In Santa Fe, every day is Margarita Day (it’s really February 22, BTW). What better way to enjoy this classic cocktail than by exploring the Santa Fe Margarita Trail, a cocktail odyssey featuring more than 50 restaurants and bars? Each unique margarita has been crafted specifically for the trail, so you know you’ll be tasting some of the best margaritas in the world.
Exploring the Margarita Trail’s punchy flavors is just one way to fall in love with the Santa Fe lifestyle. If the local culture and stunning mountain views have you considering a more permanent stay, Corcoran Plaza Properties is here to help you find your place in the City Different. Much like a perfectly balanced cocktail, the real-estate listings at Corcoran Plaza Properties range from meticulously restored historic adobe homes to contemporary Pueblo-style residences that blend modern luxury with traditional soul.
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Santa Fe Margarita Trail
Since the trail opened in 2016, more than 18,000 locals and visitors have traveled along it, sipping their way to earning commemorative T-shirts and other prizes by collecting
stamps from each venue. New venues have been added, too, taking margarita fans across the city and beyond its outskirts. You’ll visit bars with a celebrated history, classic BBQ joints, 5-star restaurants, local haunts, and other intriguing spots, all offering custom margaritas you won’t find anywhere else.
Take the Official Santa Fe Margarita Trail Tour.
Here’s how the Santa Fe Margarita Trail works: You simply download the Margarita Trail Passport from the Apple App Store or Google Play, or pick up your old-fashioned paper passport version from any of the participating venues. Then head out on the trail, sampling signature Santa Fe margaritas. Remember that you’re limited to two stamps every 12 hours, because margaritas can be potent, especially if you’re not used to Santa Fe’s 7,200-foot altitude.
As you travel the trail, you’ll collect stamps from each venue that you visit. These little stamps can earn you big rewards—everything from an official Margarita Trail T-shirt (five stamps) to a membership in the Margarita Society (15 stamps), which gives you access to special seminars, tastings, and other events, along with a subscription to the society’s newsletter, the “Margarita Insider,” and other cool stuff. Conquer the full trail (45 stamps), and you’ll receive the grand prize: a VIP Margarita Package that’s a Santa Fe margarita experience customized just for you. Have we whetted your whistle yet? Then let’s get you started on your margarita adventure!
Finding your favorite spot on the Margarita Trail often leads you through some of the city’s most beautiful and historic neighborhoods. If you find yourself captivated by the charm of Canyon Road or the elegance of the downtown Plaza area, Corcoran Plaza Properties can turn that admiration into ownership. Their expert team specializes in everything from authentic Southwestern architecture to sustainable modern builds, ensuring you can enjoy your evening margarita on a portal that is truly your own.
The best margaritas in Santa Fe
If you need a few suggestions to get you started, these fine Santa Fe spots (or check out our Santa Fe Restaurant Guide) serve up some mighty margaritas!
Del Charro
Del Charro remains Santa Fe’s ultimate watering hole largely due to its incredible $10 daily lunch special, massive portions, and famous margaritas. From the Hatch Chile-infusedheat of the Santa Fe Trail Margarita to the signature House Margarita served in their iconic beehive shaker, every drink is a masterclass in Southwestern flavor. Whether you crave the smoky depth of mezcal or the vibrant sweetness of prickly pear, these award-winning pours are the heart of the city’s cocktail scene.
Tomasita’s
Consistently voted the best in the city, Tomasita’s margaritas are a cornerstone of Northern New Mexican tradition. Whether you prefer a classic on the rocks or their legendary frozen “Swirl,” the perfect fusion of frozen margarita and house-made sangria, these drinks are crafted to balance the heat of their world-class red and green chile. For those who want to sample the variety, their Frozen Flight offers a rotating selection of seasonal flavors that define the Santa Fe experience.
The Plaza Cafe
With a legacy dating back to 1905, Plaza Café is a cornerstone of the city’s history. Whether you are dining at the historic Plaza Café Downtown, the city’s oldest restaurant, or enjoying the expansive menu at Plaza Café Southside, you are treated to authentic New Mexican flavors and classic American diner comfort. Both locations provide a cozy atmosphere to enjoy their famous green chile cheeseburgers or a signature margarita, crafted to complement their traditional blue corn specialties.
Social Kitchen + Bar
Social Kitchen + Bar brings a modern, communal energy to the Santa Fe dining scene, emphasizing that you should “never eat (or drink) alone.” Their cocktail program is a standout, featuring creative margaritas like the herb-forward “The Sage” and the vibrant “Cactus Kiss” with prickly pear. For those who can’t choose just one flavor, the “Pour Decisions” flight offers four signature 6-oz pours, ideal for sharing with friends. Whether you are stopping in for their famous Social Hour or relaxing after a day of exploring Cerrillos Road, this is the place to toast to local culture in a contemporary, high-energy setting.
Low ‘n Slow
Stop at Hotel Chimayó ‘s Low’n Slow Lowrider Bar for one heckuva ride with the Chimayóso Margarita, created specifically for the Santa Fe Margarita Trail. This memorable margarita is composed of serrano pepper-infused Espolon Reposado Tequila, Rothman and Winter Orchard Apricot liqueur, and fresh-squeezed lime juice, served with a Chimayó chile-salt rim. Its flavors will linger long after you’ve finished drinking it.
