Happier Hour

The Grapefruit Paloma and Its Unique Taste

Tart, juicy grapefruit, boozy tequila, and just a hint of tropical lime — you can’t get much better than a Paloma. Or can you?

Here at JuneShine, we’ve taken the classic Mexican Paloma and introduced it to our beloved hard kombucha, creating their delicious lovechild, the Grapefruit Paloma.

The Scoop on the Paloma

An alternative to the much-admired Margarita, the Paloma is another popular Mexican cocktail that prides itself on its simple ingredients. In fact, the Paloma is quite possibly more popular in Mexico than the Margarita, as its light, refreshing taste is a fan favorite.

The Paloma, meaning dove in Spanish, has a bit of a mysterious origin. The original creator of the Paloma cocktail is not certain, but it is believed to be Don Javier Delgado Corona, the owner and bartender of LaCapilla bar in Tequila, Mexico. However, Don Javier has since denied his role in the drink’s creation.

What we do know is the history of how the Paloma made its way to the United States. American bartender Evan Harrison introduced Americans to the popular drink in a pamphlet, “Popular Drinks of the Rio Grande.” Not long after, fans of Mexican cuisine and tequila had a new favorite tequila beverage.

While this classic is a favorite for many Mexican locals, its ingredients are pretty simple. To make a Paloma, you need tequila, pink grapefruit juice, lime, agave nectar, and grapefruit soda water. Mix them together and serve over ice, adding a salted rim and a wedge of fresh lime or grapefruit as garnish.

Enter the Grapefruit Paloma

While the classic Paloma is delicious, we love hard kombucha too much to choose between the two. There’s nothing like the refreshing fizz and fruity flavors of a hard booch, so we decided to combine them.

Jun Kombucha

We think something magical happens when you use Jun (rhyming with run) kombucha. For starters, it can be set apart from its original variety of kombucha by its ingredients.

While traditional kombucha is made by brewing black tea and cane sugar, Jun Kombucha is brewed with green tea and a touch of honey for extra flavor and smoothness.

Then, we take things a step further. Instead of one traditional fermentation, we take our kombucha through a second process of fermentation. By doing this, we can raise the alcohol content and increase the level of carbonation. This creates a hard booch similar in texture to a soda — fizzy deliciousness without all of the icky ingredients found in soft drinks.

Flavor It Up

After our Jun Kombucha base has been brewed, cooled, and fermented twice, we add our unique flavors. With only natural ingredients and organic juices, a beautiful medley of hard kombucha flavors is brought to life.

Using all-natural grapefruit and lime, we create a unique take on the classic Paloma cocktail— the Grapefruit Paloma hard kombucha. This booch beauty is made with green tea, honey, acidic grapefruit, and citrus notes of lime.

The JuneShine Grapefruit Paloma Hard Kombucha has 6% ABV (Alcohol By Volume), only 150 calories, and just seven grams of carbohydrates. In comparison to the original Paloma, which contains around 188 calories and a whopping 15 grams of carbs, we think this is a much lighter way to sip on the classic cocktail.