5 Best Tequilas for the Perfect Paloma Cocktail
From unaged blancos to oaky reposados, here are five top-tier tequilas to use in your next homemade Paloma. (Photo: Youtube/Preppy Kitchen)
The citrus-soaked Paloma is a treasured favorite for good reason. Spanish for “dove,” the Paloma has reigned for decades as Mexico’s national cocktail and a certified classic in its own right.
The most basic of Paloma recipes combine one part tequila with three parts grapefruit soda like Ting or Jarritos. Beyond that, endless variations can be made with fresh grapefruit juice, lime, liqueur or virtually anything else you can imagine standing up to tart flavor.
Best of all, the Paloma can just as easily be made with unaged blanco as it can with an aged reposado. Here, we’ve put together a list of five top-tier tequilas that each add a unique twist to the delicious favorite.
Tapatio Reposado
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Founded in 1973 by the legendary Don Felipe Camarena Hernández, Tapatio Tequila’s simple bottle disguises a fantastic spirit.
Its reposado combines all the hallmark qualities of a lightly aged tequila. This one is perfect for a sweet, dark-tinted cocktail, balancing in noticeable oak influence alongside hints of brown sugar, vanilla, toffee and faint spice.
The cherry on top? Tapatio offers an unprecedented price-to-quality ratio. At $39, you’d be hard-pressed to find a different reposado more beloved by enthusiasts within this budget.
Pasote Blanco
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After creating fantastic brands like Tequila G4, Volans and ArteNOM 1579, the Camarena family expanded its portfolio in 2016 with Pasote Tequila.
Even if you aren’t making a Paloma, this is a quality addition to your bar cart. Sweet pepper, roasted fruits, grilled pineapple and a hint of rock candy linger on the palate. Parsing in lemon, salt, pepper and faint ash on the finish, this is a bottle that dials up the complexity well beyond the average blanco.
You can find Pasote Blanco for $51.
El Tesoro Blanco
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Tequila afficonados adore El Tesoro for good reason. Produced at the historic La Alteña Distillery alongside brands like Tapatio and Ocho, El Tesoro is well-regarded for its unique mix of fruit and bready flavor.
El Tesoro Blanco offers lime, orange peel, sweet cream and a hint of herbal bitterness on the palate followed by a bright agave-laden finish. At $50, this bottle works just as well as a solo sipper as it does a flavorful cocktail mixer.
Prospero Blanco
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Prospero was launched in 2019 by master distiller Stella Anguiano and British pop star Rita Ora. Though celebrity-backed tequila rightfully gets a lot of flack, it’s hard to find one more perfectly designed for the Paloma.
Brimming with fruit, florality and a touch of balsamic, Prospero Blanco mixes in berries, mango, tropical fruits and honey on the palate with pepper and light salinity on the finish. A flavor bomb right at home within the tart bite of grapefruit.
You can find Prospero Blanco for around $30.
Don Fulano Reposado
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Don Fulano Reposado is rested for at least eight months in a wide variety of barrels including Hungarian Oak, wine casks and even cognac.
As a result, the spirit is imbued with gobs of naturally sweet flavor. Its palate combines oak with vanilla bean, cream, guava and ash, balanced out by roasted agave, brown butter and clove on the finish. At $65, this isn’t the cheapest reposado on the market, but it makes for a worthwhile splash into an elegant cocktail if you’re trying to impress.
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