Rio Grande Restaurant Paloma Cocktail Recipe

There’s no better Summer drink than the Paloma. Simple, balanced and ridiculously refreshing. This pink grapefruit juice cocktail is thirst quenching, light, fruity and fizzy. One of the smoothest tequila cocktails you can mix. Check out this Paloma Cocktail Recipe.

We all have our favorite sit on the patio sipping beverage, don’t we? I like a big glass full of ice cubes and Topo Chico with a squeeze of lime. We like a glass of rose wine, and grapefruit juice and vodka on the rocks comes to mind.

Looking for something new and sensational for warm weather sipping?

How about a mixture of tequila, fresh squeezed grapefruit juice and lime juice. You’ve got a cocktail called a Paloma that so patio sip-able it may soon become your favorite.

And lucky us, one of the most popular Mexican restaurants in Denver has shared their Poloma recipe with me. And I’m excited to pass along that recipe to you.

This pink grapefruit juice cocktail is sweet, sour, a bit salty with just a hint of bitterness from the grapefruit.

Let’s take a look:

Paloma cocktail history

My search revealed that little is known about the historical origin of the Paloma. And contrary to popular belief, the Paloma is the most popular tequila based cocktail in Mexico, not the Margarita.

Some believe the cocktail is named after La Paloma (The Dove), a popular folk song composed in the early 1860’s

Diffords Guide states it was created by the legendary Don Javier Delgado Corona, owner and bartender of La Capilla, in Tequila, Mexico. Wherever and whomever – thank you! It’s delicious.

Inspiration for this recipe

Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant, Poloma Recipe.

After three decades of being known for their legendary Classic Margaritas, the Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant has recently doubled down on their tequila expertise.

The Rio is the largest on-site purveyor of José Cuervo in the country, pouring nearly a million margaritas every year. And one of their most popular tequila-based cocktails is their Paloma, which puts a spin on the traditional paloma with the addition of Aperol. And its’s garnished with a fresh or dehydrated grapefruit wheel.

What is Aperol? Aperol is a classic Italian bitter apéritif made of gentian, rhubarb, and cinchona, among other ingredients. It has a vibrant orange hue, which is why it is often popular during the summer. And gentian is a flowering plant used for medicinal purposes, specifically for digestion problems such as loss of appetite and indigestion.

I became very familiar with bitters in Culinary School. Eating so much of the rich food we prepared, found me reaching for a club soda with a few drops of bitters to calm the stomach. And it works!

Rio’s Paloma Cocktail Recipe

It’s an easy fix:

• Just combine ice, tequila, aperol, simple syrup, lime juice and grapefruit juice in a shaker.
• Add some ice cubes to a Collins glass. Pour the Paloma mixture and top off with soda.
• Garnish with a slice of grapefruit or a slice of lime.

This recipe certainly can be made with purchased grapefruit juice. Just make sure it’s of good quality. Whole Foods is always a good bet. I’ve included an Affiliate link for your convenience. I’m a member of the Amazon Affiliate program. If you purchase using this link, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Next time you’re headed for patio, I hope you give this Paloma recipe a try. And if you do, please come back and give the recipe a star rating. And leave a comment about your experience with the recipe.

And if you have a favorite cocktail recipe using grapefruit juice, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.

If you’re headed for the patio, you might be interested in serving an appetizer or two with your cocktail.

Appetizers to serve with Palomas

• Chipotle Black Bean Corn Salsa
• Bacon Wrapped Shrimp Stuffed with Jalapeno
• Chipotle Peach Salsa
• Jalapeno Artichoke Cheese Dip