In honor of National Cocktail Day, we took a poll around the brewery asking our friends and coworkers about their favorite spirits-based concoction; and while beer is the beverage du jour around here, the answers were varied. The usual suspects popped up here and there like we thought they would, but one particular cocktail led the poll by a very wide margin.

Turns out, the national cocktail of Mexico is also the most preferred mixed drink of choice around here. You might be thinking “well duh, Margaritas are delicious” but you may also be surprised to learn that the Paloma, and not the Margarita, is the most widely consumed cocktail south of the border. Paloma is the Spanish word for dove, and the drink is just as romantic as its namesake.

The creation, or backstory, of the Paloma, is almost as mysterious as the drink is refreshing. Leaping to popularity north of the border in the ’90s, this Tequila and grapefruit soda wonder has been sipped throughout Mexico going back as far as the late 50s. By the late ’60s, La Paloma was considered “virtually the national drink of Guadalajara” according to a cocktail book printed in 1965. There is much debate about who created the cocktail first, but there is no debate about how delicious the mixture of Tequila, grapefruit soda, lime, and a touch of salt is. Those elements delicately hit all of the flavor elements of sweet, salty, sour, and savory.

As a result of our very informal internal poll on National Cocktail Day, we thought it appropriate to introduce you to our very own version of this Mexican treasure. Meet the Fling Paloma! Using Una Vida Tequila made with 100% Blue Weber Agave and featuring a collaborative design with Kansas City-based multidisciplinary designer Isaac Carlos.

Isaac had this to say about the project:

“I am a huge fan of the Paloma cocktail, it’s one of the most refreshing drinks! Growing up I only ever saw my dad drink tequila two ways, either straight or mixed with a splash of grapefruit soda and a squeeze of lime. So naturally, I lean towards Palomas when I see them on a menu, I think it’s in my DNA.

What appealed to me most about this project was the idea that this design was inspired by the visual language of Mexico that is typically found past the resorts and into lesser-known destinations. It was fun to be able to bring my childhood memories of Mexico to a local and internationally known brewery in my current home, Kansas City, Missouri.”

Learn more about Isaac here isaac-carlos.com and see more of his amazing work on Instagram @_el.isaac

Find the Tequila Paloma currently in our Fling Resort Mix Pack and soon in its own 4-pack. - boulevard.com/finder