New Mexico has a culinary reputation for smoky red and green chile, a thriving craft beer culture, and one of the oldest wine-crafting heritages in the United States. Now, another scene is steadily emerging: craft cocktails.
That evolution will be on display during the fourth annual New Mexico Cocktail Week, a nine-day celebration running from May 30 through June 7. The celebration will spread across bars, restaurants, and distilleries across Albuquerque to Santa Fe and smaller communities, such as Las Cruces, Silver City, and Las Vegas, New Mexico.
It started as a niche gathering for cocktail enthusiasts. Now, it has grown into a showcase of bartending talent across the state, artisan spirits, and food and beverage businesses offering new ways to bring people through their doors.
“Businesses, especially in the hospitality industry, are struggling a lot right now,” said Stephanie Cameron, publisher of Edible New Mexico and one of the event’s founders. “It’s been a great opportunity for folks to come together as a community and help uplift the community.”
Cameron and The Liquid Muse founder Natalie Bovis rolled out the event four years ago, hoping to create something that felt both celebratory and collaborative. This year, Cameron estimates that roughly 35 establishments are taking part in some form.
Some participating venues are going all in with pairing dinners, tastings, brunches, and cocktail classes. Others are taking a simpler approach: they offer a signature drink created specifically for the week-long celebration. “There are options for everyone,” Cameron said.
The schedule is available through the event’s official website, New Mexico Cocktail Week. Guests can browse the website for participating venues and ticketed events.
Unofficially, the festivities start May 28 with Taco Wars at the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market. Bovis will host the event during which attendees vote for their favorite taco and cocktail pairings. The official kickoff follows on May 30. It will open with parallel events: Milk of the Poppy tasting, a Bloody Mary brunch at Tractor Brewing Co., Wells Park, and a Corpse Reviver Party at As Above, So Below Distillery.
The distillery will host the event’s unofficial finale, ‘Apertivo in the Afternoon,’ on June 7.
Cameron said that many businesses focused mainly on hosting events last year. This year, more businesses appear interested in creating featured cocktails as a marketing central attraction — perhaps, signalling that the state’s cocktail culture is becoming more integrated into everyday dining and nightlife.
Even so, the Edible New Mexico publisher expects some 25 to 30 organized activities throughout the week.
The event also reflects changes in American drinking culture. In particular, younger consumers are gravitating more toward low-alcohol or alcohol-free alternatives. A 2022 IWSR Drinks Market study documented that sales of no‑ and low‑alcohol beverages grew by more than 7 percent in volume across 10 major markets worldwide, including the U.S.
Organizers hope that this shift will be embraced more fully in the future. “I do think that the move, especially with younger audiences, is more towards mocktails,” Cameron said. “They still want to have an experience, but not necessarily the buzz.”
Organizers hope future Cocktail Week editions will encourage participating establishments to showcase cocktails alongside nonalcoholic options.
Beyond the shifting tastes, the festival’s growth reflects the rapid maturation of New Mexico’s cocktail industry. More restaurants are getting craft spirit licenses, more distilleries are opening, and more bartenders are treating cocktail‑making as a gastronomic art rather than simply a nightlife accessory. “It is definitely growing and progressing every year,” Cameron said. “We have more bars focused on the cocktail experience, and we definitely get more restaurants getting creative with New Mexico spirits on their menu.”
The movement is beginning to spread beyond the state’s major urban areas. Participating businesses this year include Blue Moon Bar & Grill, Little Toad Creek Brewery and Distillery, and The Skillet.
The cocktail shaker may now be earning its place in a state long celebrated for its beer taps and vineyards.