Pink Grapefruit Soda
A carbonated soft drink flavored with pink grapefruit, used as a mixer for a tart, fruity fizz.
Origin
A broad category of carbonated grapefruit-flavored sodas, best known through brands like Squirt (launched 1938) and Jarritos, popular especially in Mexican and Latin American markets.
History
Grapefruit soda developed alongside the broader early-to-mid-20th-century American soda boom, with brands like Squirt (1938) establishing the tart, bittersweet grapefruit-soda category early on. It became especially closely associated with Mexican cocktail culture, most famously as the essential mixer in the Paloma, one of Mexico's most popular tequila cocktails, where its sweet-tart citrus profile balances tequila's vegetal character.
Flavor profile
Tart, bittersweet grapefruit flavor with sugar sweetness and carbonation.
Tasting notes
Bright grapefruit tartness balanced against real sweetness and fizz, working especially well against tequila's sharper, vegetal edge in a Paloma, more approachable than straight grapefruit juice thanks to its added sugar.
Substitutes
- Fresh grapefruit juice with club soda and a touch of simple syrup, for a fresher approximation.
- A different grapefruit soda brand (Jarritos, Squirt, Fresca), since the category covers a fairly similar style.
- Regular grapefruit juice, understanding it's less sweet and has no carbonation.
Common cocktails