There’s a reason so many bartenders put their own spin on the Paloma. For me, it has always been a go-to at home because of how quickly it comes together—often in the glass—with an outsize, refreshing payoff. It’s not a cocktail I often order at the bar, but whenever I’m at Mr. Susan in Berlin, ordering the house version of the tequila staple, the subtle, earthy, complex Korean Paloma, is a must. 

The star of the drink is gochujang, a fermented pepper paste that’s as beloved in Korea as ketchup is in the States, according to Susan Choi, owner of Mr. Susan. The ingredient has a sweet, smoky flavor that works particularly well in cocktails, and, in combination with the citrus-forward Paloma build, harks back to Choi’s childhood in Los Angeles, where she regularly enjoyed mango popsicles topped with chile, lime and salt. Personally, I like all things a bit smoky. But whereas other savory drinks can be heavy or served strong and stirred, thanks to the citrus kick of grapefruit, this cocktail manages to be as refreshing as it is layered.

To add gochujang’s tangy spice to the drink, Choi combines a spoonful of the paste with simple syrup, plus a splash of rice vinegar. The latter brings a tartness that helps balance out the smoke and chile; it also helps soften the texture, making the syrup easier to mix with. The best part of this sweetener is its versatility: Once you’ve made it, it provides a shortcut to savory complexity in drinks like the Old-Fashioned, Margarita or anything that could benefit from a kick of heat. Then, for more citrus complexity, Choi adds the expected lime juice of the classic to the mix, as well as mandarin liqueur, which has a brightness that amplifies the spice.

Originally intended to be a temporary menu item, luckily for me, the Korean Paloma is here to stay. “It just became one of those drinks that we put on seasonally,” says Choi, “and it was such a huge hit that we were like, ‘We cannot take this off the menu.’” 

Though I’ve now made the classic Paloma more times than I can count, this version casts the drink in an entirely new light; the flavors of the citrus and smokiness enhance each other with what Robbert De Wildt, Mr. Susan’s creative director and head bartender, perfectly describes as “a soothing warmth.” According to him, the Korean Paloma is “complex yet uncomplicated,” which, when you think about it, is how all the best cocktails throughout time could be described.