Paloma, one of Mexico’s favourite tequila cocktail, is experiencing a revival across the globe

Most of us consider a margarita to be the most popular tequila-based cocktail. And we are not wrong until you find yourself in Mexico. In the birthplace of tequila, the most popular cocktail is not margarita. It is the Paloma.

“A margarita is the Singapore sling of Mexico. It is drunk by tourists,” informed Hirman Asadi of the neighbourhood bar, The Store. “Every menu in Mexico features a Paloma.”

If you haven’t come across a Paloma yet, you’re in luck. The tequila-centric cocktail has made its way from the cantinas in Jalisco to neighbouring American states and crossed the Atlantic to cocktail central in the UK. Lately, the blush pink highball has been listed on menus across Asia.

At its core, a Paloma (Spanish for dove) is a two-ingredient drink which calls for white tequila and grapefruit soda. Pile it up with clear ice, add a rim of salt and garnish with an aesthetic wheel or two of pink grapefruit and you have a tangy, crushable thirst quencher.

Served in a tall highball glass, the cocktail is attractive by virtue of its lissome form, lower alcohol count and translucent blush pink hues. And then, it is delicious. Citrus led, with a touch of bitterness from the grapefruit, it is a relentless burst of summer.

Drink historians believe the cocktail was made in Mexico, but the origins are murky. It was widely speculated that the Paloma was created by Javier Delgado Corona, the owner of La Capilla, the oldest bar in Jalisco, Mexico, but this turned out to be a myth. Some suspect its origin was an accident when a nondescript local bartender mixed an unaged tequila with the widely available grapefruit soda Squirt. The mix took off.

But why is the classic Paloma trending now, you ask? It has everything to do with the growing thirst for tequila and a little push from big tequila brands.

Jacob Briars, global advocacy director at Bacardi, the drinks conglomerate that owns one of the most popular tequila brands, Patron, in their stable, attributes the rise of tequila in Asia to three factors. “The rising levels of bartender sophistication in Asia, rising connectivity between Asia and Mexico, and increasing levels of consumer knowledge among Asian cocktail drinkers, as well as an openness and a willingness to explore new kinds of spirits.”

Hong Kong and Singapore’s bartenders are showing a keen interest in agave spirits and launching tequila bars, from Coa in Hong Kong to Cat Bite Club and Deadfall Cantina in Singapore. Their passion has been passed on to consumers looking for new agave drinks.

This is where Paloma comes in. According to the latest Bacardi Global Cocktails Trends Report, the margarita ranked second among the top 20 most popular cocktails in the world. Briars predicts it will soon topple Mojito from the top spot.

“Once people get used to drinking margarita, bartenders will be looking for the next tequila serve I can recommend to people,” said Briars. The Paloma fits the bill.

Briars adds that Bacardi is “heavily invested” in Paloma and recently launched the Paloma Week initiative across several global markets. “It is a chance for consumers and bartenders to experiment with new versions of the Paloma, and it's been an extraordinary success for us.”

Back home, our bars are on a roll.  On last count, Singapore’s bartender group compiled a citywide list of over 16 Paloma variations. Some infuse it with butter, others with tea and herbs, and then there are the fanciful, creative ones with kimchi, prickly pear and beetroots.

Jerrold Khoo of Stay Gold Flamingo, where you will find a Basil-infused Paloma flavoured with a dash of ginger beer, highlights the growing Asian interest in the highball format as another reason for success. “Also, it is relatively easy to make and create variations,” he added.

The highball style – a spirit and soda blend – is increasingly favoured in Japan and Korea by millennials and Gen Z for its lighter and low ABV cocktail format, and as Erika Danielle, a proud member of the Gen Z tribe and head bartender of the Cat Bite Club affirms, highballs are “easy to smash”.

She goes on to highlight how the bitterness of the grapefruit further contributes to appeal. “The sweet-sour drink profile has been around since the 1980s. As palates have evolved over decades, there's an increased demand for a bitter element in drinks to counteract the trends of before,” she said.

Having tried many Singapore variations, from the esoteric to the purist, here are six of my favourite Palomas worth sipping on your next night out.

OSMANTHUS PALOMA AT MADAME FAN BAR

At the historic NCO Club, Chew Qing Ting, the head bartender interprets the intangible Chinese culture in her drinks and delivers an Asian take on the Mexican staple. In this beautifully balanced drink, the mezcal is infused with osmanthus tea leaves and lengthened with a homemade grapefruit soda. The glass is then dusted with an osmanthus-pink peppercorn-salt combo. The drink is one of the best sellers since its launch in July and ordered by 80 per cent of Chew’s new clientele.

PALOMA AT CAT BITE CLUB

“It's bitter, sour, light and fruity,” said Danielle. The house Paloma calls for both tequila and mezcal. She amps up the acid component with a three citrus oleo and a cordial of fresh grapefruit, lime and lemon juice and apple cider vinegar. And lifts the bitterness a notch with a dash of grapefruit bitters. The resulting drink is a punchy and glorious Paloma that checks all the flavour boxes.

BUTTERED PALOMA AT DEADFALL CANTINA

Barbary Coast and Deadfall Cantina co-founder Celia Schoonraad deconstructed the paloma piece by piece, to recreate her textured riff. She fat washed tequila with beurre noisette (brown butter) to add an incredible rich, nutty flavour profile. “We add the fat-washed tequila, clarified citrus juices and a hint of sugar together and carbonate them as one. This gives us an incredibly rich mouthfeel as well as deliciously fresh and bold flavours,” she explained.

RIVERCITY PALOMA AT 28 HONG KONG STREET

Former head bartender, at 28 Hong Kong Street Tamaryn Cooper’s take on the drink is a light, textured union between a paloma and a Bloody Mary. Made with a mezcal base, the cocktail is elaborate in its ingredient list, which includes calvados (apple spirit), a tomato shrub, citrus and grapefruit soda, but you wouldn’t know if you didn’t read it here. Served in a slim highball glass, the drink displays an enticing violet hue, topped with a delicate homemade crostini and furikake garnish.

PRICKY PEAR PALOMA AT THE STORE

“We wanted to have an approachable paloma with simple ingredients but complex flavours,” said Hirman Asnadi, who runs the homey neighbourhood bar The Store, with his partner, Joanne Kok. Dusted with Mexican Tajin, the drink is a blend of Topanito Espadin mezcal, Ancho Reyes, and Prickly Pear concentrate, topped with grapefruit soda. A few deft shakes combine the flavours and bring forth layers of flavours from salty and sweet to tangy, earthy and spicy.

BEETS BY DRE AT THE BAR AT 15 STAMFORD

Mate Csizmadia, the new head bartender at 15 Stamford introduced a playful twist on the Paloma, with a trio of agave spirits – Koch Borrego mezcal, Codigo Artesanal mezcal, and Patron Silver tequila – and beetroot. Beets by Dre is a tangy ruby-hued take on a clarified milk punch, served with a homemade salt blend of dehydrated oregano, capers, lime zest and pink peppercorns.