Farm to Glass 2


 

Last time we did a farm to glass piece the focus was on blue corn, and lavender exclusively. Well after thinking about it, I realized I had so much fun working on that piece that I couldn’t wait to do another one, only this time expand not only the ingredients, but also the variety of beverages. While this type of blog will be ongoing piece and I will be trying multiple drinks featuring New Mexico ingredients here are some of my favorites that I have had recently.

To start there are 2 ingredients I was very intrigued to see in beverages, and those are pinon and red chile. Zia Soda uses both though in their Pinon Cola and Red Chile Ginger Ale. In addition, this is a high-quality soda using natural ingredients, so I was ok with drinking it. The Pinon Cola was amazing, and I was surprised by it in so many ways. For starters they don’t use caramel coloring so the cola was clear, but the taste was what every cola should strive to be. The pinon flavor was front and center making this a very rich drink, but they also add lime zest to give it a bright flavor. While this is not something I could drink a lot of, it is something I would have again. The Red Chile Ginger Ale was also full of flavor, and incredibly spicy. Again, using great ingredients this soda has layers of spice from the ginger, and then a heat in the aftertaste from the chile. Again, this soda had lime in it as well, so it had a much need acidic taste to balance it out. The only way to describe this is unique, but worth trying.

Another ingredient I am very fond of is the prickly pear, and the number of drinks that can feature this ingredient is abundant. One of the ways I recently enjoyed this was surprisingly in a hard cider from Black Mesa Winery. Thankfully this was a dry cider, but it poured that beautiful pink color making it unmistakable what was in this cider. The flavor was very good, the sweetness of the apple, tartness of the prickly pear, and dry cider base all worked perfectly together creating a very refreshing sip. If you are a cider fan I highly recommend finding and trying this one. It is one I will have again, and I wish I bought more than one bottle. One of the first times I tried prickly pear was years ago in a margarita, and to this day it is one of my favorite ways to enjoy it. While there are several good ones out there my favorite has come from Church Street Café in Old Town. It is a great tequila, and the lime with prickly pear creates a tart, but delicious sip.

One thing that continues to surprise me is how much lavender is used in food and drinks down here, but when it is used right it is delicious. Recently one of my favorite breweries Ex Novo release Honey, I Lav You a honey lavender Kolsch using the main ingredient from Los Poblanos. All I can say is, if this beer is available, it is a must try. It is light, crisp, sweet, has a subtle citrus flavor, and is the perfect amount of floral from the main ingredient. I can’t recommend this beer enough, and my only hope is that it will be made more regularly. One way I have found myself enjoying lavender a lot lately though has been in coffee. Thankfully, there are lots of local coffee shops that offer it as a flavor, but one that stands out above them all is from Blackbird Coffee in Old Town. This is a latte featuring sea salt, lavender, and caramel. The only way to describe it is very complex with floral, sweet, and salty combining with the bitterness of the coffee. It is a very rich drink but will become a regular of mine when I’m in Old Town.

Like I stated previously in this blog this is going to be an ongoing series and I cannot wait to see what delicious drinks I find next. I’m sure lavender will be a big part of that as it is quickly becoming one of my favorite flavors, but the fun in these pieces is that I don’t know what I will find. All I know is that it is time to start exploring bars, restaurants, and coffee shops to find what might be a new favorite. To be continued.

To see photos of my adventures follow me on Instagram at the_nm_tx
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