Raise a glass to the new feel-good cocktail of summer (starring the fastest-growing spirit in Australia)

While nothing gets the blood pumping like a spicy margarita, the feel-good cocktail hit this summer is the Paloma.

Mexico’s most popular cocktail is traditionally made with tequila, lime, salt and grapefruit soda and served in a highball glass.

Bartenders and mixologists across Australia say the refreshing “sessionability” of the citrus-forward combination makes it the perfect cocktail choice in Australia, especially when the mercury rises.

That, and the rising popularity of prestige tequila.

“Tequila is on fire,” says James Fisher, senior brand manager for spirit producer Patrón. “It’s the fastest-growing spirit category within Australia.”

While everyone knows the tequila-based margarita, Fisher says the Paloma is on the rise globally. “It has more sessionability because it’s a bit more savoury and citrus-forward.”

In general, Fisher says long cocktails are more refreshing. “You see things like Palomas and Japanese whisky in highballs gathering more momentum,” he says.

Fisher recently returned to Australia after a stint living and working in Canada, and has his eye fixed on US trends.

“The Paloma is so huge in Mexico and North America that you’re seeing [premium mixers like] the Fever Trees and Fentimans of the world producing grapefruit soda as well. This means it’s now easier to drink a Paloma at home because there are more options.”

According to Patrón, the Paloma’s history is difficult to pinpoint. Historians struggle to agree on where or how the drink was created. Despite ambiguity around its origins, the Paloma’s popularity spiked when a grapefruit soda called Squirt was introduced to Mexico in the 1950s. Locals mixed it with tequila and the rest is history.

Tom Younger, head of cocktails at Melbourne’s HQ Group (HER, Afloat, Arbory Bar & Eatery) says people are looking for tequila-based cocktails other than the margarita.

“I’ve been a fan of the Paloma for quite some time,” Younger says. “I love the fresh, vibrant and citrusy profile and how it builds the taste of the tequila, rather than masking it.”

In Australia, mixologists occasionally push boundaries. Tom and the HER team recently added the Bloody Perfect Paloma to the venue’s cocktail menu.

“We wanted to elevate it for evening drinking, with a little more interest and thrill than your average recipe,” he says.

“That’s where blood orange and raspberry come into play. The sweetness of the blood orange balances the tart notes of the raspberries, creating a harmonious, extra-juicy flavour profile. At its core, it’s still a refreshing drink but it’s more complex (less sweet, more bitter) than your average Paloma, lending itself to long summer nights.”

In Sydney, The Charles Bar riffs on the original with its new Paloma Flotante.

“It’s a combination of two classics, The Paloma and the Ramos Fizz,” says bar manager Colin Tam. “The bitterness from the grapefruit gives the drink a zesty punch and with the addition of vanilla and rosewater, it transforms into a refreshing, floral, thirst-quencher.”

The Charles bar team worked closely with pastry chef Rhiann Mead to create the grapefruit and lime sherbet incorporated in the drink.

“Adding the sherbet gives the cocktail a silkier and a fuller body,” Tam says.

“Tequila is on fire. It’s the fastest-growing spirit category within Australia.”

James Fisher, senior brand manager for spirit producer Patrón.

In Adelaide, Latin American-style laneway bar Paloma was named after the cocktail.

“Other names we considered sounded a bit too harsh,” says Andrew Cooper, bar manager at Paloma’s sister venue 2KW Bar & Restaurant, also owned by Palmer Hospitality Group.

“Paloma means dove [in Spanish] so it felt soft and just right,” says Cooper. “If you know the Paloma, you love it. It’s a good summer cocktail because it kicks off all the senses; on the palate you’ve got bitterness, sweetness and citrus.”

The Adelaide bar generally keeps its namesake cocktail classic but at the moment is pouring a version made with a touch of gin.

“This is to make it more of an entry point [for tequila newbies],” Cooper says. “Because generally, compared to a margarita, you can taste the tequila much more in a Paloma.”

Canned cocktail producers are also getting in on the action. Campari Group’s Espolòn Tequila recently launched Sparkling Margarita and Sparkling Paloma ready-to-drink products in Australia.

In October, newish label Papa Salt Coastal Gin added a Paloma to their range. The canned cocktail is a collaboration with local soda label CAPI, and contains cold-pressed grapefruit juice, rosemary, and Papa Salt Gin.

Papa Salt was started by LA-based friends-turned-business partners Josey McNamara, Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, Charlie Maas and Regan Riskas Maas, who met through the film industry in London and discovered they shared a passion for gin.

Yet despite their fondness for the spirit, they’d never mixed it with grapefruit soda, says Papa Salt CEO Charlie Maas.

“When we launched in May 2023, we travelled around Australia visiting bar after bar and at almost every bar, the bartender would suggest serving Papa Salt with grapefruit soda,” says Maas.

The Papa Salt Paloma made its debut at SXSW Sydney in October and is available at Dan Murphy’s, BWS, and independent retailers. It is also available on all domestic and international short-haul Virgin Australia flights, marking the brand’s first expansion into travel retail.

“Gin has had a rough year or two, and agave is coming on strong,” Maas says. “For an individual consumer, that probably means more long drinks and more citrus-forward cocktails. We’re lucky that Papa Salt can play in both worlds.”