Happy springtime Cocktail Saturday! And welcome to (the second day of) May! Today we have a very fun, very delicious drink in the spirit of Cinco de Mayo this Tuesday! The Paloma is probably my favorite cocktail. It has been ever since I shared this wintery pomegranate ginger Paloma and then this spring strawberry chamomile Paloma. What I love about the Paloma, versus say a margarita, is that it’s much simpler, much less sweet, and always topped off with club soda. Any kind of drink topped with bubbly, fizzy water, is my kind of drink. With Cinco de Mayo this Tuesday, I knew today was the perfect day to share this fun recipe. I actually thought of the idea a few weeks ago but saved it for today. One, watermelon is only just now starting to show up in grocery stores. So I wanted to be sure that everyone could get their hands on one before I shared the recipe. And two, ahh, well, I just wanted to wait for Cinco de Mayo and some warmer days to enjoy this refreshingly sweet and spicy drink. Excited to finally share it with you guys!
The details.
This cocktail is simple as can be. First, make some fresh watermelon juice. How do you do this? It is EASY. Blend a whole bunch of cubed watermelon, then strain it through a fine-mesh sieve. Or don’t strain it, and make your cocktail more of a “smoothie” situation. Either way, it works and it’s going to be good.
Once you rim your glasses in the sweet chili salt, make the drink. Just combine that fresh watermelon juice, the tequila, lime juice, and Rosè wine. Add ice, then top the drink off with club soda or sparkling water. If you wanted to add even more flavor, you could swap the sparkling water out and use spicy ginger beer… I would do this.
If you can’t get your hands on a watermelon, no worries at all. You can simply swap in an equal amount of grapefruit juice. And for the garnishes, I like to add edible flowers for a pop of color, but use what you have on hand. As I’ve mentioned over and over now, I’ve been ordering my flowers and herbs from Gourmet Sweet Botanicals. They’ll last all week and make recipes just a little bit sweeter…and prettier! That’s it, this drink is SIMPLE. But it’s GOOD. I mean, watermelon, tequila, AND Rosè wine? Plus sparkling water? And a bonus spicy, salty, sweet, and tangy rimmed glass? Yes, yes, yes, it has all the good things the first Saturday of May requires. My suggestion? Test this out today, then make it again with your Mexican inspired fiesta on Tuesday for Cinco de Mayo.
Here is my Cinco de Mayo menu as of right now:
Kick the night off with this fun Watermelon Rosè Paloma, of course. But while you sip, snack on some homemade queso, and probably some guacamole too. For dinner, I’m going with baked chipotle chicken taquitos, they’re my go-to. Or maybe I’ll serve up my favorite one skillet chicken tortilla enchilada bake. Either of these…or maybe both, will be so good. And for dessert? Friday’s dirty horchata tres leches cake. Who’s in? I’m excited to (hopefully) see everyone recreating this over the weekend! Enjoy!
Lastly, if you make this Watermelon Rosè Paloma, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
