Margaritas are good, but have you tried a paloma?

Cinco De Mayo is the weekend, always a holiday motif and a sure sign that summer is coming. I can eat several tacos with the best of them, but there is one aspect of Cinco De Mayo with which I simply can not participate: the margarita.

Too sweet, often too fondant. Too copious, which affects the enjoyment of my taco. With salt, anyway, I'm just not a fan.

What's a non-Margarita lover to do on May 5th? (Or any other day this summer, from somewhere else?) Here is the paloma. Basically, it has many of the same elements of the margarita: tequila, lime, salt, ice. But instead of orange liquor or premade mix of margarita, you use grapefruit soda. This change makes all the difference, and I now have a cocktail to look forward to this weekend.

When I said Go out The head of the liquor bureau, Allison Shoemaker, about my Paloma plan, her eyes lit up. "It's my favorite!" She rejoices. As a good office manager, she quickly made suggestions, like staying at the tequila blanco – she favors the brand George Clooney – accompany a sea salt smoked bourbon cask and add a few drops of bitter in the office, unfortunately ).

But for the main mixer, she was just as specific, suggesting, "Squirt, fine; Jarritos, the best (for me anyway). As well with grapefruit juice and sparkling water, but hey, it is summer, it is best to avoid stress. For the paloma, wet the edge of your glass and dip it in sea salt like a margarita, then incorporate the tequila, grapefruit soda and a little lime juice.

Even the Squirt was much less sweet than the sweet margarita mix, giving the paloma a more refreshing taste. All those who tried with me were surprised to see how much salt + tequila + lime + grapefruit soda = perfect alchemy. One of them remarked that he really had a "smooth" taste. "Really tasty," said another. It was also extremely drinkable, and after an hour of entertainment, the bottle of tequila that had been sitting on my desk for two years was empty. (Emergency!)

Below, my simple paloma recipe, followed by some more sophisticated versions suggested by some mixologists. Whatever your choice, once you've had the paloma, this melting green margarita mix will be a distant memory of Cinco De Mayo.

Basic Paloma

Wet the edge of the glass rocks and roll in kosher salt or sea salt. Add ice cream, tequila and grapefruit soda to fill. Press 1/4 lime juice, add a slice of lime on the edge of the glass and serve.

Spicy Clement Paloma Free kidney at St. Jane Hotel in Chicago

• 0.25 oz Clement Liquor
• .50 oz. Ancho Reyes (spicy pepper liqueur)
• 1.5 oz white tequila (Cazadores)
• Garnished with fresh grapefruit juice
• Pink grapefruit and lime garnish

Serve in a lowball glass on ice. The spicy pepper liqueur adds a layer of warmth to the classic citrusy.

• .5 oz lime
• 0.75 oz agave syrup
• 1.5 oz grapefruit juice
• 2 oz. blanco tequila (espolon or pueblo viejo)

Shake and move on to a Collins glass with salted edges. Cover with about 1.5 oz of soda. Decorate with a lime wedge.