Spicy Palomita With Cheese Pairings

The paloma is one of the all-time cocktail greats, with its refreshing blend of tequila, grapefruit, and lime. We took that classic and gave it a makeover for our Spicy Palomita, trading tequila for mezcal and adding a splash of pickled pepper brine and a spicy rim. There's a perfect balance of chile heat, sweet, bitter, and smoky in every sip. It's easy drinking at barbecues, alongside creamy and snackable cheeses like Harbison, Quinby, and Young Manchego. While we love the citrusy hit of spice from the Tajin coating, if you don't have Tajin, you can substitute a mixture of salt and chile powder.

Featuring

prep time
5minutes
assembly time
10minutes
Serves
2people

preparation & ingredients

1 1/2 oz. simple syrup, plus extra to coat glasses

2 oz. Peppadew brine

8 oz. grapefruit juice

4 oz. mezcal

2 oz. lime juice

1 oz. Tajin

1/2 oz. ground pink peppercorn

Barn First Creamery Quinby

Murray's Young Manchego

Jasper Hill Farm Harbison

Combine the Tajin and pink peppercorns, and spread across a plate in a thin layer. Take two glasses, and dip half the rim of each glass into simple syrup, then into the spice mix, making gentle, circular motions with the cup to evenly coat the dipped half of the rim.

Place some ice cubes into a cocktail shaker. Add the simple syrup, Peppadew brine, grapefruit juice, mezcal, and lime juice, and shake for 20 seconds until fully chilled.

Add fresh ice to cups, then divide the cocktail between the two cups.