Long before the conquistadors arrived, Native people in modern-day New Mexico survived, and thrived, living off the land. Our arid climate makes year-round growing challenging, so drying and storing foods was integral to early populations. Luckily for us, today, many plants, vegetables and fruits that grow in our area make wonderful ingredients in food and cocktails, whether fresh or preserved. As an advocate for garden-to-glass, sustainable and locally sourced products, I’m excited to share a few ideas you may not have considered for your cocktail shaker, until now.
Chile:
Needless to say, red and green chile can be used in a variety of ways in drinks. Muddle the fresh peppers, cook up a chile jam to shake-and-strain with tequila or mix either kind of chile powder with salt or sugar to use on the rim of a glass.
Sage: This fragrant shrub offers an earthy quality to food and drink. Try muddling fresh leaves with chunks of pineapple in a gin-based cocktail for a savory-meets-sweet extravaganza in your glass.
Corn: Yellow or multicolored, corn is a staple in our local food so, naturally, that makes me want to use it in a drink. Experiment with a corn puree shaken-then-strained into a bourbon-based cocktail.
Carrots: Don't count out carrots! Their juice is a yummy alternative to fruit juice as a raw ingredient in a drink. I've also used it as a base of a syrup for both cooking and cocktail adventures. The various colors available give them added value with regard to presentation.
Chokecherry: This variety grows well at our altitude and ripens around early summer. I've used the tiny fruit to flavor shrubs—a vinegar-and-sugar solution, used for preserving fruits and flavoring cocktails—as well as in-bottle infusions. Because they are quite small, they aren't ideal for garnishing a Manhattan, for example, unless you use a few.
Piñón nuts: Due to their subtle flavor, I like these shelled nuts crushed and macerated into a wheat-based vodka, which has a creamy texture. They can also be ground and used as a garnish. Stop by Santa Fe Spirits for a taste of their new Atapiño small-batch liqueur, a unique product for those seeking an already-made taste of New Mexico.
Lavender:
Some could argue I’m obsessed with this flower, because I use it regularly in all sorts of savory food, cocktails and virgin drinks. I source my local culinary lavender from Purple Adobe Farms in Abiquiú.
The Liquid Muse Lavender Syrup
(excerpted from Edible Cocktails: Garden to Glass):
- 2 cups raw sugar
- 1½ cups water (or lavender tea)
- ¼ cup culinary lavender buds
Bring all ingredients to a boil, in a small saucepan, stirring often. Once sugar has dissolved, let mixture sit overnight. Strain and bottle. Lasts a month, or more, if refrigerated.
Santa Fe Reporter