DRINKS GUIDE
2018
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MARGARITA
A Taste of Heaven
LUCKY 7
Contents
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DRINKS GUIDE | 2018 | SFREPORTER.COM
Located in Hotel St. Francis 210 Don Gaspar Ave., Santa Fe 505.983.5700 | HotelStFrancis.com
Located in Hotel Chimayo de Santa Fe 125 Washington Ave., Santa Fe 505.988.4900 | HotelChimayo.com
VOTED BEST HAPPY HOUR 2018
The Living Room Located in Inn and Spa at Loretto 211 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe 505.988.5531 | HotelLoretto.com
Located in Eldorado Hotel & Spa 309 W. San Francisco St., Santa Fe 505.988.4455 | EldoradoHotel.com
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924 Paseo De Peralta Santa Fe, NM 87501 At The Base of Canyon Road 104 W San Francisco Street Santa Fe, NM 87501 On The Historic Plaza
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Take the RTD Mountain Trail to the Santa Fe National Forest and Ski Santa Fe!
Hike, Bike, Picnic -- or just enjoy the ride! 6
DRINKS GUIDE | 2018 | SFREPORTER.COM
There’s probably one call drink that’s your go-to—the T’n’T, the Jack and Coke, the vodka and soda. Yet whether you’re on vacation, hitting up happy hour after work, or showing your visiting friends the sights, adventure in the form of a new adult beverage awaits. We made these selections because of their creativity, tradition, diversity, beauty and thirst-quenching qualities.
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#1 Myrna Loy We recommend this bubbly pleasing pink number in a new bar that’s a welcome addition to Santa Fe’s later side of nightlife. Owner Winston Greene designed the interior and the cocktail menu at Tonic, which features curated choices for all our tastes. A close runner-up for this list was the Cactus Coke, a tequila and ginger cocktail with Moroccan bitters in a copper cup. The ’20s theme is prevalent in consistent intimate jazz bookings. Take a moment to address a postcard to a friend, and they’ll mail it for you.
Tonic 103 E Water St., 982-1189 tonicsantafe.com
@tonicsantafe
Vodka, passion fruit juice, cranberry syrup and sparkling wine ($11)
DRINKS GUIDE | 2018 | SFREPORTER.COM
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Good Food & Good Drinks at Good Prices...
Open Late! Thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve you! 2018 Best of Santa Fe AwardS: best bar 1st place best hotel bar 3RD place best cocktails 3RD place best margaritas 1st place
— Santa Fe’s Watering Hole — 101 w Alameda • AT inn of the governors • santa fe • 954-0320 • delcharro.com
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#2
La Fonda Drop every coin in your pocket into the meter, walk through the lobby of the historic Harvey House hotel and past Things Finer to the back elevator. Take it to the fifth floor, where they’re serving up margs of every stripe. The bar’s chile-rimmed contribution to the city’s Margarita Trail is an admirable concoction—and believe us, we tried lots of versions. We loved the balance of the Cointreau citrus bump and smooth cognac of the hotel’s namesake drink. And we really love the view.
Bell Tower Bar La Fonda on the Plaza, 100 E San Francisco St., 982-5511 lafondasantafe.com
@lafondasantafe @lafondasantafe
A margarita made with Don Julio Añejo tequila, Cointreau and Courvoisier VS cognac ($15)
DRINKS GUIDE | 2018 | SFREPORTER.COM
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DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE.
st u J
. t ’ n do Make a plan. Drink a soda. Call a ride.
SFR loves you.
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DRINKS GUIDE | 2018 | SFREPORTER.COM
Also recommended at La Reina: the Piña Picante, a jalapeñoinfused tequila, mezcal and pineapple juice potion with a sundried red chile and salt rim.
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#3 La Reina A brand new bar to open this year is vibing on its proximity to Midtown and the easy living of motel life. La Reina in the El Rey Motor Court has already proven a bit of a paradise in the local scene. All of its drink menu is based in tequila or mezcal, so it’s also a place where plenty of people are sipping bottled mineral water, too. The queen of its cocktails includes a healthy dose of smoky mezcal, flavors of citrus and deep fruits, served with a dark red cherry in thick Mexican glassware.
