Pink Grapefruit Soda: the mixer for a non-alcoholic Paloma.

There is a moment in every alcohol-free drink when the fruit has to do the work on its own. Pink Grapefruit Soda is the Graziano's answer to that moment: the claim is The lively one, and it is the most honest description of a soda that tastes of real Mediterranean grapefruit rather than of syrup.

A pink grapefruit soda made with Mediterranean grapefruit

The juice comes from Mediterranean grapefruit, and you can tell from the first sip. On the nose it is juicy and unmistakably citrus, with that slight bitterness that belongs to the fruit and not to a flavouring. On the palate it is lively and fresh, with an elegant bitter edge and a dry finish that invites the next sip instead of tiring the palate.

Underneath it all is San Graziano natural mineral water: low in mineral content, low in sodium and naturally alkaline. It is the same water that has won two international gold medals, and it is the reason the fruit stays bright and legible in the glass. The perlage is fine and persistent — alive in the glass without overpowering the other ingredients.

The non-alcoholic Paloma, served properly

The Paloma is the natural home of this soda, and the non-alcoholic Paloma is the version we drink most often. The build is short and precise: a tall tumbler with ice and a pinch of salt on the rim, then 4 cl of tequila, topped up with Pink Grapefruit Soda — a 1:3 ratio — and a wedge of pink grapefruit on the side of the glass.

Salt, bitterness and bubbles: three elements that make the drink feel complete. Glass: tall tumbler.

Beyond the Paloma: mocktails and a non-alcoholic spritz

Because it is dry rather than sweet, this grapefruit mixer works well far beyond a single serve. A few we keep coming back to:

• Non-alcoholic Paloma — tall tumbler, ice, salt on the rim, 4 cl of tequila, topped up with Pink Grapefruit Soda (1:3), pink grapefruit wedge.
• Non-alcoholic spritz — a wine glass with ice, a generous measure of soda and a slice of grapefruit, for the ritual without the alcohol.
• Mocktail — over ice with a sprig of rosemary and a pinch of salt, for a longer, more savoury drink.
• Long drink — simply on its own, well chilled, which is how the Mediterranean grapefruit reads most clearly.

Tasting the grapefruit mixer: lively, fresh, dry

The aroma is juicy pink grapefruit with a citrus note and a slight bitterness; the taste is lively and fresh, with an elegant bitter edge and a dry finish, carried by a perlage of fine, persistent bubbles. Nothing here is louder than it needs to be.

The recipe is short: San Graziano natural mineral water, sugar, pink grapefruit juice, carbon dioxide, citric acid and natural flavourings. 20 cl glass bottle, Product of Italy. Within the Graziano's range, Pink Grapefruit Soda sits in the Mixer line, Soda family, alongside Lemonade Soda, Soda Water and Cola Zero.