The Isla del Sol cocktail is a passion fruit Paloma that’s packed with flavor. It’s not overly sweet and has got just the right amount of tropical vibes so you can sip on summer all year round.

This post is sponsored by SimplyGala. All opinions are my own.

I follow a lot of other mixologists on Instagram and my feed has been filled with passion fruit this and passion fruit that for months. Now, if you’re familiar with my style of cocktail-making, I don’t do fake syrups or drink mixes. I just can’t stomach artificial flavors. Plus a lot of commercial syrups are cloyingly sweet. That’s why I’ve admired all the passion fruit cocktail recipes from afar. I assumed they were using artificial passion fruit syrup and I wanted nothing to do with that.

Shame on me for not doing some research into passion fruit syrups because if I HAD I would’ve discovered much earlier on that SimplyGala syrups are anything but artificial.

If you’ve been around from the early days of Girl & Tonic, you may remember that I’ve actually made a Passion Fruit Paloma recipe before. That one was made with beet simple syrup and passion fruit sparkling water, making it preeetty light on the passion fruit flavor.

Quality ingredients in cocktails make ALL the difference. Most cocktail recipes, especially the ones on this site, are 5 ingredients or less. If you’ve got a sub-par ingredient in the mix, it’s gonna ruin the whole thing. I can’t tell you how many drinks I’ve ruined by trying to cut corners. That’s what happened with the first Passion Fruit Paloma recipe I made. I didn’t wanna spend money on passion fruit syrup so I used the passion fruit sparkling water instead. Now, it’s not a bad drink. I enjoyed it. I’d make it again. But calling it a Passion Fruit Paloma was probably not the right call.

This Isla del Sol recipe is definitely a passion fruit Paloma though. Y’all. It is BURSTING with flavor. Traditional Palomas can leave much to be desired taste-wise but the SimplyGala passion fruit syrup packs the tropical punch it’s asking for. I was honestly shocked at how delicious the syrup was when I took my first taste. I could straight up put a straw in the bottle and call it a day. But seeing as how this a cocktail blog and all, I figured I couldn’t post a recipe that said “Open bottle. Insert straw. Sip & enjoy.” So I lived out my previous passion fruit Paloma fantasy and was not disappointed this time.

But like I mentioned earlier, quality ingredients make all 👏 the 👏 difference 👏 in a cocktail.

When I Googled “passion fruit syrup” I was shocked to see that all the name brand ones have artificial colors, high fructose corn syrup, “natural flavors” (another way to say they didn’t use passion fruit- read this article to see how companies manufacture the passion fruit flavor “naturally”), and other things that shouldn’t belong in a cocktail like titanium dioxide and sulfur dioxide.

Umm… I’m sorry, is it too much to ask for it to just be made with passion fruit? Thankfully the SimplyGala passion fruit syrup has answered the call. You know what’s on their ingredient label? 3 things. Pure cane sugar. Water. Passion fruit pulp. *cue Hallelujah chorus set to a tropical tune*

That’s what sets SimplyGala apart from other syrup companies. They make it their goal to create quality products with real ingredients at an affordable price.

If you’re like me you’re still a little hesitant to invest your hard-earned money in a product you’re not sure you’ll like. (Hello, that’s why I used freakin’ passion fruit WATER instead of SYRUP. Don’t let me cut corners like that ever again.) It’s even harder to buy something from a company you’ve never heard of before. Trust me. I feel you. But I’ve had the privilege of getting to know the owner of SimplyGala for a few weeks now so I can bridge that gap for you.

Gala has had a long love affair with food and flavors. She attended culinary school and cooked professionally for awhile before switching to a job that was a little more suitable for a working mom. When her kids were done with their schooling career, she picked her culinary career back up–this time on the beverage side of things. Her knowledge of cocktails fueled her passion for quality cocktail ingredients, so she started making her own. She first sold them on Etsy and at farmers’ markets across California; now, SimplyGala equips people like you and me across the country with high-quality syrups to take our #happyhourathome to the next level.

She’s also been gluten-free for years like me, so we bonded over that. It’s always nice to know that products are not only gluten-free but are also handled by someone who actually knows what that means!

Using SimplyGala syrups in your cocktails means you’re not going to have to compromise on flavor in order to afford them. And THAT is music to my frugal ears.

If you end up making this Isla del Sol, be sure to tag me on Instagram (@girlandtonic_) and if you make it with SimplyGala passion fruit syrup, tag them, too (@simplygalagourmet)!

Ingredients for an Isla del Sol (Passion Fruit Paloma)

• 1 1/2 oz tequila blanco
• 3/4 oz grapefruit juice
• 1/2 oz SimplyGala passion fruit syrup
• 1+ oz grapefruit soda (or grapefruit sparkling water for less sugar & calories)

How to Make an Isla del Sol (Passion Fruit Paloma)

Add ice, tequila, grapefruit juice, and SimplyGala passion fruit syrup to a cocktail shaker. Shake well, about 20 seconds. Strain into a lowball glass that’s been filled with ice. Top off the rest of the glass with grapefruit soda or sparkling water. Garnish with additional grapefruit.