The Easiest Skinny Paloma On The Planet

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Low-calorie tequila drinks? Yes, please! This Skinny Paloma margarita recipe is just 100 calories and the perfect cold drink for a hot summer’s day!

About This Skinny Paloma Recipe

I just love a good margarita- and when it’s getting warm outside I also find myself craving grapefruit. I just love citrus, and grapefruit has always been a flavor I love. When I was pregnant I used to binge-eat grapefruits- so weird. 

So when I found out about a quick and easy margarita variation called a Paloma (it means “dove” in Spanish) I was excited. Grapefruits aren’t as popular in Costa Rica as they are in the US, so it makes sense that I had to travel to Mexico for one of the perfect low-calorie tequila drinks.

As far as I can tell, the Paloma name of the cocktail has more to do with the person who invented it (either a man whose last name was Paloma, or more likely a woman whose first name was Paloma) or the place it was invited (a small town in Mexico called Paloma). Either way, the traditional recipe combines simple syrup, grapefruit and tequila for a refreshing cocktail on a hot day.

However, I’ve recently been working to cut back on calories, and a friend stopped by who had lost a lot of weight. I asked her how she did it- and she told me she replaced her nightly glass of wine with this skinny Paloma. It’s become my favorite drink-  and with Cinco de Mayo coming up I thought it was the perfect time to share it with you! 

For this recipe I use a “blanco” tequila- I think it lends itself better to the bland with the grapefruit juice. Plus using sparkling juice makes it a bit fizzy- and I love love love fizzy drinks!

More “Skinny” Recipes from Pura Vida Moms

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Skinny Paloma Margarita Recipe

Ingredients:

• tequila
• grapefruit soda (I use grapeftuit Izze)
• fresh lime juice 

Instructions:

In a cocktail glass, combine the tequila and grapefruit soda. Add ice and squeeze the lime juice on top. Stir and enjoy. 

More cocktail recipes from Pura Vida Moms:

• 5 Minute Tropical Rum Punch Cocktail Recipe
• Tropical Mimosa- Guava Cocktail Recipe

Substitutions

If you don’t have fresh lime juice, just use the lime juice in the bottle. It’s not the same but close enough.

Some stores (like Walmart) have grapefruit sparkling water that’s zero calories. You can definitely use that, and it might make it an even lower-calorie margarita.  

Also- you can double, triple, or quadruple this recipe to make a pitcher of low-calorie cocktails for entertaining. 

Paloma Cocktail Recipe Variations

You can use club soda and fresh grapefruit juice with tequila. 

Some people rim the glass with lime juice and salt like a traditional margarita, but I don’t like the taste of salt with grapefruit personally. 

Some people add Tajin to this to make it spicy– it’s a traditional ingredient paired with tequila and lime in Mexican tequila cocktails. 

Serving Suggestions

It’s fun to add a lime wedge to your glass but totally optional. You can also do a salted rim.

I like to serve this as a pre-dinner drink with some of my favorite chips and salsas. Or with empanadas!

• Chile del Arbol Salsa Recipe
• Creamy Mexican Green Salsa Recipe
• Shredded Beef Empanada Recipe
• Black Bean Empanada

Printable Recipe

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