By Stephanie and Walt Cameron
Publishers Stephanie and Walt Cameron are sharing some of their favorite finds around New Mexico in edible’s newest department, Eight Around the State. For this issue, they searched for distilleries with great craft cocktails. The craft cocktail movement has slowly made its way into New Mexico and the distilleries are leading the way. Every batch of spirit and every cocktail these distilleries are making is truly artisanal and created by hand with love.
We would love to hear about our readers’ favorite eats around the state. Drop us an email at info@ediblenm.com with your best finds from anywhere in the Land of Enchantment.
Albuquerque
What we are drinking: Lapsang Bourbon with bourbon infused with Lapsang Souchong tea, rhubarb, lemon, and angostura.
Worth noting: For their whiskey, instead of using wheat or rye, Still Spirits has opted for the locally available triticale, a hearty Scottish grain. The aesthetic of Still Spirits is low-key and casual—definitely a space you will enjoy as much as the cocktail in your hand.
Find: 120 Marble Avenue NW, Albuquerque
Taos
What we are drinking: Violet Fog with lavender-infused vodka, butterfly pea blossom, lemon, honey, and egg white.
Worth noting: The menu highlights Rolling Still’s special vodka infusions that celebrate the flavors and culture of New Mexico, such as red chile, green chile, and a fusion of ponderosa and juniper. Cocktails are created with ingredients sourced from local farms and other local spirits in addition to their vodka. Great spaces to hang out inside and out.
Find: 110 Paseo Del Pueblo Norte, Taos
Santa Fe
Tumbleroot Brewery & Distillery
What we are drinking: Kashmir Cocktail with agave spirit, lime, and turmeric.
Worth noting: Tumbleroot uses one-hundred-percent organic ingredients, and when flavoring spirits after distillation, they only use organic, garden-grown, and wild-harvested ingredients. While we were visiting we got to try the limited edition of Mojito Brew, which was created by fermenting Tumbleroot rum, lime, and mint together—it’s somewhere between a beer and spirit at twelve percent alcohol.
Find: Distillery & Tap Room, 32 Bisbee Court, Santa Fe
Taproom and Event Space, 2791 Agua Fria Street, Santa Fe
Silver City
Little Toad Creek Brewery & Distillery
What we are drinking: Paloma made with TeGila (an agave spirit), grapefruit juice, and soda with a salted rim.
Worth noting: Little Toad Creek is the community hub for Silver City. With spirits, beer, food, and entertainment, they’ve got all the bases covered. They put on community events throughout the year, including Oktoaderfest, Halloween costume contests, a New Year’s Eve party, and a Mardi Gras carnival. They also throw the annual Spring Toad Fest.
Find: 200 N Bullard Street, Silver City—and they have a taproom in Las Cruces, as well.
Mesilla
What we are drinking: Muddle Heart with cacao vodka, house-made Frangelico, and lemon.
Worth noting: In addition to distilling vodka, gin, and whiskey, Dry Point has several immature brandies. Los Pasos Brandy is made from one hundred-percent local wine sourced from Rio Grande Vineyards and Winery, located only four miles from Dry Point Distillers.
Find: 1680 Calle de Alvarez, Las Cruces
sAlbuquerque
What we are drinking: Bitter Bonnie with Teller Vodka, lemon, ginger, oleo saccharin (macerated citrus peels in sugar), and angostura bitters float.
Worth noting: Their drink list highlights lots of creative concoctions, house-made vodka infusions, and house-made ginger beer. With a play on the origins of the original building (former National Cash Register Company), the menu features cleverly named cocktails like Dillinger’s Pride, Gluttonous Patty, and Ghosted Cassidy, as well as decor reminiscent of the banking days of yore.
Find: 616 Gold Ave SW, Albuquerque
Santa Fe
What we are drinking: Sangre de Margarita with Silver Coyote White Whiskey, lemon, lime, orange-infused apple brandy, and agave.
Worth noting: Santa Fe Spirit’s Atapiño Liqueur is a must-try. Santa Fe Spirits roasts the piñon nuts and puts them into a barrel to soak in Silver Coyote single malt white whiskey for two months to extract the essence of the piñon. The result is a full-bodied, uniquely satisfying liqueur perfect for an autumn evening.
Find: Downtown Tasting Room, 308 Read Street, Santa Fe
Distillery & Tasting Room, 7505 Mallard Way, Santa Fe
Edible celebrates New Mexico's food culture, season by season. We believe that knowing where our food comes from is a powerful thing. With our high-quality, aesthetically pleasing and informative publication, we inspire readers to support and celebrate the growers, producers, chefs, beverage and food artisans, and other food professionals in our community.