La Reina El Rey Motor Court, 1862 Cerrillos Road, 982-1931 elreycourt.com
@elreycourt
Illegal mezcal and Casamigos Reposado tequila mixed with agua de jamaica and Ancho Reyes chile liqueur ($12)
DRINKS GUIDE | 2018 | SFREPORTER.COM
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#4 Saison de Sarlacc Rowley Farmhouse Ales doesn’t mess around when it comes to its flagship beers. The Sarlacc, named in honor of a disgusting beast from Return of the Jedi, is actually quite tasty. Dry-hopped with a mix of three hop varietals, it has plenty of character, but doesn’t have the bitter end that its name might suggest. There’s always something tasty on the rotating beer list (Rowley’s Earl Grey experiment was phenomenal), but if you start to get panicky when you see all those choices, the Sarlacc is a safe place to start.
Rowley Farmhouse Ales 1405 Maclovia St., 428-0719 rowleyfarmhouse.com
@RowleyFarm @rowleyfarmhouse
A dry-hopped brew with an abundant charge of Citra, Mosaic and Nelson Sauvin hops ($2.50-$7)
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Postscripts from Margaritaville Now in its second year, the Margarita Trail celebrates the glories of Santa Fe’s bestknown cocktail By Mary Francis Cheeseman
While New Mexico often gets mistaken for an international destination, travelers here need only consider one kind of passport: the Margarita Trail. The city’s tourism department launched the annual program in 2016 to encourage locals and tourists alike to scour Santa Fe’s bars and restaurants in search of the per-
fect pour. Passports are available at the three visitor centers and at the Santa Fe School of Cooking for $3 (visit santafe.org/margaritatrail for more info on locations). And, in a new let’s-get-digital plan, this year they’re also available on the App Store or Google Play for $3.99. For each location visited, drinkers collect a stamp or scan a QR code for the purpose of winning prizes and rewards, though the contest mandates that only two stamps can be collected each day. The app includes an interactive map, notifications when prizes are achieved and fellow margarita enthusiasts’ comments on their experiences
BEYOND THE MARGARITA While the margarita is the undisputed royalty of agave-based drinks, many bartenders in town are playing around with the wide range of floral, spicy and fruity flavors tequila can demonstrate. SFR spoke to three bars in town that put down the Cointreau in favor of Spanish vermouth, fresh herbs and Brazilian banana liqueur instead. Molly Dietze Kennedy, head bartender at Paloma (401 S Guadalupe St., 467-8624), subbed tequila for bourbon in her eponymous Molly’s Manhattan. “I want to make it clear that this drink is technically from Mexico City,” she tells SFR. “But at Paloma we carry a line of high-end tequilas
called ArteNOM—and their producer spent six months in Scotland learning barrel aging, which is why the tequila slips so effortlessly into the traditional whiskey drink.” In the case of Paloma’s spin on a Mexican interpretation of a classic cocktail, the smoky, spicy character of ArteNOM Selección de 1146 Añejo combined with Miro Vermut de Reus Rojo, a particularly floral Spanish vermouth, makes for a perfect summertime tequila-based Manhattan. Put a cherry on top and call it done. Created by Eloisa (228 E Palace Ave., 982-0883) bar supervisor Andrea Duran, the Plantanita ($13) is made of reposado tequila, Giffard Banane du Brésil, Cappelletti
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and preferences. Both the app and the hard copy have location descriptions and recipes, and carrying either will get you a $1 discount on the featured margaritas purchased—but remember to ask for it or you won’t likely get the deal. A total of 31 restaurants and bars are participating. Despite being focused on only one drink, each has provided its own interpretation on the atavic concoction. Renewed interest in classic cocktails has revived the margarita. Much like the daiquiri, the old-fashioned and countless tiki drinks, it became associated with cheap, blended and over-sugared incarnations. A true margarita is beautiful in its simplicity, a perfect balancing act between tequila, lime juice, orange liqueur and salt on the rim of a glass. Its origins are CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE >>
Santa Fe’s craft cocktail community reinvents tequila in unique new ways
and lemon. The Passion Project ($13), created by bar manager Tom Street, features blanco tequila, passion fruit, blanc vermouth and lemon bitters. Both drinks take tequila in a different direction than the norm, which is to combine it with tart citrus flavors like lime. Instead, the tropical fruit flavors of passion fruit and banana are used to enhance the natural fruity tastes of tequila rather than cutting them with more acid. The Plantanita is broadly textured with a touch of sweetness, and the Passion Project is lighter, with citrus undertones adding a tart vibrancy to the taste of the passion fruit. At Sazón (221 Shelby St., 983-8604), the tequila
game is strong, particularly when it comes to cocktails. The Homegrown features Cruz del Sol blanco tequila combined with fresh lemon, Fever Tree tonic water and muddled sage, basil, thyme and mint. The fresh herbs bring out a unique, vegetal, earthy quality present in the tequila. The result is a refreshing aperitif-like drink, served on the rocks in a wine glass for a perfectly cooling summer libation. “It’s a little like a mint julep because of the mint, which comes in really strong,” says head bartender Amanda Morris. Bartender Joey Sholdra adds, “I think it’s a little like a gin and tonic, but we imparted it with our own fresh botanicals.”