Secreto
The Secreto Bar and Lounge at Hotel St. Francis is famous for handcrafted garden-to-glass cocktails. Here, the signature Smoked Sage Margarita is a work of art. The recipe includes orange liqueur, smoked sea salt, and sage leaves set alight so the smoke is captured inside the shaker. This infuses the cocktail with a smoky, earthy flavor. It’s so good you’ll want to order two, even though that will only get you one stamp.
Meow Wolf
Most visitors to Santa Fe make at least one stop at Meow Wolf, the otherworldly interactive art installation backed by George R.R. Martin, arguably the most famous author on this planet (and probably others). Meow Wolf’s fanciful Float Bar offers one of the coolest concoctions you’ll find anywhere, and could have been featured in one of Martin’s fantasy novels. The Meowgarita is pretty in pink, with a purple splash of butterfly pea flower tea. It’s topped with a cloud of ice blue cotton candy for dramatic effect. What a perfect way to start, or end, your visit to Meow Wolf’s mind-blowing installation, “The House of Eternal Return.”
Boxcar
Sports fans flock to Boxcar, which is also a hot spot for live music, karaoke, and more. Located in the trendy Santa Fe Railyard, Boxcar is a hot spot on the Margarita Trail, too. That’s because Boxcar’s vast margarita menu makes it appealing to come back again and again to try them all.
Cowgirl BBQ
Cowgirl BBQ is a Santa Fe staple where the spirit of the West meets award-winning comfort food. Known for its world-famous “Mother of All Green Chile Cheeseburgers” and authentic mesquite-smoked brisket, the Cowgirl is equally celebrated for its lively bar scene. From the classic “Fabulous Frozen” margarita to the signature “Cadillac Margarita” on the Margarita Trail, featuring organic Dulce Vida reposado and a red chile salt rim, every drink is a tribute to Southwestern pizazz.
The Shed
A cornerstone of the Santa Fe Margarita Trail, The Shed offers a cocktail experience as legendary as its world-class red chile. This historic Prince Patio landmark is a favorite for aficionados seeking premium tequila and fresh citrus. Sip their signature “Shed Margarita” to cool the heat of a spicy blue corn enchilada or enjoy a round with friends in the eclectic, 17th-century adobe courtyard: a visit here is a local rite of City Different passage.
And more…
On the other end of the city, a short drive north brings you to Tesuque and the new Tesuque Casino, where the Cottonwood Kitchen offers spectacular views and a killer passion fruit margarita. Whether you’re inside or outside on the stylish patio, this is the perfect place to watch the sunset as you sip on the Sunset Margarita, made with a combo of fruit juices.
A short history of the margarita:
The margarita has long been a beloved beverage. There are almost as many origin stories as there are versions of the drink. Some 22 bartenders have been credited with creating the cocktail, including an Irish barkeep in Tijuana. What’s more certain is that the cocktail took off with American tourists visiting Mexico during Prohibition.
By December of 1953, the drink had become so popular that Esquire magazine dubbed it the Drink of the Month and published a simple recipe:
- 1 ounce tequila
- A dash of triple sec
- The juice of half a lime or lemon
- Poured over crushed ice
- Served in a glass with its rim rubbed with a lime or lemon rind and spun in salt.
In the 1970s, the frozen margarita stole the limelight after a bartender transformed a soft-serve ice cream machine into a frozen margarita maker.
Jimmy Buffett’s 1977 hit song “Margaritaville” elevated the frozen cocktail to superstar status. Today, his behemoth “Margaritaville” enterprise spans the globe, with resorts, restaurants, bars & grills as well as his own brand of party fare: Margaritaville Gold Tequila and Margaritaville Dark Rum, margarita drink mix, pineapple orange salsa, Key Lime pie mix, and that’s just a small sampling.
National Margarita Day
National Margarita Day is February 22. Why February 22, you ask? The answer may surprise you. It’s not the anniversary of the invention of the margarita, because no one knows when that was. It’s not the birthday of the inventor of tequila, because the origins of that Mexican spirit date way back to the Aztecs.
It turns out that February 22 is a random date chosen by a margarita-loving guy from Ohio named Todd McCalla in 2008, who was frustrated with watered-down, cheap, high-fructose corn syrup-laden margarita mixes. He also hoped that a mass margarita celebration in February would light up one of the year’s dreariest and most depressing months.
Many years later, National Margarita Day is a huge hit, and that’s unlikely because there’s a lot of competition. Almost every day in the year is devoted to at least one food or beverage. (Monday, February 18, for instance, was National Drink Wine Day, also established by McCalla.)
You could choose to spend February 22 in Margaritaville, with throngs of celebrants who doubtlessly will be singing “Wasting away again in Margaritaville” while they’re at any of Buffett’s resorts. Better yet, you can celebrate in Santa Fe, which holds the distinction of being the first city in the New World to import tequila from Mexico.
Hit the Margarita Trail in Santa Fe
The Santa Fe Margarita Trail is a flavorful march through the city’s best bars and historic patios. Every passport stamp earned at a downtown landmark or a rail yard hotspot brings you through the City Different’s thriving scene.
If the allure of these salt-rimmed adventures and historic patios has you dreaming of a permanent home base for your next round, the experts at Corcoran Plaza Properties are ready to guide you. Their real estate listings range from restored historic adobe homes in Santa Fe to contemporary Pueblo-style residences, providing the perfect backdrop for enjoying a signature margarita on your own private porch. Find your own slice of the Southwest: Visit Corcoran Plaza Properties online to get started.
THIS STORY IS SPONSORED BY CORCORAN PLAZA PROPERTIES
