Paloma Cocktail

While we love a good Margarita in America, a traveler to Mexico may discover the popular drink takes a back seat to a different tequila cocktail: the Paloma. It's Spanish for "dove" and swaps out triple sec (and any other sweeteners) for a more modest grapefruit soda. The traditional choice, perhaps surprisingly, is Squirt, an American soda brand that has been exported to Mexico since the '50s, when the Paloma was invented.

It's an unfussy drink that deserves to be as popular here. Though you can use whatever grapefruit soda you like to make it, we highly recommend picking up a couple glass bottles of the Mexican-made version of Squirt (available at Latin American grocery stores everywhere). It's slightly less sweet, as it swaps corn syrup for cane sugar. And while you can use any tequila you like, a blanco will taste delicious and keeps the whole thing looking pure white in a glass, like its namesake bird.