A Simple Non-Alcoholic Paloma

“Grapefruit” is not a shopping instruction. A Paloma can be described with grapefruit soda, fresh juice, or a mixture, and each route produces a different basket. For a glass you can actually plan, choose one published version and hold its quantities still. Ritual Zero Proof's Paloma is a clear starting point: 2 fl oz Agave Spirit Alternative, 2 fl oz grapefruit soda and 1 fl oz lime juice, with a lime or grapefruit wedge as garnish. Five fluid ounces of measured liquid go into the glass before ice and garnish.

Ritual instructs readers to fill a highball with ice, add its Agave Spirit Alternative and grapefruit soda, add the fresh lime juice, stir and garnish. This article gives you the source method and the shopping calculation it supports, not a new house recipe or a verdict on how close it comes to a conventional Paloma.

One source recipe, one complete basket

Six is an editorial example, not a batch instruction. Ritual publishes a single-glass method. If you want six, buy the quantities in the right column and assemble each highball as the source directs. Keep the soda unopened until needed rather than assuming a mixed pitcher has the same carbonation or ice behavior as six glasses.

The brand currently lists its Agave Spirit Alternative in a 750 ml / 25.4 fl oz bottle. At 2 fl oz per source glass, that gives twelve complete base pours in theory before losses. Six Palomas use 12 fl oz, leaving a significant amount in the bottle. That remainder is part of the decision to buy a specialty base. You also need 12 fl oz of grapefruit soda and 6 fl oz of lime juice for the six-glass plan; bottle yield alone does not complete the drinks.

Do not silently swap the grapefruit component

Ritual's page says grapefruit juice with regular soda can be used if grapefruit soda is unavailable. It does not give a measured split for that substitute within this recipe. Replacing the 2 fl oz grapefruit soda with 2 fl oz juice and calling it identical would invent a proportion. If you want that route, look for a separately measured source or treat any adjustment as your own experiment—not as Ritual's published glass. The same restraint applies to sweetness: a soda's label can tell you its declared sugars per serving, but neither the word grapefruit nor the brand's promotional language tells us how this finished drink will taste to you.

For an exact purchase, check the grapefruit soda's package volume and ingredient label, the agave alternative's current alcohol statement, and how much lime juice your fruit actually yields. Ritual's product FAQ uses less than 0.5% ABV language for its alternatives; do not rewrite that as 0.0% or assume it also describes the soda. Keep the packaging visible if a guest needs a particular alcohol or ingredient statement.

Make the first glass uncomplicated

You need a highball, ice, a way to measure 1 and 2 fl oz, the three named liquids and a citrus wedge. No shaker is called for. A fresh grapefruit is not essential merely because a photo shows one; the source lets you garnish with lime or grapefruit. If you are buying for one glass, check whether the remaining soda and specialty base have another planned use before enlarging the basket.