4 years ago

Discover Veneno Paloma: National Paloma Day!


This xoconostle-inspired signature cocktail, has a piece of Mexico in every sip. Learn about the story, source of inspiration, and winning recipe of the Altos Paloma Challenge 2021.

The challenge

Two months ago, we set out to find a signature Paloma that would reflect the spirit and personality of everyone’s favorite tequila: Altos!

We invited the Tahona Society community to share their recipes and photos on social media, tagging @tahonasociety on IG and adding the #AltosPaloma2021 hashtag. Using local ingredients was a must!

The signature Paloma that best told a story that resonated with our community would win a huichol cocktail kit and be included in the Altos Tequila international strategy booklet. The best part: we would publish an article in our July newsletter!

So here it is, just for you: the story behind the Veneno Paloma, winning cocktail of the Altos Paloma Challenge 2021!

Meet Daniel, the winner

Daniel Gómez Perrote (@danielgperrote) creator of the Veneno Paloma, is a Tapatío (someone from Guadalajara), 38 years old, and head bartender at the restaurants Veneno, Botánico and Hueso in the capital of Jalisco.  

He loves creating cocktails, playing guitar, and walking his dog, Pepe Rito. His favorite cocktail is Naked and Famous, make with a mezcal base, herb liquor, Italian bitters, and lime juice.

“Perrote”, as he is known in the bartending world, has been working in the food and drink industry for more than 23 years.

He has a degree in gastronomy and spent his first years in the field in kitchens, surrounded by knives, pots, and stoves. In fact, he had the fortune of working as a student of great chefs like Poncho and Nacho Cadena.


Love of the bar

At some point in his career, Perrote began to take interest in the bar. And so, with his robust foundations in gastronomy, he took the leap eight years ago and left the kitchen for the bar. He learned about cocktails, mixology, and bartending from the ground up. 

This is how he discovered his love for the bar – as well as for coffee, beer, and tequila! And so, after acquiring these learning, he decided to share them by becoming a cocktails teacher at the Guadalajara University of Gastronomy.


The inspiration behind Veneno Paloma: xoconostle

Perrote is passionate about xoconostle. For those of you who are not familiar with this Mexican fruit, it comes from the nahuatl xoco (bitter) y nochtl (prickly pear), meaning something like “bitter prickly pear.”

This fruit is nothing like the prickly pear that most of us know; and Daniel chose it as the star ingredient of the Veneno Paloma because it is so special and different.

Just as xoconostle is an uncommon fruit, so too is Daniel’s extroverted and unique personality. He wanted the Veneno Paloma to include as many Mexican ingredients as possible. He sees receiving foreigners in the restaurants where he works as an opportunity to share a piece of Mexico with them through the most consumed cocktail in the country: the Paloma. 

Daniel chose a local fruit like xoconostle because it is found in the desert. He named it veneno (poison) because that is the name of the restaurant where he works, which was inspired by the ruins of Chihuahua. And so, the word veneno invites us to play with the flavors of the desert. 


Veneno Paloma recipe

For 1 person

Ingredients 

For the Paloma

  • 1.5 fl oz Altos Plata tequila
  • 2 tbsp xoconostle syrup 
  • 4 tsp lemon juice
  • 4 tsp tbsp grapefruit juice
  • sea salt for glass crust
  • 1 grapefruit wedge and edible flower for decoration 

For the xoconostle syrup

  • 35 oz peeled and chopped xoconostle 
  • 7.5 cups refined sugar
  • .7 oz jalapeño chile
  • .2 oz cardamom seeds
  • Zest from 3 limes
  • 4 cups of water

Preparation

For the xoconostle syrup, place all ingredients in a saucepan on low heat for 40 minutes, until it is reduced by 20%. Allow to cool, and strain. 

For the Veneno Paloma, add all the ingredients to the shaker and mix. Serve in an old fashioned glass and rim with sea salt. Decorate with the grapefruit wedge and edible flower.

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