AI Recipes: Virgin Smoked Grapefruit Paloma with Charred Lime and Chili Salt

Heat a grill or grill pan to high. Place the grapefruit and lime halves cut-side down and char 3-4 minutes until deeply caramelized and smoky.

Serves 4

Ingredients

3 large pink grapefruits, halved
2 limes, halved
2 tbsp honey or agave syrup, plus more to taste
Pinch of salt
2 cups grapefruit or lime sparkling water, chilled
Crushed ice
For the rim: 1 tbsp flaky salt mixed with 1/2 tsp chili powder and a pinch of sugar
Lime wedges, to rim the glasses
Charred lime wheels and grapefruit slices, to garnish

Heat a grill or grill pan to high. Place the grapefruit and lime halves cut-side down and char 3-4 minutes until deeply caramelized and smoky.
Let the citrus cool slightly, then squeeze all the warm juice into a pitcher, straining out seeds.
Stir the honey and a pinch of salt into the warm juice until fully dissolved, then taste and adjust the sweetness.
Chill the juice base thoroughly, or pour it straight over plenty of ice to cool it fast.
Mix the flaky salt, chili powder and sugar on a small plate. Rub a lime wedge around each glass rim and dip into the chili salt.
Fill the glasses with crushed ice and divide the charred-citrus base among them.
Top each with chilled sparkling water and stir once.
Garnish with a charred lime wheel and a grilled grapefruit slice, and serve ice-cold.
The paloma is Mexico's everyday favorite — more popular at home than the margarita — usually built on grapefruit soda and tequila. This alcohol-free version leans on grilling the citrus first, coaxing out a smoky-sweet depth that stands in beautifully for the spirit, while a chili-salt rim brings the heat and tang. It is a refreshing, grown-up cooler that keeps everyone at the Father's Day cookout happy, no tequila required.

📷 Photos are for inspiration and may not exactly represent the finished dish.