Recipe: A Twist on the Classic Paloma From Neil Perry’s Bar Bobbie’s

Photo: Yusuke Oba

Great cocktails don’t need fancy techniques or complex recipes – and you don’t have to go to a bar to get them. In partnership with Don Julio, we chat with the Bobbie’s team about a summer-ready Rosado tequila cocktail that’s as easy as 3-2-1.

When Australian restaurant royalty opens a cocktail bar with New York hospitality legends, things are starting out on the right foot. Such is the case with Bobbie’s, the dramatic and moody Double Bay cocktail bar from restaurateur Neil Perry (Margaret, Next Door and Song Bird) and duo Linden Pride and Nathalie Hudson, owners of famed New York bar Dante.

Bar manager Weston Lou (a Dante alum) has been excited to bring New York cocktails to Australia. “[In Sydney] liquor and alcohol are different from what we could get in the States, so we had to pivot and change the menu a lot,” he says. “I think the cocktails actually came out better here because we relied more on the produce, which we knew would be really great out here, and tried to incorporate a lot of local flavours and ingredients like passionfruit, mango, lychee and tropical fruits.”

At Bobbie’s, Lou and the team have put together a menu of inventive riffs on classics – mainly Martinis and aperitivo – that prioritises simple combinations of well-matched flavours and premium ingredients over great complexity.

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This is encapsulated by Lou’s Pink Paloma recipe. He’s crafted a straightforward, three-ingredient cocktail that lets components like rosemary-infused sugar syrup, grapefruit juice and Don Julio Rosado do the heavy lifting.

“Don Julio Rosado is a take on reposado tequila, but different in that it’s finished in ruby port [wine casks]” Lou says. “It’s still made with the same high-quality ingredients and high-quality style, but it comes off a little differently with the ruby port barrel-ageing process. There’s more red fruit notes and it’s a very soft, very easy tequila to drink on its own.”

The simplicity of Lou’s three-part cocktail means it’s worth getting the best quality ingredients possible. Besides Don Julio Rosado, that means juicing your own grapefruit if possible.

The third ingredient here is a rosemary sugar syrup which, while homemade, shouldn’t pose much of a problem technique-wise. “It’s pretty easy to make at home – it’s just equal parts sugar and water,” says Lou. “You just want to heat up [the sugar and water], add just a touch of salt to it – we’re using Maldon sea salt – and then a sprig of rosemary. Heat it up, bring it to a low simmer, let it cool a little and take out the rosemary when you’re done.”

Putting the cocktail together is easy, too. Lou first adds Don Julio Rosado and ice to a tumbler before adding the salted rosemary syrup and grapefruit juice. Then, he stirs with a bar spoon and garnishes with a salt-dipped slice of grapefruit for an easygoing cocktail that’s high on flavour and low on difficulty. “It’s definitely refreshing,” says Lou. “It’s very light, easy to drink with a slight bitterness but not too overpowering. It showcases a nice quality tequila that’s not overly complex.”

Recipe: Weston Lou’s Pink Paloma

Makes 1 serving (Approx. 1.6 standard drinks)

Ingredients:

50ml Don Julio Rosado
60ml freshly juiced pink grapefruit juice
15ml salted rosemary syrup

Method:

To make the salted rosemary syrup, add equal parts sugar and water to a saucepan. Heat and add a pinch of Maldon sea salt and a sprig of rosemary.

Bring to a low simmer and let cool before removing rosemary.

For the Pink Paloma, add Don Julio Rosado and ice to tumbler. Top with salted rosemary syrup and fresh grapefruit juice.

Stir with a bar spoon until ingredients are fully incorporated.

Garnish with a grapefruit wedge dipped in salt.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Don Julio. Tequila Don Julio Rosado retails for $249.99 for a 750-millilitre bottle.

Produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Don Julio.

Produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Don Julio.
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