Deliciously intoxicating but not inebriating, this sweet, sour, and slightly spicy, Watermelon Paloma Mocktail is a refreshing addition to any celebration.
I’ve partnered with Sprouts on this recipe for Watermelon Paloma Mocktail. All opinions herein are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep this blog spinning.

Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner, and, this year, a lot of celebrations will be happening at home.
When I first came to the US of A to attend college, I assumed Cinco de Mayo was a day to celebrate Mexico’s independence. Take out the u from the word assume and that would be what I am for assuming. It took me awhile to learn that Cinco de Mayo was a celebration of the Mexican army’s victory over France at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.
My curiosity got the better of me and I started ruminating on what was the most popular drink in Mexico. Some digging and Googling and I found The Paloma overtook several others in popularity.

I tried to find out the origin of the Paloma and came up with several versions. One version is that it is named after La Paloma (“The Dove”), a popular folk song from the 1860s. Another version is that it was created by Don Javier Delgado Corona, owner and bartender of La Capilla, in Tequila, Mexico – who supposedly denied it in Meehan’s Bartender’s Manual.
Even though I had little knowledge of its exact origin, I was armed with several recipes, thanks to “Uncle Google” like my mom says.

Most recipes for a Paloma called for tequila, grapefruit soda or grapefruit juice, fresh lime juice (if using a grapefruit soda) or lime soda (if using fresh grapefruit juice), and a bit of salt.
Armed with this knowledge, I decided to try out a mocktail version of this refreshing cocktail. But I had no clue exactly how I was going to pull one off. So, I headed to Sprouts.
Sprouts is one of the places on my weekly shopping rotation these days as I can find super fresh beets there. I love beets and lately I’ve been having a hard time finding fresh ones at most other stores.
But beets aren’t the only fresh produce at Sprouts. Their fresh produce section is the largest section in the store and packed with fresh everything from avocados to zucchini – and this is where my daughter and I spend most of our time.

On our last trip, in addition to a bunch of beets, we also picked up some ripe mini watermelons. These little guys have seeds in them, but they are so super juicy and tasty. We also got a bunch of limes. And, while meandering through the other aisles, we came across some sparkling coconut water…and my grey cells started working.

Instead of grapefruit juice and lime soda/ I decided to make a Paloma Mocktail with watermelon juice and sparkling coconut water!
In order to highlight The Paloma’s signature flavors of sweet, sour and salty, I also decided to add in some fresh lime juice and salt. But I went a bit further and added in some spice in the form of sliced jalapeños as well.

In order to get the hint of spice included in this Paloma Mocktail, I decided to infuse the sparkling coconut water with some slices of jalapeño. Using a pestle (you could also use a spoon), I gave the slices of jalapeño (while in the sparkling coconut water) a few gentle pounds to release some of the heat in their seeds. Now, if spice isn’t your thing, then skip out on the jalapeño and this extra step.

With fresh, sweet watermelon juice, fresh lime juice, sparkling coconut water, jalapeño, and salt, this Sweet Spicy Watermelon Paloma Mocktail is a refreshing and tasty drink to add to your Cinco de Mayo celebrations at home along with this Cilantro Lime Chicken!
This refreshing drink also pairs well with this rainbow of roasted veggies, these baked tindora fries, these chickpea avocado sandwiches, as well as chips and a big bowl of this roasted butternut squash dip!

By the way, if you are fortunate to have a Sprouts close by and want to make this mocktail, Sprouts has a great selection of farm-fresh produce to make and garnish your mocktails with. They also have a wide-variety of better-for-you seltzers, spritzers, drink mixes and more to put your own spin on your favorite beverage.

Sweet Spicy Watermelon Paloma Mocktail
Start Cinco de Mayo off with this Watermelon Paloma! Made with Jalapeño-infused soda / sparkling water, this Watermelon Paloma is a tasty, refreshing, sweet and spicy mocktail that lets you sip on a tasty drink all day while you celebrate from home!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups watermelon juice (from 1 mini ripe watermelon)
- 4 tbsp lime juice
- Pinch of salt
- ½ jalapeño
- 1 cup lemon/lime soda like sprite or sparkling coconut water
Instructions
- First off, open the lemon/lime soda or sparkling water and pour 1 cup into a measuring cup.
- Slice half the jalapeño, and add the slices into the measuring cup with the soda or sparkling coconut water. And, using a spoon or pestle, smash down on the jalapeño slices. Then set aside so jalapeño will steep into the soda / sparkling coconut water.*
- To get the watermelon juice, slice the watermelon into quarters. Then, spoon out the flesh into a large strainer over a deep bowl. Then, using either your hands or a spoon, squeeze the watermelon flesh so the juice trickles down into the bowl. I used about a ¾ of the watermelon to get a cup and a half of watermelon juice. *The riper the watermelon, the easier it is to get the juice squeezed out and the more juice as well.
- Divide the watermelon juice between 2 glasses so there’s approximately ¾ cup watermelon juice in each.
- Then, squeeze in 2 tbsp of lime juice into each glass.
- Pour a half cup of the jalapeño-infused soda or sparkling water into each glass.
- Add a pinch of salt to each glass and stir well.
- Serve chilled with extra slices of jalapeño and lime.
Notes
*Instead of infusing the sparkling coconut water / lime soda with sliced jalapeño, you could also simply grate half a jalapeño into the watermelon juice and stir well.
Nutrition Information
Yield 2 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 200Sodium 190mgCarbohydrates 43gFiber 2gSugar 27gProtein 2g
Related Recipes
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo at home with easy and tasty recipes such as salsa made with canned tomatoes, easy beet tacos, jackfruit tacos made with canned jackfruit, delicious quesadillas made with pantry staple ingredients and a novel fusion recipe of enchillada risotto!
Paloma Mocktail Recipe - 3 Boys and a Dog
Saturday 29th of October 2022
[…] Watermelon Paloma Mocktail […]
An Easy Melon Salad with Feta Recipe - Savory Spin
Friday 28th of May 2021
[…] intoxicating but not inebriating, this sweet, sour, and slightly spicy, Watermelon Paloma Mocktail is a refreshing accompaniment to this easy Melon Salad with […]
Spring Mocktails | Intentional Hospitality
Saturday 23rd of January 2021
[…] sour, and slightly spicy, Watermelon Paloma Mocktail is a refreshing addition to any celebration. GO TO THE RECIPE Apple Cider Mocktail This Apple Cider Mocktail a has tart apple cider flavor with warm maple […]
Frozen Pizza Loaded with Spicy Shrimp Broccoli - Savory Spin
Thursday 20th of August 2020
[…] with Spicy Shrimp Broccoli with this light and tasty Melon Salad with feta, wash it down with this watermelon paloma mocktail, and enjoy this chocolate and cookie butter bake for […]
Healthy, 8-Ingredient, Blender Chocolate Pretzel Bars
Thursday 28th of May 2020
[…] when we travel, we have an assortment of beverages on hand and healthy treats like these Chocolate Pretzel Bars as […]