News & Events
SFS at Aha Fest
This year, we are very excited to be a part of Santa Fe's fourth annual Aha Fest! Aha Festival of Progressive Arts will be taking place Sept.13-14 at the Santa Fe Railyard. The free Sunday event will have live music, entertainment, food, and drink! Please come out and join us for this awesome event!
The Perfect Cocktail: It’s More Simple than You Think
In our Santa Fe Spirits tasting rooms we love experimenting with different cocktails, and with such great spirits, who wouldn't want to have some fun? However, you can't pretend that only have five spirits isn't a challenge when it comes to creating new cocktails. There's only so much you can do with five spirits to work with. So how do we come up with new and unique cocktails that can showcase our award winning products?The answer is as simple as syrup... simple syrup. Now sometimes people get confused when they see simple syrup listed as part of a cocktail recipe, but let me tell you, it's called simple for a reason. Simple syrup is a mix of sugar and water.. easy right? The ratio can vary anywhere from 1:1 to 2:1 sugar to water and the water just needs to be boiling hot. Boil water on the stove, add sugar, stir, let cool, and voila, simple syrup!
The Perfect Whiskey Glass
Its been called a tulip, its been called a snifter, its been called a glencairn.... but no matter the name, what is it that makes this glass the PERFECT WHISKEY GLASS?The glencairn glass was originally developed by Glencairn Crystal (go figure) in an attempt to make a glass that could mimic the glasses that are used in whiskey labs and distilleries around the world in order for whiskey producers to get the most effective taste and create the best product. The glencairn glass is one of a few types of glasses that have been designed specifically with whiskey in mind, but it is the only glass that has been endorsed by the Scotch Whisky Association.It is little wonder, given this history, that we at Santa Fe Spirits have chosen the glencairn glass as the ideal way to serve our mesquite smoked single malt whiskey, Colkegan. Although Colkegan is not technically a Scotch because it is made in the United States, it is made using the same malting and distillation process as a traditional Scotch (if you replace peat with mesquite), and we don't want to be left out of this great glass phenomenon.
SFS Downtown Tasting Room Celebrates its One Year Anniversary!
Last Friday, the SFS team celebrated its first year in its downtown location at 308 Read Street. This anniversary celebration was accompanied by the grand opening of our brand new outdoor patio! This location has been an incredible way for Santa Fe Spirits to greatly increase its interaction with the Santa Fe Community as well as visitors to our great city. Over the past year, we are proud that our tasting room has become a favorite spot for many locals who are able to come by for a chance to sample all five of our artisanal spirits as well as order from our ever growing menu of hand-crafted cocktails.
But Vodka is just Vodka right?
When I tell people that our Santa Fe Spirits Expedition Vodka is a corn based vodka, they generally look at me and either ask "what is vodka usually made from?" or "Oh, so its gluten free?"Well, each question has an interesting, so lets look at both. What is vodka usually made from? Vodka can be made from any starch or sugar rich plant, generally wheat, rye, corn, or potato (although there can be many others). Where vodka first came from is a much disputed question, but we know that the first vodka was made in Eastern Europe, and it was originally used, like Gin, as a medicine. While it is generally believed that Polish, Russian, or other European vodkas were potato based, the spirit was actually made most commonly from Rye, though the ingredients could vary far and wide dependent on the most available, and the most affordable, ingredients.
Banking on Birdies
Make sure to check out Santa Fe Spirits at the Banking on Birdies annual golf tournament on August 18th! This event is put on by the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce and we are very excited to be a part of it!
The Malting Process
For those of you that have visited the Santa Fe Spirits tasting room (and those of you that haven't), you may remember that when describing our mesquite smoked single malt whiskey, Colkegan, we mention that it gets is mesquite flavor during the malting process. But what exactly IS malting?
First Anniversary of our Downtown Tasting Room!
We opened our Downtown Tasting Room a year ago and we want to celebrate its success with you! Please join us for a great night of cocktails and appetizers with drink specials and birthday pricing on August 8 between 5-9. We will also be celebrating the GRAND OPENING of our new outdoor patio! We would love to see everyone there!
Whiskey Rebellion
Last week, Santa Fe Spirits representatives had the opportunity to attend an event in Denver called the Whiskey Rebellion that was held at The Curtis Hotel. This event was a great opportunity for Colorado locals to try whiskies from around their state as well as from both New Mexico and Wyoming. For us, it was an ideal opportunity to showcase our brand in a market that we are still breaking into. The event was put on by Water for People, a non-profit organization based in Denver that is able to bring clean water to underprivileged regions of the world.
Cocktail of the Week
Apple Brandy Classic SidecarHere is our cocktail of the week!3 oz Santa Fe Spirits Apple Brandy2 oz lemon-lime mix (margarita mix can work)Sugar for rimLime for garnishFill shaker with ice, Apple Brandy, and lemon lime mix. Shake and serve up with a sugar rim. Garnish with lime wedge.
A Western Inspired Gin
What is gin? When I tell people that come through my bar that gin is a flavored vodka they look at me like I'm crazy. But it's true! Vodka is a neutral grain spirit distilled as many times as people want in order to make it as odorless and flavorless as possible. Gin is the same neutral grain spirit infused with Juniper Berries.Where the first use of Juniper berries came from in unclear, but gin seems to have sprung up from Jenever, a spirit distilled from malt wine and made palatable by the addition of Juniper, which was also added for medicinal reasons. No matter where it started, gin is not gin without the addition of Juniper berries, and even though juniper can be found somewhere on every continent, in the U.S., we like to think of it as something southwestern. We have to deal with Juniper allergies more than almost everyone else, why not claim them as our own?
Let’s Get Started
SFS Five ProductsWhen you think of New Mexico, what do you picture in your mind's eye? Desert sands, margaritas, dry climate, good food, Breaking Bad? What probably doesn't occur to you are artisanal hand crafted spirits. However, New Mexico (like most of the country) is jumping on the micro-distillery and micro-brewery train. And believe me, they are not about to get left behind. Several articles have come out lately touting the brilliance of the craft beer scene in the state, but what about the craft spirits?
Best of Santa Fe!
We are very happy to announce that Santa Fe Spirits has won Best New Mexico Distillery in the Santa Fe Reporter's Best of Santa Fe for the second year running! Thanks to all of our support from local voters, we love you all!
Denver’s Whiskey Rebellion
Come check us out at the Whiskey Rebellion in Denver July 10th!http://www.wheretoeat.in/2014-whiskey-rebellion-denver/
Bike and Brew
Make sure to check us out during Outside Magazine's Bike and Brew Event this May! Santa Fe Spirits will be teaming up with Marble Brewery during their grand reopening at the Luna District May 18th and we would love to see your support!