Grapefruit Soda substitute

Best substitute

Fresh grapefruit juice, simple syrup and club soda

Per 4 oz (120 ml) soda: 2 oz grapefruit juice, ½ oz lime juice, ½ oz simple syrup, top with 1.5 to 2 oz club soda

Best for Paloma

Close match

In a Paloma, grapefruit soda is doing four jobs simultaneously: it is the mixer, the sweetener, the acid and the bitter element. That is why swapping in plain grapefruit juice gives you a sour, flat drink. The best substitute actually makes a better Paloma than the original: for every 4 oz (120 ml) of grapefruit soda, use 2 oz of fresh grapefruit juice, 1/2 oz of lime juice, 1/2 oz of simple syrup and 1.5 to 2 oz of club soda. If you want a two-bottle shortcut, mix grapefruit juice and lemon-lime soda half and half, which is sweeter and less bitter but instantly recognisable. Tonic water measure for measure works surprisingly well because quinine bitterness stands in for grapefruit pith, and Fresca is nearly right but sugar-free, so add a quarter ounce of syrup per drink and never use it in a glaze.

Other grapefruit soda substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Grapefruit juice and lemon-lime soda, half and half
Close match
Use the same amount total volume, half grapefruit juice and half Sprite or 7UP
The two-bottle shortcut and a genuinely good one.
What changes
The soda supplies sweetness and carbonation, the juice supplies grapefruit. It ends up sweeter than Squirt and noticeably less bitter, and it will be cloudy rather than clear.
Best for
Palomas, punches, casual highballs
A squeeze of lime and a pinch of salt tightens it up and stops it tasting like a soft drink. If the result is too sweet, shift the ratio towards more juice and less soda, or top up with plain soda water.
3Tonic water with a squeeze of grapefruit or lime
Different taste
Use the same amount plus half an ounce of grapefruit juice per drink if you have it
Better than it sounds.
What changes
The quinine bitterness in tonic stands in for the bitter pith character that is the whole reason a Paloma tastes grown-up. The result is drier and less sweet than grapefruit soda, with a faintly medicinal edge.
Best for
tequila and mezcal drinks, gin drinks, anyone who prefers dry drinks
Grapefruit tonic and pink grapefruit tonic exist and are almost an exact match, so grab those if your shop has them. Do not use tonic in cooking, the quinine bitterness concentrates unpleasantly when reduced.
4Fresca
Close match
Use the same amount plus about ¼ oz simple syrup per drink
The flavour and carbonation are right, in fact Fresca is drier and more grapefruit-forward than Squirt.
What changes
The problem is that it is sugar-free, so the drink loses the sweetness that was balancing the tequila and lime and comes out thin and sharp.
Best for
Palomas for people cutting sugar, cold drinks generally
Never use Fresca where the soda is being heated or reduced. Without real sugar there is nothing to caramelise or thicken, so a carnitas braise or a glaze will stay watery and pale. Use a sugared soda or juice plus sugar for anything cooked.
5Ting, bitter lemon or San Pellegrino Pompelmo
Close match
Use the same amount
Effectively like-for-like swaps.
What changes
Ting is Jamaican grapefruit soda and closest of all. Pompelmo is juicier, softer in carbonation and slightly less sweet. Bitter lemon is more sour and more bitter, so it pushes the drink drier.
Best for
Palomas, spritzes, rum and tequila highballs
If your shop stocks any of these, stop looking. They are all sweetened carbonated citrus sodas in the same family, and the differences between them are smaller than the difference between Squirt and Fresca.
6Orange soda such as Jarritos naranja
Different taste
Use the same amount
The honest least-best option.
What changes
It has the sugar and the fizz and an unmistakable citrus flavour, but no bitterness at all, so a Paloma made with it tastes like a sweet orange-and-tequila soda. Perfectly pleasant, and not a Paloma.
Best for
casual punches, children's mocktails, when it is the only soda in the fridge
You can drag it back towards grapefruit with a hard squeeze of lime and a pinch of salt, or a dash of grapefruit bitters if you have any. Without that it stays firmly on the sweet side.

What is Grapefruit Soda?

Grapefruit Soda is Grapefruit soda is a sweetened carbonated grapefruit drink, sold as Squirt, Jarritos Toronja, Ting, San Pellegrino Pompelmo and the drier, sugar-free Fresca.

Cooking tips

Salt the rim or add a small pinch of salt to the drink itself. Salt suppresses the perception of bitterness, which is exactly why a Paloma traditionally wants it, and it is the single fastest way to make any grapefruit substitute taste more like the real thing.
Pink and ruby grapefruit are noticeably sweeter and less bitter than white grapefruit, which has been bred the other way. If you are juicing fresh fruit to replace the soda, white grapefruit gets you closer to Squirt's edge, and ruby gets you a softer, sweeter drink.
When grapefruit soda appears in a slow cooker recipe for pork or carnitas, it is standing in for citrus juice plus sugar. Per cup of soda, use 3/4 cup orange juice, 1 tablespoon lime juice and 1 tablespoon sugar, and you get the same browning and the same tang.
Add carbonated substitutes at the very end, poured down the side of the glass rather than over the ice, and stir once. Every extra stir costs bubbles, and flat soda in a Paloma just tastes sugary.
Grapefruit juice interferes with how the body processes a long list of prescription medicines. Grapefruit sodas made with real juice can do the same. If that applies to you, the lemon-lime soda or tonic route sidesteps it entirely, and it is worth asking a pharmacist rather than guessing.

Frequently asked questions

What is the closest thing to Squirt?

Ting, Jarritos Toronja and any store-brand grapefruit soda are all direct swaps. Fresca is very close in flavour but has no sugar. If none of those are available, grapefruit juice mixed half and half with lemon-lime soda gets you most of the way there in one step.

Can I just use grapefruit juice instead of grapefruit soda?

Not on its own. Grapefruit juice is sour and unsweetened and has no bubbles, so a Paloma made with straight juice comes out tart and heavy. Add about half an ounce of simple syrup and two ounces of club soda per four ounces of juice and it becomes better than the bottled version, not just equivalent.

Is Fresca the same as grapefruit soda?

It is a grapefruit soda, but a sugar-free one, which matters more than it sounds. In a cold drink it works with a little added syrup. In anything cooked, glazes, braises, reductions, it will not caramelise or thicken because there is no sugar in it, so use a regular sugared soda instead.

Can I leave it out of a Paloma?

Not really, because it is most of the drink by volume as well as all of the sweetness. Tequila and lime alone is a Tequila Sour with no sugar. The minimum viable replacement is two ounces of any citrus juice, half an ounce of syrup and a top of soda water.

Is Ting the same thing as grapefruit soda?

Yes. Ting is a Jamaican grapefruit soda made with real juice, so it is slightly cloudier and more bitter than Squirt, which most people consider an improvement. Swap it in measure for measure with no adjustment.

Related substitutes

More beverages substitutes

Grapefruit Soda substitute

Other grapefruit soda substitutes

2Grapefruit juice and lemon-lime soda, half and half

3Tonic water with a squeeze of grapefruit or lime

4Fresca

5Ting, bitter lemon or San Pellegrino Pompelmo

6Orange soda such as Jarritos naranja