DRINKS GUIDE | 2018 | SFREPORTER.COM
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Postscripts from Margaritaville Continued
In 2016, you helped provide more than 5 million meals!
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The Food Depot provides 430,000 meals per month - help end hunger in 2017! www.thefooddepot.org The Food Depot 1222 A Siler Rd • Santa Fe, NM 87507 (505) 471-1633
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shrouded in mystery, but it’s theorized that tequila became a substitute for brandy in a similarly styled cocktail called the Daisy during Prohibition when people explored across the border in search of more alcohol. Today, the margarita has gained prominence across Mexico and the Southwestern United States, but it can also be considered the unofficial drink of Santa Fe. Each stop on the Margarita Trail provides a different spin on the drink, some more classic and others more craft. Many are making use of fresh ingredients and unique flavor combinations to provide added interest to their libations. For example, the trend of infusing tequila with fresh fruits and spices comes into play with the Chimayóso Margarita from Low ’n’ Slow Lowrider Bar at Hotel Chimayó (125 Washington Ave., 988-4900) This features serrano-infused Espolón Reposado Tequila and substitutes apricot liqueur in place of orange. In a similar vein, the Norteño Margarita from the Coyote Café and Cantina (132 W Water St., 983-1615) features green chile-infused silver tequila; the Sangre de Cristo Sunset Margarita at Eloisa (Drury Plaza Hotel, 228 E Palace Ave., 982-0883) includes a house-made lime, pepper and apple shrub. My personal favorite entry on the trail is the one on the menu at Terra, the hotel bar at the Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado (198 Hwy. 592, 946-5700). It’s called Betty’s Smoking Jalapeño Margarita, and features a combination of Santa Fe Spirits’ Colkegan whiskey and 1921 tequila, along with Cointreau, agave, roasted jalapeño and chile. The smoky, earthy flavors of the tequila and jalapeño are complemented by the mesquite undertones of the Colkegan in an unexpectedly gratifying way. The drink itself was named for Betty Egan, the widow from Cleveland who purchased a ranch in 1968 and turned it into the hotel. Thankfully we’re still drinking to her health to this very day. Even though as a local I find the Margarita Trail to be more of a useful aid for the tourist experience, I appreciate the legacy it’s working to achieve. At the very least, it’s paying tribute to the margarita’s prominence in Santa Fe’s unique cocktail culture. According to mixologist Dale DeGroff, who spoke to SFR during the New Mexico Cocktail and Culture Festival, “a lot of people didn’t know Santa Fe from Mexico until the margarita. They didn’t know about the food here, or the culture. It was the margarita that served as a point of entry for them into a whole new culinary world.”
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#5 Mojito Alegria The new distillery in town has a rapidly rotating menu with its bespoke spirits. This classic is in homage to the club that formerly occupied its flagship space on Agua Fría—where ample parking, lots of seating and good music are drawing crowds. New owners have cultivated a totally different vibe, including some cool toys for kids and a killer elk bratwurst on the bar menu. Also check out the extreme Southside tasting room and the handcrafted varieties of gin kicking out of its shiny still.
