The Perfect End of Summer Guava Paloma

End of Summer Guava Paloma: The perfect cocktail (or mocktail) to send off summer. A classic tequila cocktail of grapefruit and lime gets a summery update with guava juice and a little fizz. What could be more refreshing?

Nothing says summer to me like a refreshing cocktail on the beach or by the pool. My cocktail of choice? Any version of a margarita! I’ll take the frozen classic, fun and tropical like a mango margarita, or light and refreshing like a Paloma.

If you aren’t familiar with a Paloma, let’s talk a little about it. Palomas are a tequila based cocktail with the addition of fresh grapefruit juice and lime. It’s typically more tart than the traditional margarita; but I find it much more refreshing to drink on those hot summer days.

For this end of summer guava Paloma, we’re going to combine the traditional grapefruit and lime flavors with a splash of guava juice and a sugared rim.

So, let’s get into it!

How to make a guava Paloma

Gather the ingredients

Tequila: Traditionally silver tequila is used in a Paloma recipe. However, I personally prefer reposado; so that’s what I chose to use while testing this recipe. *And I throughly enjoyed testing this particular recipe 😉

Grapefruit juice: If you can use fresh squeezed juice, I definitely recommend! But if that is not available to you, store bought works fine. Just be sure the store bought juice is 100% juice with nothing else added in.

Guava juice: Typically you can find guava juice at Trader Joe’s or Target. Most grocery stores carry some version of guava juice. You can also find guava nectar. This is much sweeter; so if that is all you can find, I would recommend cutting back on the guava measurement when assembling.

Lime juice

Sparkling water or seltzer

Coarse sugar

Creating a mocktail? Leave out the tequila and replace with more sparkling water. Any time I create mocktails, I like to experiment with flavored sparkling water. Try lime or strawberry with this recipe. Delicious!

Onto a small plate, pour out some coarse sugar. Rim your glass with a slice of lime and roll the wet rim into the sugar.

In a shaker glass with ice, add the tequila, grapefruit juice, and guava juice and shake vigorously until chilled.

Pour the drink into the sugared cocktail glass and top with a generous squeeze of fresh lime juice. If you are topping the cocktail with sparkling water, do that now.

Serve and enjoy!

What is guava?

Guava is a tropical fruit known for its sweet and juicy flavor. To me guava has a strawberry like flavor and interchanges well with that fruit. Because of it’s summery sweet flavor, it is the perfect fruit to add to a cocktail.

Looking for more summer fruit inspiration?

Bourbon Brown Butter Peach Cobbler

Southern Double Crust Blackberry Cobbler

Simple Strawberry Basil Goat Cheese

Before you go, if you make this end of summer guava Paloma, rate and/or comment down below. I’d love to hear what you think!