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Travel Nerd
Good, Good, Good, Good Libations
It’s time to ring in the New Year, and the Land of Enchantment’s lounges and cantinas are just the place to do it. If you’re ready to toast 2010 with a cocktail, we’ve got the New Mexico road trips for you. By Ashley M. Biggers
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| Ore House on the Plaza |
Northern Road Trip
Up north, it’s all about the tequila. First, head to Santa Fe and stop in the Ore House on the Plaza [50 Lincoln Avenue, (505) 983-8687] where you can take in views of the plaza from their second-story cantina while sipping Herradura Supreme tequila at a budget busting $50 per shot. In this festive venue, you can sample more than 40 different margaritas, each made with the restaurant’s signature margarita mix. Try the New Mexico-inspired Horny Toad, with Hornitos Reposado and Grand Marnier, or the Hoodoorita with El Jimador Reposado and Grand Marnier.
You can also head to Maria’s New Mexican Kitchen [555 W. Cordova Road, (505) 983-7929], a local favorite, where proprietor Al Lucero has mixed authentic margaritas, featuring real Mexican tequila and triple sec, for more than 20 years. He’s even shared some of his recipes in The Great Margarita Book, which features 90 tasty recipes from the restaurant’s repertoire. Of course, our personal favorites from the menu are the Merry Margarita, which Lucero created in December 2007 just for New Mexico Magazine and our readers, and has now added to the restaurant’s menu, and the Raton Mickey, named in honor of the Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Tourism Department, Michael Cerletti—this drink packs a punch!
If you’re headed to the Lensic Center for the Performing Arts, your pre-concert stop should be the Railyard Restaurant and Saloon [530 S. Guadadalupe Street, (505) 989-3300]. Just steps away from the Santa Fe Depot, in the midst of the Railyard district where the New Mexico Rail Runner Express and the Santa Fe Southern Railway depart, here, the drinks and atmosphere are more modern than other destinations. The saloon still pays homage to its roots with drinks like the Super Chief, featuring El Tesoro Silver tequila, citronge, and fresh-squeezed lime juice, and the hangover inducing (or would it be the perfect antidote?) Train Wreck, featuring vodka and tomato juice with chipotle in a glass rimmed with smoked salt.
If you’re in Taos, north of Santa Fe off N.M. 68, don’t miss the opportunity to mingle in the Taos Inn’s Adobe Bar [125 Paseo Del Pueblo Norte, (575) 758-2233], which locals call “the living room of Taos.” Here you’ll find live music every weekend night—and some weekday nights, too. Several of the drink offerings capture the town’s Western hippie flair: Try the Cowboy Buddha, with Herradura Silver tequila, cointreau, and hand-squeezed lime juice, or the Buddha Añejo, with Patron Añejo tequila, citronge, and hand-squeezed lime juice.
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| Nob Hill Bar and Grill |
Albuquerque’s mixologists are living up to their names by stirring and shaking cocktails to suit every taste. In Hotel Albuquerque’s Q Bar [800 Rio Grande Blvd. NW, (505) 222-8718], you can sip the green giant of alcoholic beverages: absinthe. Kick back in the bar’s posh atmosphere to sip this once-outlawed drink, or try a sweet treat like Spring Love, which features Plymouth gin, peach schnapps, Stirrings Pomegranate, cane sugar syrup, and fresh lime juice. Head to Season’s Rotisserie and Grill [2031 Mountain Road NW, (505) 766-5100], also in the city’s historic Old Town area, where you’ll delight in city views from the restaurant’s second-story, open-air (in the summer) cantina. With its fierce green-chile infused tequila, cointreau, honey and fresh lime juice, don’t miss the Angry Bee.
Venture uptown to the Nob Hill area, which boasts shopping, restaurants, and the likes of Nob Hill Bar and Grill [3128 Central Ave. SE, (505) 266-4455]. This self-described “upscale joint”—park sleek bistro, part neighborhood hangout—offers modern takes on classic American dishes and a see-and-be-seen bar area. Try the El Toro with Herradura Silver tequila, St. Germain, fresh oranges, and fresh lime juice, served with a do-it-yourself prickly pear puree to add to the blend. Nearby, you’ll find Zinc Wine Bar & Bistro [3009 Central Ave. NE, (505) 254-9462]. In the restaurant’s intimate cellar, you’ll find a hipster hotspot with live music most weekends. Here mix-master Leif West is experimenting with infusions—from the cinnamon-infused Maker’s Mark bourbon in the Cinnamanhattan, to the cucumber-infused vodka in a Bloody Mary. Don’t miss trying the bar’s popular mango mojito.
You’ll find more wonderful infusions, head to Casa Vieja [4541 Corrales Rd., (505) 508-3244] in Corrales, just outside Albuquerque on N.M. 448. With its homey sophistication and emphasis on local, organic ingredients in both their food and cocktails, there’s plenty to enjoy in this historic adobe. Try the Mulberry Cocktail with organic mulberry-infused vodka, lemon juice, and Cava Sparkling Wine, or the Starchild, white nectarine, apricot, bing cherry, peach, date, and five spice-infused vodka, served up.
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| Azul Nightclub |
Southern Road Trip
Is it any surprise many of Las Cruces’s cocktail creations are chile-centric? Stop in nearby Mesilla’s historic Double Eagle Restaurant [2355 Calle De Guadalupe, (575) 523-6700] for a Green Chile Bloody Mary, featuring imported Sobieski Polish vodka infused with Hatch green chile to create what the restaurant describes as a “flammable flavor profile.” Or try a Mesilla Stinger, the miniature version of the concoction.
If you’re in the mood for something sweet, stop in the stylish Azul Nightclub, with its striking blue décor, in Hotel Encantado [705 S. Telshor Boulevard, (575) 522-4300], where the locals recommend the Ginger Pear Martini.
Just a little reminder: you should only partake of alcohol if you are of legal age, you should drink responsibly, and you should never drive after consuming alcohol.