Tumbleroot Brewery and Distillery Midtown: 2797 Agua Fría St. Southside: 32 Bisbee Court tumblerootbreweryanddistillery.com
@tumblerootsf
Tumbleroot rum, mint, seltzer, organic sugar and lime ($9)
DDRRI INNKKSS GGUUIIDDEE || 22 00 11 87 || SS FF R R EE P PO OR RT E R . C O M
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Clifford Peña’s favorite drink at Santa Fe Spirits also features Colkegan, but it’s the Nut Job, which includes sweet vermouth and black walnut and orange bitters and the distillery’s Atapino piñon whiskey.
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#6 Blood, Sand and Smoke The smoky flavor in this Santa Fe-made whiskey comes from real live burning mesquite chips that hit the barley during the malting process. Don’t be in a hurry when you arrive, as making cocktails is also something of an aging process for these tasting rooms—and their take on the traditional blood and sand carries enough Colkegan to merit the slow drinking of it. Skip the fruit salad and order one straight with a giant rock, or skip ahead to the bestselling Wheeler’s Gin.
Santa Fe Spirits Downtown: 308 Read St., 467-8892 Southside: 7505 Mallard Way, Ste. I, 467-8892 santafespirits.com
@SantaFeSpirits @santafespirits
Santa Fe Spirits Colkegan single-malt whiskey, vermouth, blood orange puree with a twist ($12)
DRINKS GUIDE | 2018 | SFREPORTER.COM
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THE SPIRIT
OF NEW MEXICO MADE FROM THE BOUNTY OF NEW MEXICO
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GRAB A BOTTLE FROM KOKOMAN I SUSAN’S I WHOLE FOODS I LIQUOR BARN I ALBERTSONS GRAB A COCKTAIL AT GEORGIA I ANASAZI I SANTACAFE I EL NIDO I DEL CHARRO
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PL E ASE DRINK RESP ONSIBLY
SANTA FE’S GAME IS STRONG
There really isn’t a whole lot in this world that rises to the level of pretension and snootiness of a “hop-head”—or, in the common tongue, a beer-drinker who scoffs at anything not brewed as an India pale ale. Alas, I am among the legions of those ensorceled by the bitter beauties that have overtaken the nation’s beer landscape. As fortune would have it, Santa Fe is now home to a handful of local breweries that are churning out quality versions of these hoppy wonders. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but what follows is a trio of beers around town that are worth quaffing. By Jeff Proctor
BLUE CORN BREWERY’S ROAD RUNNER IPA (6.9 ABV)
I visited Blue Corn Brewery’s downtown location (133 Water St., 984-1800) to sample the Road Runner, which features Citra, Simcoe and Centennial hops. The latter is most prevalent which, for me, makes this beer a bit tame on the palate—it almost feels like a lager on the tongue. What most recommends this IPA is the Citra finish, with little notes of grapefruit shining through. The Road Runner is better to have drunk than to drink. I paired it with the crab dip, billed as “blue crab in spicy molten cheese,” which actually improved the beer experience.
SECOND STREET BREWERY’S 2920 IPA (6.9 ABV)
Second Street’s OG location (1814 Second St., 982-3030) is my favorite of the three, so that’s where I went in search of hops. Because I love Second Street’s Reuben sandwich, I ordered one with my 2920. This was a mistake. The menu makes quite a thing of the “sevvven varieties of hops” in this beer and is honest about the heavy malts that accompany them. I picked up a little
bit of melon on the nose, which always pleases me, but my taste buds got a little confused after that. (I blame the Reuben, in part.) The 2920 finishes like a champ, though: Bright, uncomplicated and clean. Next time, I’m eating before I head to the brewery.
SANTA FE BREWING COMPANY’S WESTERN BLOC IPA (6.8 ABV)
I slugged this one down at the Albuquerque location (yes, toss those stones at me now) at the Green Jeans Farmery (3600 Cutler Ave., 505-401-1000). As legend and the bartender have it, the Western Bloc is the “mother” of the more famous and ubiquitous 7K IPA, one of my favorites in the state. So I had to try it. And I had to do it without getting food involved—and I’m so glad I did. This beer punched me straight in the nose with Citra, then finished me off with a heavy, though not heavy-handed, dose of Mosaic hops. The Liberty hops are less noticeable, as this thing is just sticky, citrusy goodness from the first sip to the overwhelming desire to lick the innards of the pint glass after the last. Instead, I just ordered a second one. DRINKS GUIDE | 2018 | SFREPORTER.COM
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Downtown Santa Fe
#ram
pitb
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The Bicycle Choice of Downtown Santa Fe 20
DRINKS GUIDE | 2018 | SFREPORTER.COM
LUCKY
#7
Bloody Mary If the sign of a good bloody mary is a blistering-hot, chewy mouthfeel owing to the abundance of spices and pulpy tomato juice, then the version at Harry’s is blinking neon. This roadside diner has a full bar for all three meals, so you can have a screwdriver with your scrapple or a Sazerac with your steak. The secret recipe for its bloody mary has been the same for 18 years, and it’s made fresh one quart at at time, with a big stock ready each Sunday morning for the post-noon crowd.
