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Hip-hop duo Run the Jewels have never been afraid to experiment. Over the past decade, rappers El-P and Killer Mike have built a reputation for sharp, fearless music—and now they're bringing that same creative energy to the drinks world. Their newest project, Paloma REMiX, is a ready-to-drink cocktail that proves not all canned cocktails are created equal.
The Paloma is a Mexican staple, typically built on tequila, grapefruit, and lime. Run the Jewels' spin swaps in artisanal mezcal, adding layers of smoke and depth. The mezcal comes from El Tinieblo Ranch in Tamaulipas, Mexico, where the Pérez Salinas family has been making mezcal since 1865. Each agave plant takes at least seven years to mature and is farmed without pesticides or chemicals before being roasted, fermented, and distilled in copper stills.
The result is a base spirit that feels refined enough for a cocktail bar—but here, it's blended with grapefruit, lime, agave, and smoked sea salt into a balanced, refreshing RTD. It's bright and citrusy, with just enough smoke to remind you it's mezcal, not tequila.
The mezcal is present in the drink but isn't overpowering like it might be in some cocktails, so even if you're not a huge mezcal drinker you can still enjoy it.
"I've been obsessed with mezcal, really mezcal and rum, for years now," El-P told me during a private tasting of the drink during this year's Tales of the Cocktail conference in New Orleans. While the two have done a few collaborations with breweries in the past, this is their first foray into spirits.
"The collabs have been cool, and we've enjoyed them, but we're not really beer drinkers," he says. "We like a good beer, but I'm a drinker drinker. I like a cocktail"
He says it was really just a matter of someone approaching them with the idea.
"When it was presented to us like we could really make the drink, that was what made it happen," he says. Much like they make music, they were given control to do everything from the art on the can to the tasting to determine what went in it. "So me and Mike we basically like yeah, fuck it, let's try."
For El-P, who cut his teeth co-owning New York's Max Fish bar, this isn't just a brand extension. He and Mike spent two years developing the drink with mixologist Leif Huckman, tasting and retasting until both signed off. "It's like making an album," El-P explains. "It's not done until Mike says it's done."
He says that the band is an extension of Run the Jewels in the sense that the duo is all-in on the drink’s creation.
"The ethos comes directly from the way that we do what we do," he says. "We always knew we were not a mass marketable thing."
He says that once you realize that, then it opens the door to doing whatever you want.
The only thing that matters is if we like it. If me and Mike can look at each other and be like 'This is dope' then that's kind of the only rule that we have," he says. They also invested their own money into developing the brand.
Similar to how they make music, it's not done until they're both on board.
That collaborative process is what gives Paloma REMiX its character. Killer Mike, who grew up in a family with deep roots in Georgia moonshine, adds the test of the "casual drinker"—a person who may not consider themselves a connoisseur but likes good drinks.
"I've learned to trust so much in the balance between me and Mike and our tastes and what we bring to each other that's literally what we apply to this," he says "
While it's an easy sip straight from the can, Mike insists it's best with food. "Try it with brisket or ribs," he says. "The smokiness of the mezcal plays with the meat, and the grapefruit cuts right through the fat." He's also paired it with oysters, barbecue, and even breakfast.
"Get a can of Juice runners and whoever does the the best smoked brisket or ribs, St. Louis style," Mike says. "Try it with that. The smokiness compliments the meal very well. The brightness of the grapefruit that comes out pops the others seasonings in it."
As a southernern, he particularly enjoys it with southern fare " It isn't heavy. It doesn't get you all drink and tispy, it's very good with a meal."
Paloma REMiX is currently available in select markets including New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Michigan, California, and Georgia, with more to come. On the group's recent tour with Wu-Tang Clan, it also found its way into a few venues and afterparties.
For Run the Jewels, the goal wasn't to launch another flashy celebrity drink. It was to make something they'd actually want to drink.
"I was skeptical about the whole thing because I've never enjoyed a canned beverage in my life, so I was like 'What's the chance we could make one that people like?'" El-P says. "I didn't think it was high and then somehow we did."