There’s a saying that “you can never go home again.” Upon return to my hometown of Santa Fe, New Mexico, I am living proof that old adage absolutely wrong! Not only is this little mountain town a mecca for food, art, spirituality and outdoor sports, it is establishing itself as a small-but-mighty force to be reckoned with in mixology.My work with The Liquid Muse has taken me all over the world tasting wine, interviewing distillers and judging cocktail competitions. I have been to many of the best cocktail bars on the planet in cities such as Amsterdam, London, Paris, Barcelona, Sydney, New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, New Orleans –and of course, my long-time home of Los Angeles - among others. And, let me tell you folks, the passion to learn, grow and excel among my bartending brethren here in the Land of Enchantment is second-to-none.So, it was with great excitement that I, along with other members of the bartending community, joined together at Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino where 23 talented barmen & women presented their techniques and drinks vying to move up in the final round featuring the Top Ten drinks, this coming Sunday, November 13 at 2 pm (there is an admission fee at the casinor) during the Grand Gourmet Food & Wine Expo at the Eldorado Hotel , which is part of the Santa Fe Harvest Festival (a wonderful month-long series of food- and drink-focused events).However, the cocktail competition rules were based on the United States Bartender Guild guidelines, as New Mexico recently launched its own chapter. The judges also came from the board of the USBG NM and included Chris Milligan (Bar Manager at Secreto Lounge and blogger at SantaFeBarman), Danny Gonzales, Katy Gerwin and Mark Johnson. The judges were evaluating not only on taste, but also technique, ingredients and showmanship.Avion Tequila sponsored the event and are offering $1000 grand prize to the winner. Tequila is hugely popular in the Southwestern United States, and the good bars and bartenders are taking it a step or two further beyond the traditional margarita. Therefore, the creativity of cooked, whipped, foamed, bruleed, shaken and stirred ingredients this past Sunday was a pleasure to take in visually and impressive to any true cocktailian.As the level of bartending rises in this area, there will be more bars on board with supporting quality cocktail programs. And that, my friends, is a win-win for everyone from restaurateurs to diners to staff. The passion demonstrated by many of the bartenders in this area makes me sure that Santa Fe will rise to national acclaim quickly, and I intend to help that along on The Liquid Muse, so you will be seeing bartender profiles on my website and hearing upcoming episodes featuring New Mexico chefs and mixologists on my podcast show One For the Road. I am thrilled to see that some of my super-duper favorite bartender friends made it into the finals!(A personal aside, I am surprised not to see the name “Shaun Adams” from Coyote Cafe on this list, as he is a major talent. I was impressed watching him present his saffron–pear-tequila drink... but I’m sure the judges had a hard time choosing the best of the day.) I also want to give special shout-outs of congratulations to Alex Velez a dear friend who is no stranger to winning cocktail competitions, and Todd Walker who is an awesome quickly-rising talent, and my fellow bartender at Secreto Lounge.Bravo to all who competed, and especially those on the TOP TEN list, below, who the general public can watch compete on Sunday. So, come out and support your favorite bartender:

BAR WARS SEMI-FINALISTS

Alex Velez (Amavi)
Sergio Perez (Luminaria)
Veronica Rae Raffensperger (Eldorado Hotel)
Forrest Wynn (Milagro)
James Reis (Inn of the Anasazi)
Melanie Liparulo (Sleeping Dog)
Adrienne Miller (Hard Rock)
Todd Walker (Hotel St. Francis)
Tony Fiorina (Milagro)
Dana Luttrell (Tiny's)

If you are in the Santa Fe area, I hope to see you at the Bar Wars finals, on Sunday! Other fun & delicious foodie festivities to enjoy during Santa Fe Harvest Festival include – get tickets while they are still available:

The second-round elimination of the Chef Showdown at the Inn at Loretto on Thursday, November 10^th at 1 pm.
The “Best of the Fest” Chef Showdown Finale, Dinner and Silent Auction at the El Dorado (after the Grand Gourmet Food & Wine Expo) at 5:30 pm.