How To Make El Dorado Royale's Grapefruit Paloma

For all of the love and attention that margaritas receive, we think it's high time to give some of the spotlight to the paloma. Known to many as "the working man's drink" or even "the working man's margarita," the paloma is a Mexican cocktail that is extremely easy to make and also incredibly delicious. So much so, that once you've tried it you will wonder if you'll ever go back to drinking margaritas again (of course you will—there's plenty of room in our hearts for both drinks).

Like margs, palomas also offer amateur mixologists the opportunity to get creative by altering the basic recipe and adding little twists. For example, I love adding a big squeeze of blood orange to my palomas at home (or, if I can get it, Trader Joe's has a blood orange soda that I use instead of grapefruit soda). So, when it came to tracking down a great paloma recipe to share, we wanted one that had a little more creativity in its recipe, and fortunately for everyone, El Dorado Royale delivered with this recipe for a truly delicious and refreshing grapefruit paloma.

Of course, we aren't surprised that the El Dorado family was so willing to share with us, given the company's ongoing efforts to provide aid within nearby communities. The staff has been assembling food baskets from the Riviera Maya property's 75,000-sq. ft. greenhouse and distributing them to local residents who have been hit hard by the pandemic. At the same time, parent company Karisma Hotels and Resorts—and specifically Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Punta Cana—has been distributing 800 meals per day to Dominican Republic residents.

Cheers to that.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Don Julio Reposado tequila
• 1 oz. Ancho Reyes, ancho chile Liqueur
• 2 oz. fresh grapefruit juice or soda
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 4 oz. club soda
• Salt to rim the glass
• Dried slice of grapefruit to garnish
• 1 rosemary spring

How to Make It:

1. Wet the rim of the glass with lime juice and dip the rim into the salt.
2. Fill a shaker with ice and add the tequila, chile liqueur, grapefruit soda, club soda and lime juice. Shake until cold, strain and serve into the glass.
3. Garnish with dried grapefruit and rosemary spring.
4. To give it a smoky flavor, use a lighter to scorch the rosemary spring to release its aroma, cover the glass with a dry shaker or another glass to infuse the drink.