Today we’re giving the mocktail treatment to the popular Paloma cocktail. This is a truly delicious mixture of grapefruit juice, thyme syrup, lime, and sparkling water!
I read somewhere that the Paloma is the most popular cocktail in Mexico. Whether that’s true or not, it’s a truly delicious mixture of grapefruit juice, tequila, lime, and sparkling water. I decided to give it the mocktail treatment and see if I could come up with something we liked as well that wouldn’t put us flat on our glúteos if we sip too much.
Turns out that while one can argue there is just no substitute for tequila, you can mix up a pretty delicious Paloma knockoff without it that’s deliciously refreshing. This is another one we can’t wait to enjoy sitting out on the back deck this summer.
Meet the White Poppy.
The White Poppy name is another play on the name of the drink we’re knocking off. I like giving my drinks original names, and not just calling them a virgin whatchamacallit.
The word paloma means dove in Spanish. The dove is a symbol of peace, so when we were looking for a name for this drink, I started looking up other symbols of peace.
Poppies have been used for a long time to symbolize the end of war, particularly World War I {as memorialized in “In Flanders Fields”}, but those were mostly red poppies. But in 1933, anti-war movements began selling white poppies as symbols of peace, with the white color symbolizing a lack of bloodshed as well as remembrance for all who were lost in war.
It has a history of being a political symbol, but in this case, I’m not making a political statement with the name. I wanted something that gave it some lineage to the drink that inspired it, and if it happens to mean peace, well…couldn’t we use a little bit more of that in the world right now?
[lt_recipe name=”The White Poppy :: A Mocktail” summary=”A sparkling herby-fresh mocktail take on the classic Paloma!” servings=”2″ print=”yes” image=”https://homefrontcooking.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/White-Poppy-Mocktail-0140-1024×683.jpg” ingredients=”1 cup sugar;1 cup water;2 fresh thyme sprigs;lime wedge;small saucer of sugar;1 cup grapefruit juice {I use Ruby Red};sparkling water or club soda;4 tbsp thyme syrup;8-10 ice cubes” ]Put two highball or rocks glasses into the freezer.;In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from heat.;Add the thyme, and let the syrup cover it. Let the thyme steep for about 2 hours.;Remove the thyme and pour the syrup into a jar with a lid and refrigerate until needed.; Remove the glasses from the freezer and run the lime wedge around the top of the glass. Dip the top of the glass into the saucer of sugar to give the rim of the glass a sugar coating.;Fill the glasses about half full with ice. Add 2 tbsp thyme syrup to each glass. Fill the glass with 1/3 cup grapefruit juice and top off the rest of the way with sparkling water or club soda.;Garnish with fresh thyme, a slice of lime or even grapefruit, and serve.[/lt_recipe]
And if you’re looking for the weekend version with alcohol back in, you can add a splash of tequila, but I would recommend gin. Gin goes phenomenally well with this flavor combo. Just add sparingly!