Harry’s Roadhouse 96 B Old Las Vegas Hwy., 989-4629 harrysroadhousesantafe.com
@harrysroadhouse
Smirnoff vodka, Harry’s housemade bloody mary mix with black pepper, horseradish, celery seed, Marie Sharp’s hot sauce, olives, lime and a celery stalk ($8)
DRINKS GUIDE | 2018 | SFREPORTER.COM
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Cool Wine for Hot Days Maybe it’s the monsoon storms and the cooler nights, or maybe it’s the wide variety of wines out there—but these warm-weather months, I’m craving more than ice-cold whites designed to beat the heat. From bone-dry rosé to nervy, edgy reds, here are a few New Mexican wines that demonstrate considerable appeal on heated days.
Gruet Rosé Sauvage NV Since 1984, Gruet has been specializing in sparkling wines made according to the méthode champenoise—which is the artisanal style of Champagne that allows for many different styles and dryness levels. Its Rosé Sauvage is part of a bonedry series, made entirely from pinot noir grapes with no added sugars. It is razor-sharp, crisp and focused, the apotheosis of the “I want a dry rosé” mentality. It isn’t as widely distributed as the maker’s Brut Rosé, but you can find a bottle at Gruet Winery’s Santa Fe Tasting Room (Hotel St. Francis, 210 Don Gaspar Ave., 989-9463) for $20.
The local juice that makes the cut for fun, fresh summertime wines By Mary Francis Cheeseman
the “New Mexico True” seal of approval gracing the wine’s label. It’s barrel-fermented in neutral French oak and experiences a little less aging, which lends the final product texture and body. It’s a fascinating tribute to the dry white wines of the Bordeaux region, and the wine itself has a saline mineral element combined with broad flavors of apple and pear. Pick up a bottle at Whole Foods Market (753 Cerrillos Road, 992-1700) for $26.
Vivác Winery Carignan 2015 The best wines coming out of Vivác are their medium-bodied reds, usually made from native French or Spanish varieties that provide a touch of nuance and old-world
Milagro Vineyards Sémillon 2016 The Sémillon grape isn’t found many places outside its native home in Bordeaux, where it is used to make a variety of wines ranging from dry to sweet. This particular iteration is from a single parcel called the Franklin Vineyard in Milagro’s lands in Corrales—hence
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earthiness in wines designed to appear soft and fruity. Their 2015 Carignan ($30) is a prime example of a crisp red replete with charm and grace. It tastes like sappy black cherry and blackberry intermingling with spicy notes of clove and cardamom and rustic herbal undertones. It’s a great showing from this small, stylish winery, located in Dixon, although the Railyard tasting room at the Santa Fe Farmers Market Pavilion (1607 Paseo de Peralta, 983-4098) also carries the winery’s entire range.
Jaramillo Vineyards Chambourcin 2013 The passion project of Robert Jaramillo, an ex-pilot turned farmer who decided grapes were a better fit for New Mexico’s water-starved climate than alfalfa, Jaramillo Vineyards operates 10 acres of vines in the Middle Rio Grande Valley just north of Belen, growing many different varieties and constantly experimenting with what kind of plant matter succeeds in the field regardless of how weird or outlier the grapes may be. His Chambourcin is a prime example of the winery’s quirky style: a French-American hybrid that demonstrates considerable vigor and disease resistance, here made into a charming dry, medium-bodied red wine. With a little chill on it, it’s a disarmingly refreshing treat on a hot afternoon. Find it at Kokoman Fine Wines & Liquor (34 Cities of Gold Road, 455-2219) for $17.49.
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