spicy strawberry paloma
Hooray, our first cocktail of 2023!
Congrats, you survived Dry January! I hope it wasn’t too hard for you, such might be cause for alarm. I also hope a little purge of alcohol after the tasty holiday treats felt nice on your body – even if you’re not a heavy drinker, you may have experienced an uptick in liquid intake over Christmas and such.
I’m not big on drinking anyway, so I didn’t participate in Dry January myself. I kind of take a moderate approach to alcohol year-round, and even over the holidays didn’t have more than one drink per week, probably – except my birthday maybe, I think I had champagne and wine. Wild.
But, it’s February now, so we’ll be back to some cocktails as the occasion calls. These Spicy Strawberry Palomas are fun and refreshing, simple, and the light red hue, you could say, hearkens to the Chiefs’ presence in the Super Bowl. In fact, I’ve provided a pitcher version below if you make this for your gameday gathering next week.
Spicy is Nice-y
I’ve made prior a Strawberry Paloma Sangria, which is tasty, but this one I wanted to be slightly different with a bit of a punch since I bought some jalapenos for absolutely no reason the other day.
For a lot of my fruity cocktails, I really enjoy using jams as the main flavoring. Choose a high-quality brand for the most authentic flavor and less artificial flavor: I use Bonne Maman. I save the real fruit for garnish, something to soak up the booziness as a sort of final treat.
Otherwise the paloma ingredients are simple. If you’d like, before you pour, rim the glass in chili sugar. Plenty of grapefruit and lime juices, tequila, agave for sweetness, and a sliced jalapeno comprise the drink itself. Shake or stir them together (I like shaking aggressively to ensure the jam mixes in with everything else, but keep in mind the more you shake, the spicier it will be) and pour into an icy glass.
Enjoy, friends. I hope this weekend is relaxing for you and feels a bit more normal – throughout January, I don’t know if I felt *quite* normal. Maybe we’re far enough removed from the holidays that the leftover franticness and festiveness has mellowed.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Strawberry dranks:
spicy strawberry paloma
Ingredients
- chili sugar, for the rim (see note)
- 2 tbsp strawberry jam
- 1/2 oz lime juice
- 1-2 tbsp agave, or to taste
- 1 1/2 oz tequila
- 2 oz grapefruit juice
- 1 jalapeno, sliced into rounds
Instructions
- Run a lime wedge around a cocktail glass. Dip and swirl in the chili sugar, shaking off excess. Fill the glass with ice.
- In a shaker, combine the jam, lime juice, agave, tequila, grapefruit juice, and jalapeno. Add ice and shake until cold – the more you shake, the spicier the drink will be! Pour into the prepared glass. Garnish with fresh strawberry slices and mint, as desired.
Notes
spicy strawberry paloma pitcher
Ingredients
- 1 cup strawberry jam
- 1/2 cup lime juice
- 1/2 cup agave
- 3/4 cup tequila
- 1 cup grapefruit juice
Instructions
- In a large pitcher, stir together the jam, lime juice, agave, tequila, grapefruit juice, and jalapenos. Chill until ready to serve. If desired, mix chili sugar to rim each serving glass.
