WELCOME TO THE PALOMA GROVE
Charlie McCarthy- WSET Spirits Educator wants you to know about the Paloma!
1. What is the background to the Paloma and why do you think it’s such a popular drink in Mexico?
While we usually associate tequila with Margaritas, in Mexico it’s much more common to drink a Paloma. Because it’s a long cool drink with a little touch of salt it’s a wonderfully refreshing way to enjoy tequila, especially in the heat of a Mexican summer. The drink originated around the 1950s, and many have attributed its creation to iconic bartender Don Javier Delgado Corona of La Capilla bar in the town of Tequila.
2. How would you describe the flavour profile of the Paloma?
With its crisp citrus and noticeable salinity, the Paloma’s flavour profile is evocative of a cooling sea breeze. And while the cocktail name Sea Breeze was already spoken for by this drink’s close cousin, the word Paloma (Spanish for Dove) equally conjures up the idea of a refreshing and elevating drink.
3. How does it compare, taste-wise to better known tequila-based cocktails such as the Margarita?
The main difference is that the Paloma is a long, carbonated drink, which is ideally suited to hot weather. It’s also less intensely citric than the Margarita. The fact that it is a built drink which, unlike a Margarita doesn’t require shaking, may also account for its great popularity in Mexico. While you can use grapefruit soda in your Paloma, try also adding some fresh pink grapefruit juice to bring an extra dimension to the cocktail.
4. What types of tequila are the best to use when making Palomas at home?
Always start with a good quality Blanco Tequila and look for the words 100% agave on the label. These unaged Tequilas really showcase the agave character that will provide an ideal base for all the other ingredients in the Paloma.
5. Any thoughts on why the taste of grapefruit balances so well with agave-based spirits such as tequila?
The Blanco Tequila style provides expressive herbaceous, olive and peppercorn aromas that play brilliantly with the bright grapefruit notes. And the best Blancos have a distinctive minerality which is beautifully enhanced by the salt in the Paloma.
So with this in mind… there’s no wonder Wahaca Paddington has launched a special dining experience that’s dedicated to the unsung hero of Mexican cocktails.
In years gone by it was often overlooked in favour of the Margarita outside of Mexico, where it enjoys the status as the country’s national cocktail – but the refreshing zestiness of the grapefruit-infused Paloma is tempting the taste buds of more and more cocktail connoisseurs around the world. And with International Paloma Day (May 22nd) on the horizon, this month sees Wahaca throwing open the doors to The Paloma Grove at Wahaca Paddington for a limited time only. This decadent, delicious dining experience pairs a sumptuous set menu with an array of Paloma cocktails in a beautifully-designed, treehouse-inspired dining space at the heart of Wahaca’s brand new restaurant in Paddington, central London.
Visitors to Wahaca Paddington can, from today, reserve a place at The Paloma Grove between 29th April and 31st May. Created especially for group bookings, the space seats a minimum of six – and up to eight – diners at a time to enjoy a fabulous feast that showcases some mouth-watering highlights from the Wahaca Paddington menu, as well as a fruity, Paloma-inspired welcome cocktail on arrival. The focal point of the experience is the mother of all Palomas, aka La Paloma Madre, an opulent and over-sized serving of grapefruity gorgeousness. It’s enough for the entire table to share, is prepared tableside and presented in an elegant crystal chalice that allows guests to top themselves up once their glass runs dry.
THE PALOMA GROVE: MENU
£60 per person
Welcome drink: Picante Palomita
Smoky Sonoran hummus served with tortilla chips & toasted crickets
Freshly made from roasted vegetables, chickpeas, guajillo and herbs, drizzled with chilli oil. Available without crickets for the faint-hearted
Sweet potato & feta taquito
With caramelised onion, salsas and chipotle mayo in a crisp blue corn tortilla
Zesty bean tostadas
Chickpeas, borlotti beans, carlin peas, feta, fresh tomato and habanero salsas
Roast potato esquites
Crispy, roasted organic potatoes, charred corn, jalapeño allioli, crema and parmesan
Your choice of three sharing plates:
- Lamb Barbacoa
Slow-roasted lamb shoulder with jalapeño crema, hot salsa and birria broth
- Chimichurri cauliflower
Roasted and dressed, served with charred tomato salsa and salsa macha
- Grilled whole achiote seabass
With charred pineapple salsa
Blood orange palate cleanser
Sorbet with a decadent drizzle of mezcal
Tres leches tiramisu
Cream, espresso and Cazcabel coffee tequila-soaked sponge, topped with whipped cream
The Paloma Grove is situated at the heart of Wahaca Paddington, the Mexican-inspired restaurant group’s new opening at Paddington Square, a new dining destination seamlessly integrated with Paddington Station – one of central London’s busiest transport hubs. The bespoke design of the restaurant’s interiors reflects the vibrancy and style of contemporary Mexican gastronomy, in particular that of Oaxaca – the southern Mexican city and state that served as the original inspiration for co-founders Thomasina Miers and Mark Selby, who opened the first Wahaca restaurant in Covent Garden in 2007.
As with all Wahaca sites, the Paddington location is being designed with sustainability firmly in mind, running on 100% renewable energy for a zero carbon energy footprint – making it Wahaca’s most sustainable restaurant yet.
Wahaca co-founder Thomasina Miers commented “The Paloma is a Mexican classic with its notes of citrus – a refreshing and long-standing favourite of ours. We’ve been making them for years at Wahaca but the opening of our newest restaurant felt like the perfect time to give them the proper attention we think they deserve. We’re delighted with the new Paloma Grove cocktail and hope that visitors will enjoy savouring this classic, but often under appreciated drink as a beautiful accompaniment to their Mexican feast.”
Bookings for the Paloma Grove at Wahaca Paddington can be made via:https://www.wahaca.co.uk/
