Fine Drinking

The Quinnster holds it down with high standards

Remember that one time? That screwdriver that was so good you can still picture the table at the restaurant you were sitting in and the company beside you?

Nope?

But what I do remember is the time I went to the Coyote Café with a fellow journalist, and we ordered the lobster and drank cocktails recommended by the happy hostess. Mine came in a martini glass, ice cold, bubbly and green, with a frozen grape and a sprig of rosemary as a garnish.

To the man who's one of Santa Fe's most successful sommeliers, making memories is just as important as making drinks. Quinn Stephenson is the beverage director and the front-of-the-house manager at Geronimo, Coyote Café and The High Note, as well as running the drinks menu at Radish & Rye. Although the frozen grape drink hasn't been on the menu for five years, he rattles off what it was made of, and he smiles when he hears that it's a fond recollection for me.

"You're not going to remember the Sapphire/tonic you had. You're not going to remember the Jack and Coke, you're not gonna remember the glass of cabernet," Stephenson says. "You are going to remember this great cocktail that you had five years ago. You are a lot more likely to have a memorable experience when you have a craft cocktail. It is true."

The 36-year-old Pojoaque Valley High School graduate is beyond being a busy guy. In addition to that load, he's studying for his Level Three sommelier certificate.

His is a career built on a life in the industry.

"To be honest, I've never had another job as far as outside the restaurant business," Stephenson says. "I started busing tables an early age, and I ran food, and I waited tables, and I barbacked. I truly have done everything in the restaurant business. I grew up in it."

Stephenson says he got his "break" when he started that barback position at age 19, and then he became a full-time bartender the day he turned 21. He first became part owner in 2008.

"I really fell in love with the beverage side of the restaurant. Wine is fascinating. It is an endless pursuit of knowledge. You'll never know all there is to know," he says. "To really get to know your palate is really fun, for myself. I think a lot of people eat and drink unconsciously, but when you've really developed a palate, it is just that much more enjoyable. The more you know, the more you can enjoy. Just like, I love Ferraris, but if I were to go to the factory and learn how to build them and all the caring detail that went into it, I would probably have much more appreciation. It's like music and like art: The more you know, the more you can appreciate."

Each of his restaurants and bars has a distinctive quality to the menu. At The High Note, the focus is on classics, with a sophisticated twist. At Coyote, it's all about experimentation. At Geronimo, wine is chief. At Radish & Rye, instead of crafting a menu that crosses the standard margarita-to-gin line, he went with all bourbon, all the time.

Take a tour through Stephenson’s turf with his recommendations for SFR:

Green Lotus at Geronimo (724 Canyon Road, 982-1500): Get the umami going on with Soju (a Korean rice spirit), cucumber, yuzu lime gastrique, cucumber and a powdered salt rim.

Pearls and Champagne at Coyote Café (132 W Water St., 983-1615): The summer menu will officially kick off any day now, and with it comes the molecular gastronomical trickery of flavor pearls that dance in the effervescent bubbles.

Abuelito at Radish & Rye (548 Agua Fría St., 930-5325): Made from a hand-selected barrel of Buffalo Trace, this bourbon with Carpano, bitters and a layer of smoked dark maduro tobacco comes out of the decanter like a magic trick.

Brandy a la Quinnster at The High Note (132 W Water St., 919-8771): Brandy isn't just for old dudes with cigars. This play on the brandy Alexander comes with ignited Saigon cinnamon, creme de cacao and a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream.

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