My Bar Bible / Cocktails / Margarita vs Paloma
Margarita vs Paloma
What is the difference between a Margarita and a Paloma? Here are both recipes side by side, with exact measures, and what actually sets them apart.
The difference
- Both use tequila blanco and lime juice.
- Only the Margarita has triple sec.
- Only the Paloma has salt and grapefruit soda.
- The Margarita is shaken, the Paloma is built.
- The Margarita goes in a coupe, the Paloma in a highball.
- The Margarita is the stronger drink: about 25% against about 12% once diluted.
Margarita
| Tequila blanco | 50 ml |
| Triple sec | 20 ml |
| Lime juice | 15 ml |
Its invention is claimed by several bartenders in Mexico and Texas in the 1930s and 1940s. Margarita is Spanish for daisy, and the drink is a tequila member of the old Daisy family.
Paloma
| Tequila blanco | 50 ml |
| Lime juice | 5 ml |
| Salt | 1 pinch |
| Grapefruit soda | top up, about 100 ml |
Mexico’s favourite tequila highball: tequila, grapefruit soda, lime and a pinch of salt.