Grapefruit, Lime, and Tequila Pie

It’s so light, tangy, and refreshing! Grapefruit, Lime, and Tequila Pie is a creamy dessert that combines citrus juice and zest with the most popular spirit of Mexico.

If you think this sounds like a cocktail, you’re right.

Paloma Cocktail

The Paloma is a tequila-based cocktail that is easy to make and easy to drink. It only has a handful of ingredients. One of those is a grapefruit soda such as Fever Tree, Fresca, Jarritos, or Squirt.

Tequila + grapefruit soda + lime juice = a delicious, fizzy, and refreshing drinkie!

Does this sound like another drink called the Salty Dog? Well, you certainly know your grapefruit cocktails. Yes, swap out the tequila for vodka and you’ve got yourself a Salty Dog.

Like many things in life, the Paloma has a murky past. It most definitely has its origins in Mexico from one of the areas that produce tequila: Jalisco and parts of Guanajuato, Tamaulipas, Nayarit, and Michoacán. The drink most likely was born during the mid-1950s when grapefruit soda became a popular mixer for tequila.

It is one of my favorite cocktails because it is uncomplicated and delicious!

All the flavors of the Paloma cocktail are poured into this pie. Are you puzzled as to how this works? I will explain.

Fruit Curd

Fruit curd is well-known and popular with scone eaters like myself. But for the rest of you, fruit curds are a sweet topping made from juice, zest, egg yolks, sugar, and butter. The ingredients are cooked at low heat until the mixture thickens, then placed in the fridge to cool and thicken further.

Grapefruit juice, egg yolks, butter, and sugar.

The most popular fruit curd is lemon curd. It is delicious on scones, of course, but it also forms the base of lemon meringue pie and other desserts. Curd is also made from other fruits like berries, mango, and passion fruit. I especially like it made from citrus fruits such as lime, orange, and grapefruit.

In this pie, grapefruit curd contains both grapefruit and lime juices and zest. Plus tequila!

Sixty saltine crackers (count them!), butter, and sugar.

Lessons Learned

Don’t be afraid of the saltine cracker crust. Think of it like the salted rim on a cocktail: essential.
Be careful not to burn your curd. Medium heat and constant whisking will help prevent anything from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
If you are on high blood pressure medicine or calcium channel blockers, this might not be the pie for you. Grapefruit juice can interact with those medicines, so please check with your doctor.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Baking a Moment for the Paloma pie recipe inspiration and to The View from Great Island for the grapefruit gingersnap pie recipe and detailed curd-making instructions.