The Liquid Muse Events created TACO WARS in 2017.

TACO WARS is federally trademarked and may not be used without permission from The Liquid Muse LLC. Contact us for more info.

TACO WARS 2026: Thursday, May 28

*VIP ENTER AT 5 PM

*GENERAL ADMISSION ENTER AT 6 PM

*Must be over 21 years old to attend. id required. No children permitted.

2026 Taco Contenders:

Michael Dooley, Sunday at Grams

Jackson Ault, Santa Fe Chef

Jerry Dakan, Santa Fe Community College Culinary

Craig Moya & Nate Clements, Time Travelers Pub

Christus Emergency Room Nurses, Taco Emergency (community team)

Raymond Naranjo, Manko

Eric Stumpf, Boxcar

Victoria Bruneni, THE Capitol Cafe by What THE truck

Damian Herrera, Juicy Foods

Johnny Vee, Las Cosas Cooking School

Randy Tapia, Mystic Mesa / Poki Tako

2026 Featured Cocktails:

Caravedo Pisco

Tito’s Vodka

Patron Tequila

OM Chocolate Liqueur

Los Poblanos

Little Toad Creek

As Above So Below Distillery

SINCE 2015, Cocktails & Culture Festival / TACO WARS events have donated to our community:

$28,000+

Santa Fe Animal Shelter

$10,000+

Espanola Animal Shelter

$5000+

Cooking With Kids

Helen David Relief Fund

$2500 - $5000

Santa Fe Youth & Family Services

$500 - $2500

Animal Protection New Mexico

New Mexico Children’s Hospital

New Mexico Children’s Grief Center

$250+

Pints For Parkinson’s

top three winners of taco wars 2025:

Top Taco: Taco Emergency (community team, Christus Emergency Room Nurses)

Second Place: Escondido restaurant

Third Place: Manko Native american fusion truck

TOP THREE WINNERS OF TACO WARS 2024:

TOP TACO: Horno Restaurant (Santa Fe)

2nd Place: MAS Chile Food Truck

3rd Place: Scalo Restaurant (Albuquerque)

TACO WARS 2023

Taco Wars Takeover, Chomp 2021 & 2022 (SOLD OUT!)

Whether cooking at private events around the country or competing on TV shows such as Chopped, winning Grocery Games or beating Bobby Flay, Chef Ruiz is one of the kings of Southwestern Mexican-American cuisine! We are honored to have him for a whole evening exclusively for The Liquid Muse community. Guests are treated to a plate featuring three of his creative tacos and a Chomp signature margarita. $5 from every ticket is donated to animal rescue.

Taco Wars Takeover, Casa Culinaria (SOLD OUT!)

For this Gourmet Taco Wars Pop Up in a beautiful "secret garden" setting in historic downtown Santa Fe, we partnered with Chef Carolina Olea Cosignani at the hidden paradise Casa Culinaria on Don Gaspar. with a gourmet Bastille Day themed taco experience and a selection of Agua Frescas. As always, $5 from every ticket is donated to animal rescue.

Taco Wars Takeover, Rowley’s (SOLD OUT!)

For this fun taco-and-beer pairing event, we are featuring Chef Jeffrey Kaplan and Brewer John Rowley on the fun patio of Rowley’s Farmhouse Ales in the midtown district. Their signature Hot Chicken Taco, Cauliflower Taco and Lengua Tacos were paired with a flight of Rowley’s craft beers. As always, $5 from every ticket is donated to animal rescue.

Taco Wars Takeover, Horno (SOLD OUT!)

To kick off, we featured Chef David Sellers, whose Notorious P.I.G. taco was the crowd favorite at our last live TACO WARS in 2019. All of Santa Fe was impatiently waiting for his new restaurant HORNO on Marcy Street, and with the TACO WARS TAKEOVER ticket guests got tacos, a sample of the amazing new Alma’s Salsa, and a sneak peek before it opens to the public. As always, $5 from every ticket was donated to animal rescue.

TACO WARS in years past…

So many of you have been part of the TACO WARS journey from the beginning. Here are some flashbacks years past… and previews of what will return!

TACO WARS 2019

winner: Street Food Institute

TACO WARS 2018

winner: The Palace Saloon

TACO WARS 2017

winner: Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi

Link to photos

CHRISTMAS MARGARITA (Natalie Bovis)

1 ½ OZ BLANCO TEQUILA

¾ oz orange liqueur (such as triple sec, etc)

½ oz lime juice

1 barspoon (teaspoon) agave nectar

1 tablespoon green chile

Glass rimmer: red chile powder, sugar, salt

Moisten rim of glass, dip in rimmer, set aside. Shake all other ingredients with ice. Strain into glass.

*

CHILCANO (Jessica O’Brien)

1 1/2 OZ CARAVEDO PISCO

Ginger Beer (or Ginger Ale)

Lime Juice

Aromatic Bitters (optional)

Pour all ingredients into a highball glass, over ice.

*

PISCO SOUR (Jared Sasso)

1 ½ oz Caravedo Pisco

Lime Juice

Simple syrup (equal parts water and dissolved sugar)

Egg White (or vegan option: chickpea juice)

Shake all ingredients.

*

RIO BLANCO (Dale DeGroff)

2 oz Blanco Puro Tequila

1/2 oz “real” French Sauternes Wine

1/4 oz fresh lemon juice

1 dash Dale DeGroff’s Pimento Bitters

2 very thin slices of Jalapeno pepper skin, the skin only… one 1 inch long and the other 2 inches long.

Agave Syrup - optional

Assemble the tequila, sauternes, lemon juice, pimento bitters, the shorter of the two pieces of jalapeno skin. Add ice and shake well to chill. Strain into a chilled coupe glass and slide the second piece of jalapeno skin into the glass. Adjust the sweet sour balance with the agave syrup.

ROSITA (Tony Abou-Ganim)

1 ½ oz. El Tesoro Reposado tequila
½ oz. Cinzano sweet vermouth
½ oz. dry vermouth
½ oz. Campari
1 dash Angostura bitters

Stir ingredients in a mixing beaker with ice, strain over a single large ice cube in an Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with a swatch of lemon peel.

*

CUCUMBER COCONUT MARGARITA (Egor Polonskiy)

1 1/2 oz Patrón Silver (or Roca Patrón Silver)

2 oz Coconut Water

¾ oz Simple Syrup or Coconut Syrup (Liquid Alchemist, if you have access to it).

¾ oz Lime Juice

6 Slices of Cucumber (3 for garnish)

Shake with ice.

*

TOMMY’S MARGARITA (Bobby Gleason)

1 ½ oz El Tesoro Blanco

Juice of one whole lime

1 oz agave syrup (Shake up equal parts agave nectar and warm water)

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

*

BLUE BELL DAISY (Bobby Gleason)

1 ½ oz El Tesoro Blanco tequila

½ oz DeKuyper triple sec

2 ounces lemon sour: Combine two parts fresh lemon juice with one part simple syrup (equal parts sugar & hot water-stir until dissolved)

Yellow bell pepper

8 – 10 blueberries

Muddle berries, bell pepper. Add other ingredients, shake with ice.