 oz fresh grapefruit juice
- 3 oz fresh yuzu juice (sub for lime juice)
- 10 oz tequila blanco
- 6 oz simple syrup (reduce original by 5%)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- grapefruit soda to top
- ice
- grapefruit wedges for rim and garnish
- fresh mint sprigs for garnish
About the ingredients
Fresh is king here; buy grapefruit unblemished. Juice yourself—bottled juice lacks brightness and astringency. Yuzu juice swapped for lime transforms and lifts—use fresh or high-quality bottled. If yuzu nowhere to be found, stick to lime but open a new lime for best aroma. Simple syrup reduced slightly; if you like sweeter, add in smaller increments rather than all at once. Salt—kosher or flaky sea salt works; avoid table salt for harsh undersides. Soda is key: use grapefruit-lime or just grapefruit soda fresh from fridge. For garnish, mint adds fresh cool, can sub lemon balm if mint disappointed you earlier. Ice cubes— large and dense preferred; crush dilutes too fast.
Method
Step 1 === Start with juicing grapefruit and yuzu. Yuzu sharper than lime; expect floral brightness. Grapefruit pulp settles fast, strain for cleaner mix unless you like gritty texture.
Step 2 === Grab a 50 oz pitcher. Add grapefruit juice, tequila, yuzu juice, simple syrup, salt. Stir with bar spoon. Salt distributes slowly; no clumps. Add small handful of ice now just to cool slightly; too much ice early waters the mix.
Step 3 === Pop pitcher in fridge. Chill at least 55 minutes. I check chill by fingertip – should feel cold but not icy cold yet. Don’t rush or dilute by adding soda before this.
Step 4 === Glass prep crucial. Pour kosher salt or flavored salt on plate. Rub grapefruit wedge around glass rim—wetness key. Then dip carefully; if salt is too chunky, it won’t stick. Large crystal salts can clump, so tap off excess.
Step 5 === Fill rimmed glasses with ice — solid cubes over crushed. Fill roughly 2/3 with cocktail from pitcher, then slowly top with grapefruit soda till full. Soda foam can overflow; pour slow to control fizz.
Step 6 === Garnish with fresh mint sprig and a grapefruit wedge. Mint aroma releases as you sip. Over garnish looks try-hard; two items enough.
Step 7 === Give the pitcher one last stir before serving each round. Separation is natural; flavors blend back quickly. Don’t shake, fragile bubbles in soda will vanish.
Cooking tips
Skip the rush. Juicing fresh citrus creates sound of pulp and juice, check for chunkiness if you hate gritty texture strain through fine sieve. Carefully mix ingredients—no whisking or shaking. Salt dissolves slowly; stirring distributes evenly. Ice early? Ice late? Small ice at start chills without dilution, but don’t load pitcher full, look for light frost on glass as fridge cold signal. Rimming glass with wet citrus ensures salt sticks; thick salt chunks here ruin mouthfeel so tap excess off. Pour soda gently to avoid uncontrolled fizz overflow—soda is fragile bubble carrier; needs respect. Mint garnish added last for aroma; too soon and leaves wilt or taste becomes bitter. Final stir in pitcher rehomogenizes separation your eyes will spy after sitting. Trust feel and smell more than ticking clock on chilling.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Juice fresh citrus only. Bottled lacks bite and astringency. Yuzu swaps lime brings floral sharpness, but lime is default backup. Fresh squeezed pulp signals juicing done. Strain if gritty texture offends. Pulp sounds, liquid dripping. Not a blender noise.
- 💡 Salt slow dissolving. Stir gently with bar spoon to avoid clumps. Kosher or flaky sea salt best for rim. Table salt harsh, avoid. Salt rim needs wet citrus, rub grapefruit wedge well. Salt chunks too big won’t stick, tap off excess, or mouthfeel suffers.
- 💡 Chill pitcher minimum 55 minutes. Not icy cold yet, just below fingertip chill. Ice too early waters mix. Watch condensation on glass or frost forming outside pitcher. Mix separation normal; stir before serve. Skip shaking, bubbles fragile.
- 💡 Fill glasses 2/3 with cocktail; top with grapefruit soda slow to control fizz. Soda foam spikes if poured fast, overwinding bubbles vanish aroma. Use large, solid ice cubes; crushed melts too fast, waters down punch quicker. Ice size crucial for chill without dilution.
- 💡 Garnish last. Mint sprigs release aroma once touched by drink warmth. Too many garnishes look forced; limit to mint and a wedge. Lemon balm sub if mint fails. Garnish timing affects scent; wilt if added too early. Pour carefully, respect fragile soda bubbles.
Common questions
Can lime replace yuzu?
Yes sort of. Lime brings sharpness but less floral, less complex. Fresh lime best, bottled not same. Yuzu adds brightness harder to get. If stuck, lime open fresh each time.
Why avoid shaking?
Soda bubbles fragile, shake kills fizz fast. Stir gently. Overmix clumps salt again. Keep bubbles intact for sparkle and aroma. Shaking loses texture, foam, stuff breaks down fast.
What if too much ice?
Waters down punch quickly. Dilutes flavors. Too little ice—drink warms fast, loses chill. Best balance is small handful early to cool mix, then cubes in glass. Adjust based on personal chill needs.
How to store leftovers?
Refrigerate pitcher covered. Stir before pour later or flavor separation. Drink doesn’t age well hours. Soda topping last minute. Avoid long times or fizz dies. Can store cocktail base separate from soda.
