When you’re looking for a healthy and refreshing drink that offers benefits like glowing skin, longevity, brain health, and heart health, this white tea paloma mocktail recipe requires just a few ingredients to make. So instead of just taking out the alcohol, it adds in a bunch of health benefits by using strong, steeped tea as a base! It also offers that alcohol flavor that’s usually hard to achieve without liquor. This healthy mocktail is perfect for a relaxing night at home or a gathering with friends.
Welcome back to my functional mocktail series, where we not only take the alcohol out of cocktails but add in extra health benefits! If that sounds like your kind of party, you should know we have a functional mocktail recipe for every season, like the Strawberry Cinnamon Aphrodisiac Mocktail for Valentine’s Day, Pumpkin Orange Saffron Fall Mocktail, the wintery Cranberry Rosemary Mocktail, the springtime Ginger Citrus Mocktail, and the summery canteloupe mojito mocktail or blended swirled basil blackberry mocktail. You should also know that I’ve committed a lot of my time on my podcast to interviewing health experts on the negative impacts of alcohol. And as someone who transitioned from being sober curious and drinking alcohol occasionally to removing alcohol from my lifestyle completely, this episode on a therapist’s best tips on how to drink less and have more fun is a real game changer. If any of that sounds interesting to you, be sure to check out my 3-part podcast series on the effects of alcohol featuring world-class doctors.
For this white tea paloma mocktail, I wanted to share one of my favorite functional mocktail tricks: using quickly steeped but strong tea as a base. in addition to having tons of noted benefits! White tea is a chlorogenic acid powerhouse, which podcast listeners know is SO good for longevity, brain health, heart health, and more! It ALSO adds that alcohol flavor or nuance that is normally hard to achieve without alcohol. To be certain, this mocktail is far from being juice—it has the body, texture and complexity that we want from a mocktail and the pops of grapefruit zest in the honey salt rim take it to the next level. Plus, citrus zest, which is normally thrown away, has its own incredible health benefits, like being shown in studies to help nourish your skin and even protect cell damage related to cancer! So if you’re ready to turn your favorite healthy drinks into functional mocktails, this white tea paloma mocktail is about to earn a spot in your recipe rotation.
A healthy twist on the Paloma
A Paloma is a popular, tequila-based cocktail that originated in Mexico. It’s simple, and refreshing, and usually consists of tequila, fresh lime juice, salt, and grapefruit soda. Palomas are known and loved for their bright and citrusy flavors, making them an excellent choice for those who enjoy a refreshing and slightly tangy beverage. In this recipe, we use white tea to give the body and texture and complexity that we want from a mocktail, plus the pops of grapefruit zest in which also adds in extra benefits. In this episode of the podcast with Dr. William Li, we learn about how citrus zest has been shown in studies to help nourish your skin and even protect cell damage related to cancer. So now you have even more reasons to make this delicious Paloma mocktail!
Ingredients in a healthy Paloma mocktail
Now that you’re ready to start slinging functional mocktails like a professional bartender, you’ll need the following ingredients to make the best healthy Paloma recipe:
- Water
- White tea bags
- Honey
- Grapefruit
- Fine grain sea salt
- Fresh lime juice
- Can of grapefruit sparkling water
How to make a white tea Paloma mocktail
Making this delicious white tea Paloma mocktail is so easy. Once you’ve gathered the simple ingredients to make this mocktail recipe, you’ll simply complete the following steps:
- Boil water to make tea. It’ll steep for just one minute, then remove and squeeze out bags.
- Stir in some honey and put in the fridge.
- Zest half the grapefruit onto a plate and mix the zest with some salt. Really rub it together to distribute those zesty oils.
- Drizzle honey on a plate and roll the rim of your glass in it and use your finger to spread a thin layer and roll it into the grapefruit-salt mixture.
- Finally, you’ll juice the grapefruit and mix it with lime juice, tea, and ice. Shake it up, add them to glasses, top with sparkling water, and enjoy!
More healthy mocktails to try:
- Lemon Thyme Fauxito Mocktail
- Lavender Haze Digestive Mocktail
- Spiced Orange Chai Digestive Mocktail
- Swirled Basil Blackberry Mocktail
White Tea Paloma Mocktail with Salted Grapefruit Rim
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 white tea bags
- 2 tablespoons honey + more for rim
- 1 grapefruit, ideally organic
- a palmful fine grain sea salt
- 1/2 cup lime juice
- 1 can grapefruit sparkling water
Instructions
- Boil the water and add the tea bags. steep for one minute, then remove and squeeze out the bags. Stir in honey and let it cool in the fridge.
- Zest half a grapefruit. Mix the zest with a palmful of salt— really rub it together to distribute those zesty oils.
- Drizzle honey on a plate and roll the rim of a glass in it. Use your finger to spread a thin layer down the top half of the outer glasses. Roll each glass into the grapefruit salt mixture to make a salted grapefruit zest rim.
- Juice the grapefruit into a bowl. Add about 1 cup of grapefruit juice, lime juice, and your tea to a large mason jar. Add ice and shake.
- Add ice to your rimmed glasses. Add the tea/juice mixture. Top them with sparkling water. Enjoy!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2-4
