recipes and text by Natalie Bovis, The Liquid Muse
Tinkling ice in crystal, the smell of bound leather, an indulgent moment, drink in hand, setting the mind out for adventure… The inaugural Santa Fe Literature Festival takes place this month, and it got me thinking about great authors and great cocktails. I’m an avid reader (or rather, audio book listener) these days. Whether walking my dogs or driving between Santa Fe and Albuquerque, I jump at any opportunity to turn off my to-do list and escape into a story.
I also love creating themed signature cocktails so the idea of pairing literature (or authors) I love with my original libations seems like a fun project. I plan to focus on different authors each time I do one of these fun posts, and this one hails writers who have called New Mexico home, for a moment, a year, or for a lifetime.
Iron Blood
Hampton Sides is a Santa Fe resident and author of Blood & Thunder, an epic account of the conquering of the American West. This drink is based on the classic Blood & Sand cocktail but has a rich, dark chocolate twist.
¾ ounce scotch
1 ½ ounces OM Chocolate Liqueur
¾ ounce port
¾ ounce fresh orange juice
Garnish: Cocoa-dusted orange slice
Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain into cocktail glass, or serve on the rocks.
Ojos de la Curandera
The celebrated New Mexican writer, Rudolfo Anaya, shares insights to Chicano culture, local legends and cultural struggle in his coming-of-age tale, Bless Me, Ultima. This cocktail – eyes of the healer – features mezcal and a little bit of magic.
1 ½ ounces mezcal
¾ ounce Luxardo maraschino liqueur
½ ounce fresh lime juice
1 bar spoon agave syrup
Egg white
Garnish: cherry
Dry shake (without ice) all ingredients to froth the egg white. Add ice, shake again. Strain into cocktail glass.
Eagle & Ash
British-born D.H. Lawrence wrote volumes of poems inspired by wildlife in the many places he traveled. Eagle in New Mexico is one of his most famous and captures the stark challenge of surviving in a barren land. This cocktail has an English spirit base, then layered with flavors of the Southwest.
1 ½ ounces London dry gin
¾ ounce sage syrup (boil equal parts sugar and water, add sage leaves, cool, let steep, strain)
¾ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
Smoked cedar chips
Winter In Taos
Socialite Mabel Dodge Luhan lived in some of the world’s glittering cities before settling in New Mexico. Her memoire Winter in Taos waxes poetic about the artists and writers with whom she shared her more simple, rural lifestyle. This drink is made with Taos Lightning whiskey which is made in Alcalde, near the Los Luceros house which Lujan often visited.
1 ½ ounce Taos Lightning Bourbon
¾ ounce lavender syrup (boil equal parts sugar and water, add lavender buds, cool, let steep, strain)
1 ½ ounce Chamomile tea
¾ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
Garnish: Edible flowers
Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain into cocktail glass.